Fashion and cocktails in the fight against breast cancer

What better way to spend an evening than shopping for designer bargains whilst sipping a cocktail in a swanky bar in central London, and all in the name of charity: Fashion Targets Breast Cancer (FTBC), to be specific.

Last night the plush Cuckoo Club in Piccadilly was transformed into a pop-up charity shop, but with a difference. Guests were invited by FTBC to bring clothes they no longer wanted, and donate them to the shop or swap them for other pieces. Rails of clothes were assembled on the raised dance floor section of the bar, whilst tables laden with jerseys for £5, denims for £15 and accessories from £5 filled the floor. 

Excited shoppers buzzed around the bar with arms full of garments, hunting through the rails of high street brands and designer names to find a bargain. Anyone who delights in finding a piece of designer at a fraction of the original price, of which will then be donated to charity, would have reveled in last night’s selection. Dresses by DKNY and Vivienne Westwood, blouses by Dior and shoes from Louboutin, Miu Miu and Jimmy Choo were all on sale with nothing priced higher than £90, and all in excellent condition if not new. The thrill of this mixed with tasty cocktails and pretty cupcakes from Sweet Bea’s bakery gave The Cuckoo Club a vivacious atmosphere that felt more like a party than a shopping event.

To raise extra money on the night, a raffle was held with tickets very reasonably priced at £5 each or a strip of five for £20; prizes included make-up goody bags, a Galaxy Nexus phone, a Mulberry “Lily” bag and a week’s accommodation at luxury resort Karma in Bali. Dotted around the club were money pots for happy shoppers to donate any spare change they had left and served as a reminder that, fundamentally, the night had a serious purpose. 

FTBC is now in its 16^th year of rallying women together here in the UK in the fight against breast cancer. All campaigns in the UK are raising money to aid Breakthrough Breast Cancer’s vision of a future free from the fear of breast cancer by supporting their work in finding causes, improving health services and finding new and better treatments. So far, through various events, fashion sales in high street stores including Topshop and M&S and your help, FTBC has raised an impressive £14 million. 

This truly worthy cause has attracted a lot of support from celebrities, and at last night’s FTBC party Tara Palmer-Tomkinson made an appearance. Looking glamorous in a floor-sweeping black dress and chunky gold Bvlgari bangle, Tara casually rummaged through the rails picking out a pink and green dress with mirror embellishment and posing for photos. As she was leaving, a pair of gold glittery Steve Madden heels caught Tara’s eye and were quickly scooped in to a bag for her to take away from the event. 

Click here to find out more about FTBC’s fantastic work and make a donation here.

Hollie Bracciale