APPAREL

[Daily Mail Reporter ]

“Shopping guru Mary Portas is back on our screens – and she’s turning her attention to the world of charity shopping. Here are her top tips for charity chic.

Mary Queen of Shops: Follow her advice on how to grab a chic item at a charity shop.
1. Head to shops in the posher postcodes of cities to bag a designer bargain. Out-of-town shops can be great for jewellery and classics.

2. Shop early in the week, as most people donate at the weekend. First thing Tuesday is perfect. Staff will have had time to put out new stock and you’ll beat others to the best stuff.

3. Be prepared to rummage and enjoy the thrill of hunting out a bargain. Nothing will be displayed in outfits – you need to work a little harder to find real fashion gems.

4. Make friends with the shop manager; they can call you when something great comes in. One store was given a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes when we were filming and called a woman who had been looking out for some straight away – so it does work.

5. People take winter clothes to shops in summer, so look for a great winter coat now. Don’t be afraid to ask what the shop has out the back. Most keep out-of-season items in the storeroom.

6. It can be OK to haggle. Just don’t be cheeky.

WHAT TO BUY
Look out for recurring trends that are hot catwalk looks right now, such as animal prints, or Eighties items.

Look for classic accessories – a great designer bag will always be an investment.
Snap up any retro-looking sunglasses, from Ray-Bans to Jackie O styles, and you won’t go wrong.

Jewellery is always a good buy – just say ‘vintage’, not second- hand.  “
Last updated at 12:19 AM on 04th June 2009

Bargain shop til you drop: MARY PORTAS’ top tips for charity chic

By Daily Mail Reporter

With beach season quickly approaching (and aren’t we lucky in New York that it comes months later than in other parts of the country?), the time left to batten down the hatches and prepare to bare all in a swimsuit is short.  Women everywhere are flocking to their closets to determine what works from last season, what needs to be tossed – and most importantly, what still fits.

Te battle of the bulge goes deeper than a few extra inches on the hips.  The ability to be comfortable in a swimsuit – essentially, one’s own skin – is crucial to enjoying summer months.  Some bikinis leave so little to the imagination that one can’t imagine wearing it past the confines of a fitting room; some one-piece styles are better left with the wading pool crowd at a retirement facility.

One problem I have, as a former swimmer, is a long torso.  A Speedo racing suit, the requisite uniform for my swim team, left little for the middle, meaning that I often had to buy one that was multiple sizes too big to get the length I needed – and then have the straps and back taken in so that it wouldn’t fall off of me otherwise.  When the option to wear a two-piece style was introduced, I happily accepted, and kissed goodbye my uni-tank ways.  Even now, I have to pass on cute maillots and other retro styles because they’re simply not long enough.  String bikinis have worked well for me – you can adjust the straps as you need to, and coverage is usually decent with the styles I buy from brands like Becca, Vix and H&M – and the style lasts, season after season. 

On the other hand, women with normal and short torsos (darn you) will appreciate the leg-lengthening effect that a high cut maillot affords; women with longer torsos who don’t feel entirely comfortable in a two-piece swimsuit can rest easy under those umbrellas by knowing that some manufacturers  are aware of this phenomenon (Lands End and Victoria’s Secret have heard our call) and offer long torso options on certain styles.  A tankini is also a cute alternative for women with tummys of any length, shape and size.

As we approach the brink of the summer solstice, what swimsuit styles get you to the pool – and which ones stay to the end-of-season clearance rack

  Is there anything more frustrating than the high-maintenance hijinks that wiggle their way into your weekend plans?  You go to the beach for a few hours – but wait – there’s a party at your best friend’s house later.  And – oh! – you might be heading out for a pitcher or two of sangria downtown later.  Do you really have time to head back to your apartment, strip down and switch your outfit between activities, and head out once again, frustrated and frazzled that you’re not sipping a concoction of red wine and fruit? 

Take your sunscreen, but leave your frustration at home.  With a bit of creativity and a few well-placed accessories, you can make your clothes do the work for you while you sit back and soak up the sun. 

A giant, oversized scarf
I know, I know – we just covered a thousand and one ways to wear a scarf – but I promise this goes beyond the norm.  H&M carries thin, cotton scarves year-round that are the size of bath towels and go for $12 and under.  Wrap one around your waist as a sarong at the beach; later, fold it to the length that spans your chest to the top of your hips (this also doubles the coverage and keeps things PG) and – voila – a tube top is born.  I recommend tightly knotting anything that’s remotely apt to loosen in the back; you could also tuft up the sides and wear it knotted at the hip. 

A tunic
If the thought of a scarf around your chest has you running to the nearest lifeguard stand, try a tunic on for size.  It wears well over a bikini on the beach – and with the simple toss of a leather belt, instantly transforms into a dress to wear while cruising the boardwalk or a rooftop bar. 

A cabana boy
Perfect for applying sunscreen in hard to reach places by day, and standing in as your “new boyfriend” as your old one glares with jealousy over a plate of chicken wings at that backyard barbeque.  Most often found in tropical locales and the snack aisle at Duane Reade. 

Low-key looks for a multifaceted weekend:  because being high-maintenance, after all, is so L.A.

–Karyn Polewaczyk