jane birkin – Thrifty Things

It’s that time of year again, people celebrating and rejoicing that spring has (kind of) sprung, and the sunnier weather likes to trick us into thinking it’s here too. The season may be fast approaching, beginning officially on 19th-20th March, but winter doesn’t seem to show any sign of giving up its frosty grip. Yep, it’s still freezing. So what to do if you want to dress for the sunshine and the cold? Well, you can take what you consider the epitome of wondrous winter fashion, in my case Warren Beatty in the 1971 film McCabe & Mrs. Miller:

And throw that in a blender with the best of care-free spring style, for me Jane Birkin is the ultimate:

Then somehow after trawling through my vintage and charity shop finds I ended up like this:

Ready to face this confusing season-crossover period with 1970s-or-bust ‘tude. My main focus for the outfit was this unreal-ly luxurious coat which I found in Colchester’s Salvation Army shop for just £4.50:

Even though we’re nearing the end of winter, I knew I wasn’t going to wait until Nov 2020 to wear it, so I figured I’d pair it with more spring-time appropriate pieces to balance out the fur’s mighty heft. I found this shirt in the old faithful St Helena Hospice Clearance shop, where every item of clothing is £1. It does have a button missing, but I don’t mind, the gap allows me to appreciate more of that spring breeze/crisp winter air. A soft, suede-like feel, but still thin and lightweight.

I got the flares from Stour Vintage in Manningtree, it’s well worth a visit for the upstairs section of women’s retro clothes, no men’s unfortunately, but there’s furniture/records downstairs. I like these trousers as the denim isn’t stiff, it feels very comfortable and thinner than regular jeans, so even in much warmer weather they’d still be very wearable.

The bag’s origins I don’t fully remember, I’ve had it for a few years now, but I’m pretty certain it’s from the Vintage St Helena Hospice in Colchester Town. It has that straw/wicker basket vibe which immediately evokes Jane Birkin. Maybe if I keep dropping the contents of my bag everywhere then, like Birkin, I too can have a bag designed for and named after me with throngs of people waiting in line for one. Anyway, back to reality…

I bought the shoes from Ebay when I realised I was lacking a spring/summer pair of flats that I could wear til they start to fall apart (as is the usual pattern, I guess I have an aggressive stride when en route to stock up on vermouth and olives). They’re neutral/cream, but the question is how long will they remain that colour? In their second-hand, yet pre-scuffed, condition they look fairly new-ish, and like the shirt and jeans aren’t as stiff as their counterparts. These shoes aren’t from the world of traditionally tough and sturdy brogues, they’re softer and haven’t (yet) cursed me with blisters.

I tested out this look in a range of locations, were they as exotic as Jane Birkin’s favourite Parisian markets? Or as thrilling as McCabe’s entrance into a 1900s Washington mining town? Well, you decide. Here we have a stylish, brutalist car park entrance, something Colchester does so well: