Sweet charity

Let's face it, Michael Portillo is not normally a man who springs to mind as being one of London's forefront style warriors. And yet, there he was this week, like Madonna, Boy George and Stella McCartney before him, dropping off bin-liners of old designer clothes to a charity shop.

Portillo chose Oxfam's King's Road branch as the depository for an unloved collection of designer shirts, perhaps an unwelcome reminder of more successful times. His choice was impeccable. Oxfam is currently the place to drop off one's excess baggage - Madonna opted for the Goodge Street shop, while Geri Halliwell donates to the Hampstead one.

"The King's Road branch gets some of the best stuff," confides Firth Wainey, the store's manager. "Gucci, Prada, Versace - it's all here, as well as all the big chain-store names. Often we don't know if a celebrity is the source of a donation because they'll drop it off at night or get their maid to bring it in. Recently we sold two vintage Pucci dresses for more than £200 each."

A second King's Road Oxfam, devoted entirely to accessories, has just opened. Among the treasures are new Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent stilettos and a pair of box-fresh Yohji Yamamoto trainers. Rather annoyingly (though it's good for their coffers), Oxfam volunteers are particularly clued-up. Gone are the days when charity shops were staffed by little old ladies who thought Ferragamo was a nice place to buy a time-share. "We don't just look at the labels, we grade clothes by colour," explains Martin Holmes, a volunteer at Oxfam's Notting Hill branch.

He surely knows a fearsome amount about such matters - he was a founder director of Blazer, the menswear chain. "Right now, orange things are marked down but lilac and pink go for the top prices. We also look at the cut, and identify what season the item's from."

Alas, this means that a Versace dress will sell for little under £120, and vintage Chanel and the like will be sent off to the costume department of Bonhams for valuation. Oxfam is even selling collectible items through the internet auction house e-Bay and staging e-Bay-inspired in-store auctions in order to attract the best price. "Some people say we charge too much, but ultimately fair pricing encourages more people to donate to us," says Wainey.

At other charities, the pickings are richer. "Summer is the best time to look for vintage bargains," says Isabelle Pardos, manager of Notting Hill Housing Trust's store on Fulham Road. "There are fewer people around, and no one's very interested in buying heavy winter coats and suits, which we get a lot of." This week she has sold a Moschino suit and coat for £59 apiece. Recent season skirts from Mango and Kookaï are on sale at £8, blouses and T-shirts for far less. No wonder model Jemma Kidd is a regular.

Meanwhile, at the Red Cross shop in Kensington, there's even a preferred customer list - lucky regulars get tipped off about the latest delivery of vintage goodies. "We get lots of very grand people donating, and shopping," says manager Sandra Turvill, who used to work for a dress agency. "Lords, titled people. Usually I don't know who they are until I see the name on the credit card."