Doctor Marten

Also known as, the Greatest Investment You Will Ever Make. This here pair I've had for nary a year - bought em for the astronomically reasonable price of £50 when I was 16 and, ten years down the long and winding road, look at what amazing condition they're still in. Slightly worn down at the heel perhaps but that says more about me and my feet-dragging habits than it does about the staying power of the shoes.

Wear them with any kind of dress you're in the mood for, or incredibly Amy Winehouse-skinny jeans for a show-stopping look every time!

VINTAGE KNOWS BEST - EVEN THE GUARDIAN SAYS SO!

Check this out! You may indeed be well and truly sick of the credit crunch. Fiscal fear may be the last thing you want to hear. Recession rigor mortis may be setting in but at least it’s giving retro rehabilitation a chance to shine and prove that old is the new…well, new I suppose. According to James Meikle, Brits are dining out on delicacies of days gone by…prawn cocktails and cheesecake proving to be the most popular throwbacks so far (although perhaps not together…?!?) Sounds good to me; I’m now on tenterhooks for Spam to top the list!

HOBOS - SMALL BUT PERFECTLY FORMED

If you’re out and about in Cardiff city centre and on the hunt for one-of-a-kind clothes, as I’m sure you are, your first port of call had better be Hobos, in the High Street Arcade. It’s tiny, orange and packed to the rafters with anything and everything you could possibly think of; a veritable mecca for all vintage connoisseurs indeed. (In fact, even though all I went in there for was the purpose of this article, such was the power of all the fantabulous clothes that - despite the unhealthy state of my bank balance - I couldn't help myself and left with a diamond-patterned jumper. I should be pleased with myself - I almost left with a helluva lot more!)
Chatting to shop assistant Alex Comana got me the lowdown on all of Hobo's history. Apparently, the shop was first installed in Swansea in 1995 and such was its success that a second branch was soon more a complete necessity than a requirement – impressive when you consider that shop owner Ben Downing relies on word of mouth alone as his one and only advertising tool. You can’t shop till you drop online as yet but that’s something that looks set to change in the coming months. Yay!

Alex Comana’s fashion tips!
- Shop on Ebay for amazing finds at great prices.
- Get yourself an overabundance of cardigans and at least one snowflake Christmas jumper.

GO BOLD OR GO HOME!

I wish I could say I was going to change the world but, as Baby so succinctly puts it, instead I’m “going to decorate it”. Perhaps not the most worthy of ambitions but when I look around and all I see is granite grey – this lovely urban jungle we’ve constructed around ourselves that now looks as though it’s unstoppably landsliding into the cesspit of the 21st century – I’m afraid I don’t get a burning urge to save the people. I get a burning urge to shop.

“Mankind hath forsaken you! Regain control through clothes”, my bank card shouts at me. And she’s right. Sort of. Despite suffering from the occasional bout of Buyer’s Remorse (however short-lived), I always feel better when I have something new to yank over my head. A sense of reinvention. A brand new shiny me in a world that seems to be falling apart. And lately it seems that I’ve been finding this shiny new me in the pages of a history book. Bring back the days of yore, say I. The clothes were better, the people were nicer and the sky wasn’t about to fall down.

So – to get you all started, here’s a list what I consider to be some of the important things in life.

Use your wardrobe as self-expression. It’s a great way to say hello.

Always try new things. Comfort zones are over-rated.

I’m all about the bright colours. Pink to the rescue!

Jeans-wise, flare it up! Even if it means you end up dragging the contents of an entire swimming pool around with you the whole day, it’s so very worth it.

Don’t think flowers are for little old ladies – ace on a dress.

I’m into tights. Go to New Look for cheapie ones.

Gloves a-go-go!

Find at least one owl necklace. Oh-so wise.

Invest in a pair of Mary Janes. You won’t regret it.

Knee-high boots are also a good idea. Several pairs is an even better one.