Second-hand find: Big colourful wool scarf

I’m sick with the flu at the moment (well, it might just be a cold, but an evil EVIL one that feels like a flu).

So when I’m over this I’m not going to go anywhere without a warm scarf wrapped around my neck. I’ll probably go for this big colourful one, which is my all-time favourite.

I bought it in the Trinity Hospice Charity shop in Chiswick for around 6 pounds. It’s 100% wool and perfect for keeping neck and chest warm.

Right, I’m going to head back to bed now, but I have two new posts about my favourite Copenhagen cafés in the pipeline, so will be back soon….cough…cough…sniffle…

Read my second-hand guide to Chiswick

Second-hand find – wooden bracelet

Photo: Mette Bassett

Det ligner lidt noget en 3. klasses elev har lavet i sløjd, men det er jo en charme i sig selv. Der er også lidt Sonia Rykiel over farve-kombien. Armbåndet kostede 3 pund i favoritgenbrugsbutikken i Chiswick.

Læs min guide til genbrugsbutikkerne i Chiswick

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It looks a bit like something a child has made in shop class, but I find its slightly clumsy chunkiness rather charming. And the bright plastic dots remind me a bit of Sonia Rykiel’s designs. I paid 3 pounds for it in my favourite second-hand store in Chiswick.

Read my guide to second-hand shopping in Chiswick

Photo: Mette Bassett

Second-hand find: Borbonese Bum Bag

Photo: Mette Bassett

Jeg køber sjældent tasker i genbrugsbutikker, men den her bæltetaske/bum bag vækkede alligevel min nysgerrighed i genbrugsbutikken Cancer research i Chiswick. Jeg genkendte Redwall navnet på lynlåsen (Redwall Group er et stort italiensk firma, kendt for bl.a. at lave tasker for Moschino) og var ærlig talt i tvivl om jeg nogensinde ville få den brugt. Sidst jeg ejede en bæltetaske, var da jeg som 19-årig skulle flytte til Paris og fik en i gave af mine forældres venner. De var overbevist om, at sådan en var vejen frem, hvis man skulle undgå at blive røvet i byernes by. Jeg brugte den aldrig….og fik heller aldrig stjålet noget.

Men tilbage til den her. Den kostede kun 3 pund, så den røg i indkøbskurven uden tøven. Et par googlinger senere og jeg fandt du af, at Borbonese er et fint gammelt italiensk firma, startet af Borbonese-familien, som specialiserer sig i tasker og tilbehør. De er især kendt for mønstret her, som også præger deres lædertasker, “occhio di pernice” hedder det, det betyder noget i retning af “agerhøne-øje”. Læs en fin beskrivelse af Borbonese her.

Jeg synes at tasken er ret fin (og praktisk på lange gåture) over en sommerkjole, hvor den fungerer som bælte, eller man kan bære den på tværs over skulderen, som jeg for nylig gjorde i Bangkok.

English: I rarely buy bags in charity shops, but this bum bag caught my eye in the Cancer Research charity shop in Chiswick. I recognised the Redwall name (the Redwall Group is a Bologna-based company, known for making accessories for Moschino) on the zipper pull. But I didn’t recognise the name Borbonese and to be honest I normally wouldn’t think of wearing a bum bag. I haven’t owned one since I was 19 and got one as a present before moving to Paris. The person who gave it to me was convinced I would get mugged in big, dangerous Paris if I didn’t wear it. But I never did. Wear it or get robbed.

But hey, this one was only 3 pounds, and I like the idea of wearing a bum bag over a  summer dress, almost like a belt. Or across the shoulder, as I recently did in hot and humid Bangkok.

And after a bit of research it also turns out that Borbonese is a very elegant, expensive brand, started by an old Italian family and famous for this particular speckled patterns called “occhio di pernice” or partridge-eye. Read a good description of the brand here.

