Spring in London is a grand affair. With the hint of blue sky through my bedroom window I knew it was goodbye to hurricane-proof hairstyles and Prada bags laden with compact umbrellas and spare tights. After what seem eons of wardrobe-starvation we can finally put away the toe-warming Ugg boots and neck-to-ankle coats.
Spring is the time when women everywhere stand up and cast off their generic winter garments and step into short skirts, barely-there tops, and stilettos with altitudes matching the coming ascendancy of sunny climates. Because of this sudden shredding of second-skin, spring is also the time when women go on the annual hunt for new clothes and can often be seen roaming in packs down Oxford Street. Whilst this yearly ritual of rubbing elbows with the masses appeals to some, those who are really after a good deal can be spotted at their favourite second-hand shop. To some, second-hand clothes still brings forth images of moth-eaten jumpers and boxes full of old clothes that you wouldn’t wear to bed let alone in public. The other image is of its over-priced cousin that whilst offering top-notch labels with no box in site, the price tag of these second-hand garments differs barely from the brand new.
Finding the perfect combination of beauty and budget can be a hard-task for any girl who doesn’t want her bedroom floor to look like a change room in Top Shop, but let me reveal to you London’s best-kept fashion secret. If you want it all, all you have to do is get off that number 74 bus up Oxford Street and take a ride downtown. And what do I mean by downtown? Why, Knightsbridge of course where hides the Mecca of the budget-fashionista world known only to those able to shake off the persistent Harrods crowd.
Knightsbridge and budget may seem like an unlikely couple which is why this place has remained a shoppers’ secret despite it being the most recognised designer dress agency in London to those in the know. This agency has long been the essential stop for the haute-couture clothes-horse who for years have made the pilgrimage to its unassuming back-street perch just a stones throw from prices that would make your mortgage look meagre.
Having elbowed my way off Brompton Road many times myself to get there, I am still struck with delight when I spot the simple yet elegant sign on the side of a shop which announces itself as ‘Pandora’. Walking down the quiet street that runs parallel to the heavy footfall of its neighbour, I pass the familiar local shops which in no way give an indication as to what is tucked away just beyond an Indian restaurant.
Now celebrating its 60th year, Pandora is a shop that holds as many claims to fame as it does clothes (last count is 5000 garments on display!). Celebrities such as Catherine Zeta Jones, Anna Massey, Ava Gardner, Julie Bradbury and Princess Diana have all beaten a path to its door over the years.
The shop itself dates back to 1947 when two sisters of Northern stock started their own second-hand dress shop, an idea that at the time was particularly successful due to the rationing and thereby difficulty of obtaining fabric. It was also before mass production of clothes, so they were taking in beautiful hand-made gowns. With lots of wealthy friends and many theatrical contacts, the sisters did very well and continued to do so, passing the baton to Bridget Hutchcroft and family in 1988 that by coincidence also happen to hail from Northern England. Bridget would continue their success and raise it to new levels, creating a fashion destination that attracts women from around the world who make the regular trip to one Pandora.
Staff are cheerful and friendly, never getting in your way or staring as you while away the morning shifting through the racks or peering into glass cabinets stocked with accessories. Bridget tells me that most regulars easily spend hours strolling through the shop, the best thing about Pandora being that it caters for all ages and occasions so that you could take your grandmother or your younger sister here and both would happily get lost in the choices. No appointments are necessary in this Knightsbridge boutique for buyers or sellers that despite its prominent reputation offers the shopper a relaxed atmosphere that encourages you to stay as long as you like without having to buy.
Chanel, Zandra Rhodes, Hermes, Valentino, Armani, Prada, Gaultier, Gucci, Versace, Yves Saint Laurant; Pandora only stocks modern designer clothes with a shop policy that all clothes on the rack be seasonally correct and no more than two years old. A majority of these trendy and luscious garments are brought in by ladies who simply need the wardrobe space, the outfits only usually having been worn a few times or often, just once! These women who drop off their expensive garments operate at the highest of fashionista circles, their leather-bound diaries filled with cocktail parties, launches, black-tie dinners and balls which all require the immense task of clearing one’s wardrobe at regular intervals. Sellers bring in their clothes and leave them at agreed prices, cashing in on their venture when the garments are sold whilst the buyer gets to enjoy their designer goods purchased for a mere fraction of their original cost.
At Pandora you will find everything you need to complement your new Chanel suit, original price £2,000, for £550, including hats, shoes and jewellery. But, for you real bargain shoppers, you will easily find Yves Saint Laurant or Gucci skirts and jackets for under £100 that will see your friends wondering which catwalk you just stepped off! A few weeks ago I managed to pick up a Dolce & Gabbana dress for £300 that a boutique in Sloan Square was selling for £2000, a fantastic find which is what Pandora is all about.
So the secret is out and now you know the place where wise spenders go to get kitted out in their designer cast-offs without breaking the bank. It’s not hard to look good on a budget, all you need to do is get off the beaten track and head to the favourite haunt of London’s savvy shoppers.