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Some women’s fashion advice. It’s not all about you, you know. Or it needn’t be when your money makes a difference. When you next pass a charity shop remember that one girl’s junk is another’s treasure so try not to shudder at the thought of a stranger’s cast-offs – instead take your conscience for a dry clean.  I bought my wedding dress from a retro shop affiliated with Fara, the charity for abandoned and orphaned children in Eastern Europe, and it is my prized possession (not least because it’s my wedding dress), because it was also a steal at £200 for 1920s hand-embroidered silk and lace in near perfect condition.

But enough about me. The good news is that you can now buy donated items on-line at Oxfam.org.uk. There’s a vast selection of dresses and not a whiff of mothball about any of them. There are some nice vintage offerings and lots of ex-high street ladies’ dresses that still hit the spot, and if you trawl deep enough there are designer pieces that are seriously on trend too, like this Sonia Rykiel floral dress I found, just crying out for black opaques and a biker jacket. And structured, boxy bags are where it’s at, so this Romeo Roma Patent vintage handbag gets a big tick.

There may be no argy bargy to the tills, but you will be helping to fight global poverty and put poor people in control of their lives and livelihoods.

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