Photo: Mette Bassett

Photo: Sam Bassett

Inverted cross strap belt

Photo: Mette Bassett

Jeg købte dette læderbælte med skrårem i Oxfam-butikken i Chiswick for 8 pund, og faldt for dets utroligt bløde læder og den sjove ekstra rem. Godt nok mindede det mig om et eller andet militæragtigt, men jeg kunne ikke helt placere designet. Så jeg googlede det og til min forfærdelse dukkede disse billeder op:

English: I bought this belt in the Oxfam charity shop in Chiswick for 8 pounds and instantly liked it because of its very supple leather and the extra strap. It did remind  of something to do with military and soldiers, but I couldn’t really place its design. So I googled it and to my horror I found these pics:

Photo via http://www.replicaters.com

Photo: Eva Braun - via Wikipedia.org

Og ja, det viser sig at både Mussolini og Hitler og hans trofaste Hitler Jugend havde lidt af en forkærlighed for bælter med skrårem…doh! for det vidste jeg jo egentlig godt. Jeg har seriøst ingen ambitioner om at blive high-fivet af en eller anden skinhead-type på gaden, så jeg har besluttet mig for at bære bæltet omvendt. Tag den nynazister! (Og for nu at være fair over for det stakkels bæltes historie, så blev det altså opfundet helt tilbage i 1850’erne af en fyr ved navn Sam Browne.)

Læs min guide til genbrugsshopping i Chiswick

English: And yes, apparently both Mussolini and Hitler and his Jugend bunch loved the cross strap belt. And there’s no way in H** I would risk having neo-nazis high-fivin’ me wearing this on the street. (To be fair to the belt it’s history as a military belt actually dates way back to the 1850s where it was invented by Sam Browne.)

So I’ve inverted it and will only be wearing it this way. I haven’t yet found the perfect outfit to wear it with but it might look good over a skirt with loads of volume.

Read my guide to second-hand shopping in Chiswick

Photo: Mette Bassett

Second-hand find: Gucci paperweight

Photo: Mette Basset

Nogle gange ved du bare ikke, at du mangler noget, før du står over for det. Sådan var det i hvert fald med den her Gucci papirvægt, som blinkede til mig fra sin plads i montren i Cancer Research-butikken i Chiswick. Jeg aner ikke om den er ægte eller ej, men tror næppe nogen gider kopiere sådan en monstertung sag. Egner sig perfekt til at holde alle mine kvitteringer og regninger nede. Pris 13 pund.

Læs min guide til genbrugsshopping i Chiswick

English: Sometimes you just don’t know you need something, before you see it. And I just couldn’t walk away from this Gucci paperweight when I spotted it in the Cancer Research shop in Chiswick. I have no idea if it’s genuine or not but would you really want to copy an insanely heavy paperweight? Perfect for keeping all my receipts and bills under control. 13 pounds.

Read my guide to second-hand shopping in Chiswick

Photo: Mette Bassett

Last find from Chiswick: Dior blouse

Fredag var min sidste arbejdsdag i Chiswick, og jeg nåede lige at snuppe et sidste genbrugsfund med, inden jeg forlod bydelen. Silkeblusen fra Dior kostede 20 pund. I fremtiden vil jagten i stedet gå ind i genbrugsbutikkerne i St. Johns Wood og det øvrige London (guider på vej).

Foto: Mette Bassett

In English: Friday was my last day working in Chiswick but I managed to find one last thing before “closing time”. This silk Dior blouse cost 20 pounds. In the future I’ll turn my attention to the charity shops in St. Johns Wood and the rest of London (guides to come).

Second-hand shopping in Chiswick

Foto: Mette Bassett

Jeg har det sidste halvandet år arbejdet i Chiswick og brugt de fleste af mine frokostpauser på at trawle bydelens genbrugsbutikker tynde. Så her er min shoppingguide til de bedste butikker i Chiswick. Start turen ved Gunnersbury Station og gå til højre ned ad Chiswick High Road og end ved Turnham Green stationen (eller omvendt):

In English: Here is my shopping guide to second-hand shopping in Chiswick. Start your walk at Gunnersbury Station and end up at Turnham Green (or the other way around, if you so prefer). You have to turn right when you get out at Gunnersbury to get to beginning of the high road. All the charity shops are then located at the opposite side:

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Foto: Mette Bassett

Cancer Research – 1 star
392 Chiswick High Road

Butikken her er kun et besøg værd, hvis du er desperat efter at fyre penge af. Udvalget er ok med en del designerbrands og en forkærlighed for retrolook, men priserne er helt kørt op. For eksempel kan en slidt jakke fra Zara eller H&M nemt koste 40-50 pund. Jeg undgår altid denne butik.

Only worth a visit if you’re desperate and have too much money to spend. Their selection is ok with quite a few designer brands and a lot of retro styling going on. But it is sooo overpriced. An old coat from Zara can easily cost you around 50 pounds. Avoid.

