Signs for a country house car boot sale went up around here a few weeks ago. It seemed too good to miss, despite an entry fee of £10 per car (all to a very good cause). I went with a friend and we arrived to find lots of stalls amidst rolling parkland in full sunshine.
Now strictly very few of the stalls were what I would describe as car boots. They were antique dealers, charging pretty hefty prices (£150 for a tea service, for example). Not so good. However, the best bargains were on the clothes stalls. There were some lovely ladies who were obviously emptying their wardrobes and there was plenty of Cabbages and Roses, Boden, White Company, White Stuff and assorted cashmere.
I managed to find quite a good stash of things for winter. All of the above little heap came from the same person. I loved everything she was turning out, and it transpired that she deals in antique French linen. There wasn't any of that but she did have some really unusual French labels. I picked up this little dress (unworn, with the label still attached):
A crisp white shirt:
A beautiful zip up cashmere jumper in cream. And an old leather bag for a fiver.
Sadly I didn't find the boots at the boot. They're my winter treat.
I managed to resist the antiques, as they were pricey, and I bypassed some really fantastic fabrics, even though I was itching to buy. However, there was just one lapse:
