CHARITY shops are taking an increasingly professional approach to fashion.

“We look in magazines to see what the trends are,” says Christine Baker, who is manager of the newly-opened Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice shop in Huddersfield town centre.

“We’ve got a lot of university students in town so we try to keep on top of the fashions,” she added. “It’s surprising how many donations we get that are right on trend. We find that people nowadays, particularly the younger ones, are more willing to part with clothes, they don’t hang on to them for as long as they used to.”

Because of this most charity shops can put together seasonal collections that mirror fashions seen on the High Street.

To illustrate this we went along to the Forget Me Not shop, opposite Huddersfield Railway Station, to find four new season outfits – all for less than £100 in total.

Some of the garments came from other outlets in the chain. It’s common practice among charity shops to send clothing from one store to another if it doesn’t sell straight away.

Huddersfield University English student Jess Ewart, 19, a volunteer at the shop, agreed to be our model.

We focused on five current fashion themes.

ANKLE BOOTS

Seen everywhere, the trend for putting ankle boots with short skirts is one that can be dressed up or down. High heeled ankle boots and thick tights can be worn with smart skirts, while boots with leggings or skinny jeans and a smock top turns the look into something casual and young.