Back A Random Act of Kindness
Chapters (46)
  1. A RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS
  2. Dedication
  3. LOT 1
  4. LOT 2
  5. LOT 3
  6. LOT 4
  7. KIM
  8. LOT 5
  9. LOT 6
  10. KIM
  11. LOT 7
  12. KIM
  13. LOT 8
  14. LOT 9
  15. KIM
  16. LOT 10
  17. LOT 11
  18. LOT 12
  19. LOT 13
  20. LOT 14
  21. KIM
  22. LOT 15
  23. LOT 16
  24. KIM
  25. LOT 17
  26. LOT 18
  27. KIM
  28. LOT 19
  29. LOT 20
  30. LOT 21
  31. LOT 22
  32. LOT 23
  33. KIM
  34. LOT 24
  35. LOT 25
  36. KIM
  37. LOT 26
  38. LOT 27
  39. LOT 28
  40. LOT 29
  41. KIM
  42. Cato Hamilton Auctioneers & Fern Banks Vintage Auction Catalogue
  43. Acknowledgements
  44. Keep Reading …
  45. Also by Sophie Jenkins
  46. About the Publisher

What else? I’ve got good neighbours. Above me lives Lucy Mills, an actor. The top floor is occasionally inhabited by a retired Welsh couple who travel a lot.

As well as my pitch in Camden Market, I sell clothes online. As a hobby it was fun, but as an actual source of income it’s not going that well, to be honest. The main problem is, I don’t like sending dresses out into a void. I like to know the person they’re going to; their shape, their colouring, their temperament.

The returns are a problem. Basically, women are now a different shape from what they used to be. And even though I write down the measurements of each garment along with a ‘will this fit you’ exact measurement guide, people really can’t be bothered to use a tape measure – does anyone even have a tape measure these days? I give the approximate equivalent dress size (this will roughly fit a size 10 or 12), but even if it does fit, that doesn’t mean it’ll necessarily suit a person. If shoppers like the look of something onscreen, they’ll give it a try and then send it back if it’s not suitable. This means that my income is worryingly unstable from day to day. It’s not a good feeling to be solvent at the beginning of the week and then over the next few days have to return the money and go back to square one.

And people aren’t always honest. Sometimes the clothes come back worn, or splashed with red wine, or smelling of cigarette smoke. And if I point this out in a phone call they’ll argue that I’ve ‘sold them as preowned so obviously … blah blah blah’. And that’s the reason for the one-star stroppy reviews that say if it had been possible to give less than one star they would have, because I was rude or reluctant to refund the money.

One of the main selling points of wearing vintage is that the piece is a one-off. It’s also one of the main drawbacks; the popular dresses are snapped up quickly and that’s another reason my ratings are low – it’s often down to disgruntled shoppers.

It’s hard work being self-employed, but since I lost my dream job as a personal stylist, this is my plan B. And that’s where I’m at now; trying to make it work. My long-term aim is to have a solid customer base of people to shop for. I love that feeling you get when you see a garment that brings to mind a person, when you find a dress that’s totally them, and all you want to do is reunite them.