All that chazz

SHE has vogued, she has stripped, she has worn bras that could take your eye out - heck, she even slept with crinkly Casanova Warren Beatty - but all this pales in comparison to Madonna's latest venture. She is apparently a bit of a closet chazzer.

For those of you not au fait with the finer points of chazzing - that would probably be about 99.99 per cent of you - this is the new term for shoppers dedicated to finding quality, low-cost bargains in charity shops.

Madonna, who was recently spotted buying a £7 blue jumper while dropping off a big bag of her old stuff at the Goodge Street Oxfam shop in London, is a well established chazzing fan, but is it really possible to follow her example outside the capital? Are quality high-street labels readily available at rock-bottom prices on the mean streets of York?

I set out with thirty quid in my purse, a list of charity shops in my pocket and a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. A whole new wardrobe for less than the price of a high street sweater? I don't think so.

My first stop was the Age Concern shop in Walmgate, a mammoth ten yards or so from the Evening Press office, where I found a faultless Next denim jacket (£3.50) and a mock-Burberry Dorothy Perkins skirt (£2.50) without so much as breaking a sweat. Hey, maybe I had finally found my calling in life. Maybe I was born to chazz.

Next came Scope in Colliergate, where I chatted to shop assistant Kay as she packed up my Marks & Spencer shirt (£3.25), Benetton sweater (£3.25) and Levi's jeans (£4.95).

"Basically, people are giving better stuff these days and a lot of the time the clothes have barely been worn, if at all," she said. "January is a good time to shop because we get a lot of unwanted Christmas presents in. During the rest of the year we get a lot of impulse buys.

"People buy something, realise they will never wear it and pack it off to us. Generally, late morning is the best time to buy because all the new stuff has just been put out - we put out fresh goods every day - so you get the pick of the crop."

Charity shops tend to have a loyal band of regular customers, but they also benefit from occasional browsers, students and - believe it or not - coach trips.

"We get coach parties coming in from out of town to do tours of all the York charity shops," said Kay. "People like the variety we offer. Occasionally we get in a top label like Dior, but generally we offer quality high street labels.

"Charity shops are also often the only place in town you can get something different. The high street stores might be filled with the season's set colours, but we are not handcuffed by the season. We have all different colours, shapes and sizes on the rails all year round."

My penultimate stop was the PDSA shop in Goodramgate, where I found the bargain of the day - a little black Monsoon dress for just 50p - before completing my wardrobe at the neighbouring British Heart Foundation outlet, where I picked up a Wallis trouser suit (£5.99) and a Richards evening dress (£4.99).

Not bad for an hour's shopping, eh? Particularly when you consider that I still had more than a pound in my pocket.

Tips for top chazzing...

- Regular high-street shops change their stock entirely at least twice a year, but charity shops are not restricted by seasons so in any month of the year you can get kitted out for a trip to the tropics or a wet weekend in Wales. When chazzing you should always think ahead. Just because it is a sweltering day doesn't mean that you should buy warm weather clothes - there are bargains to be snapped up every day and if you spot a genuine Burberry mac for a fiver or a suede coat in good nick, buy it whatever the weather. Come autumn when your mates are saving up feverishly for a new coat, you'll be laughing.

- The saying "you get what you pay for" isn't always true. A seasoned chazzer can spot linen lounge pants, a cashmere cardie or a silk sari at 100 paces. As a beginner, you need to train your eyes to spot the quality gear first. Natural fibres such as cotton and wool can usually be washed and worn repeatedly and are always a safe bet, whereas embroidered pieces and handmade garments are treasures and should be treated with respect. Always check the label (if it says dry clean only, do it) and always follow the washing instructions. If you buy quality fabrics and designer labels, don't spoil them by bunging them in with your boil wash.

- The chazzing world is full of horror stories about charity shoppers who got more than they bargained for when they neglected to wash a purchase. So wash, wash and wash again. Ignore this advice at your peril.

- Be selective. Charity shops are a reflection of their neighbourhoods, so if you want designer duds head to a posh place. But be prepared to pay extra in exclusive neighbourhoods.

Updated: 09:48 Tuesday, January 21, 2003