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Foto: Mette Bassett

Cancer Research – 5 stars
278 Chiswick High Road

Fortsæt i stedet hen ad gaden til du når til den næste Cancer Research, som er min absolutte favorit i Chiswick. De har en fantastisk manager, Esther, som har et super øje for lækre ting og altid rammer den rigtige pris. Her har jeg blandt andet fundet min Jean-Louis Scherrer blondetrøje, min Celine jakke, en Mulberry Roxanne taske, Issey Miyake jakke og Thierry Mugler jakker og meget andet godt. Som altid gælder reglen om, at man skal komme ofte, da udvalget virkelig kan variere.

Continue down the street until you spot a second blue Cancer Research shop. This one is my absolute favourite. They have a great manager, Esther, who really knows how to handpick the good things and price them so that you don’t feel ripped off. This is the shop where I bought my Jean-Louis Scherrer top, my Celine jacket, a Mulberry Roxanne bag, my Issey Miyake and Thierry Mugler jackets and lots of other goodies.

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Foto: Mette Bassett

Oxfam – 3 1/2 stars
190 Chiswick High Road

Moderniseret Oxfam, der udover brugte ting, byder på omsyede tasker og tøj og lidt nye smykker. Udvalget er ok, men priserne er høje, og jeg må ofte gå tomhændet ud igen. Her fandt jeg dog den smukkeste gulvlange Amanda Wakeley silkekjole, som jeg skal have på til stort bryllup i Bangkok. Pris 95 pund.

One of the Oxfam shops that recently has had a face lift and now also features customized clothing and bags. The selection is ok but quite expensive. My favourite buy from this store is a long Amanda Wakeley gala dress that I’m going to wear at a big wedding in Bangkok next week. Price 95 pounds.

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Foto: Mette Bassett

Kort efter når du til Turnham Green Terrace. Drej til venstre op ad den for at komme til de sidste butikker….

Shortly after, turn left at Turnham Green Terrace where you can find the rest of the charity shops…..

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Foto: Mette Bassett

Trinity Charity Hospice – 3 stars
25 Turnham Green Terrace

Den eneste forretning på venstre side er Trinity Charity Hospice. Den plejede at være fantastisk, men en ny og meget ukritisk manager har skruet helt ned for kvaliteten og lidt op for priserne, som dog stadig er billigere end hos de tre forrige. Her har jeg blandt andet fundet en hjerteformet Mulberrypung til 7 pund og en Marni trøje.

Only charity shop on the left hand side is Trinity Charity Hospice. It used to be quite amazing and very cheap but a new manager has turned up the prices and down the quality of the stock. However I recently managed to find a Marni top there.

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Foto: Mette Bassett

Fara Kids
Turnham Green Terrace

Gå over på den modsatte side, så kommer du først til Fara Kids, en ret ny genbrugsbutik, dedikeret til børnetøj. Jeg har ikke været inde i den, men den ser super fin ud.

Cross the road and the first shop your eyes meet is Fara Kids, which is dedicated to kids clothing. I haven’t been inside but it looks really nice

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Foto: Mette Bassett

Octavia Foundation – 2 stars
46 Turnham Green Terrace

Næste butik er Octavia Foundation. Super kedeligt udvalg, og priserne er også ret høje. I de halvandet år jeg har arbejdet i Chiswick er det vist kun lykkedes mig at finde én ting derinde, en super fin cashmere jakke.

Next up is Octavia foundation. The selection is super boring and the prices are a bit high. During my 1 1/2 years working in Chiswick I’ve only managed to find a couple of things in this shop.

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Foto: Mette Bassett

Barnados – 2 1/2 stars
72 Turnham Green Terrace

Barnardos er lige så kedelig som Octavia og jeg har haft utrolig svært ved at finde noget derinde. Til gengæld er priserne rimelige.

Barnardos is just as boring as Octavia, and I find it really hard to dig out anything in this shop. The prices are reasonable.

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Foto: Mette Bassett

Oxfam Books – 4 stars
90 Turnham Green Terrace

Sidst men ikke mindst er der Oxfam Books i nr. 90, kort før Turnham Green stationen. Den hyggelige secondhand boghandel har et dejligt udvalg af bøger og en roman koster ca. 2 pund.

Last, but not least there is the very nice and quite cosy second-hand book store, Oxfam Books in number 90, just before Turnham Green station. It has a good and very varied selection of books and a novel costs around 2 pounds.

Held og lykke med genbrugsjagten!!

Good luck second-hand hunting!!