Cheap by anyone’s standards

It is perhaps heartening to realise that money doesn’t always guarantee instant access to the best that fashion has to offer. Sometimes, you just have to queue. But usually that queuing takes place at a hideous hour. In the hideous cold. With a hangover.

Queuing has never been part of my adult life. When I was younger, things were different: it was normal to wait outside gigs from midday just to ensure a place in the front row. But even that seemed pointless past the age of 15.

And yet a whole decade later I’m up at the crack of dawn twice in a month, queuing for the H&M Comme collaboration and the Angels Vintage Sale. And while the H&MxCDG yielded reasonable results, the Angels sale simply revealed that there are thousands out there even more desperate than myself. And by populating the front of the queue these people render my queuing attempts almost pointless.

For those blissfully unaware, Saturday’s Angels Sale saw the famous costumiers sell off a warehouseful of their old stock, priced by the bag for the equivalent of around £1 an item. Attracting a level of interest that clearly no-one expected, the keenest vintage hunters camped out a whole day in advance to snag those original 60s dresses and discarded Dr Who costumes. Read more »