If I never talk to you about shopping, it’s not because I don’t like it.  Oooooh no. I love to shop. It’s because I have to be a little strict on myself due to wardrobe space so any new piece I get forces an old one out. And since I love most of my old stuff to death, it’s tough to say OK you, out YOU go to make room for this lovely new thing.

There are thousands of scarves here

However, The Shop on Cheshire street makes me want to squeeze everything  up really tight at home so that I can make room for a new little thing (or two). I bought a vintage dress here last year for £20 pounds I REALLY LOVE IT! And it drives me nuts when people gasp that it’s vintage designer and cost a mere £20.  On my……

I love that I can pop into The Shop (it’s open every single day), have a little poke about (it’s such a little Pandora’s box) and always find something unique and affordable. Unfortunately the tidiness makes me panic a bit about the constant state of my own wardrobe. Take my scarves for instance… they should be taken out and pressed and moved about a bit to keep them from creasing permanently (um, I have seven).

Looking around The Shop I realized, goodness, can you imagine babysitting all of these scarves. There are hundreds. The owner Sharon has spent the past 16 years collecting scarves, tablecloths, curtains and a range of textiles. It reminds me of my college days in Dublin when I had a part time job in Benetton. You had to have a phD in folding jumpers but that was small fry compared to The Shop’s hundreds and hundreds of silk scarves.

So what secrets did I have a chance to gather here…. I pointed to a beautiful green scarf on the wall. ‘There are thousands of scarves here. This is one of the rarest… we haven’t seen one like this before. The design is Liberty circa 1890s – 1900. It’s £23!’ Wow it’s so Beautiful!

I liked the colour and print so would I give it a home???

‘You can tell the quality of a scarf by the amount colours in the print because it has to go through the machine so many times. And look at the finish!’

What should I look for in a scarf finish?

‘This  silk vintage Liberty scarf is hand rolled. (Hand rolled is where the edges are rolled- over and then hand-stitched it’s a good sign of workmanship.) Designers only take time to hand roll really good scarves.’

AAAAAH NOOOO! I just can’t. I have to have it. It’s the dreamiest. Resist! Resist!

So I dived on the jewellery and dresses (the white one had just returned from a little adventure… a shoot for Vogue UK. I checked and it was £27.50).  Well if it’s good enough for Vogue….

I’ll have to give you a post about the lovely dresses here sometime. Phew so much goodness to photograph in this tiny little treasure trove. Hope the photos have done it justice. Oh darn, I’ll just have to go back in a few weekends time. You coming? Maybe I’ll see you there.

The Shop, 3 Cheshire Street, Shoreditch, London E2 6ED tel: 020 7739 5631