Charity shop find of the week #18

Art of Silk by Tie Rack silk jacket £7.99 Weston Hospicecare

Weston is one of my favourite places to  charity shop, simply because there are a great many options to choose from there; which in some ways is quite sad. Weston-super-Mare in its heyday was a bustling seaside town with a plethora of local independent and high street stores, and was thriving in the summer with theatre, music and cultural activities. In the 4 years I have been visiting the town I've noticed many changes and businesses coming and going, the high street becoming a haven for pound shops and cash converters as bigger names take their trade to the nearby city of Bristol. 

Despite the economy, worsened by cheap foreign holidays and poor British weather, there's a definite sense of spirit in Weston and as local landmarks like the Tropicana pool and Grand Pier are saved and regenerated, so more money starts to come back to the area, with several zones earmarked for regeneration and the building of shops and hotels. There's a good feeling about the area and I like visiting it; the charity shops are an added bonus too as they are much less worked over than the ones in Bristol and I can usually find some gems!

My last trip turned up this Tie Rack silk jacket, from back in the day when Tie Rack not only existed, but flourished. Another relic from a brand unable to transition from the boom phase of the 1980's, when practically every railway station, airport or city mall housed a tiny Tie Rack store, to the leaner years of the noughties when the products provided were less relevant and desirable as they once had been. 2013 saw the beginning of the end for Tie Rack retail as UK stores were closed. It's website proclaims it is 'going underground' and professes to be back in 2015, but so far, all is quiet on the retail front.

This jacket encapsulates everything about that late 80's / early 90's period of excess. The entire jacket is made of beautifully cut Italian silk, and the gaudy gold buttons and collarless design is very reminiscent of that era. I wear it with the sleeves rolled up, over a slouchy tee and skinny jeans, or maybe thrown casually over a dress to modernise it. Luckily the shoulders aren't too broad and even the inclusion of shoulder pads doesn't detract from the beauty and handcrafted quality this jacket offers. And all for £7.99!

The jacket is in pretty much pristine condition, and I hung it out for a little while to remove any traces of obligatory chazza stink. I think it's lovely and I can't wait to wear it!

XO Amie