Liberty For students. By students.
Issue 1
Are student halls ripping you off?
Is binge drinking damaging your health?
Healthy eating. Risky business?
Leeds Met University in the snow. Daniel Hooley. Creative Commons.
Liberty: Issue 1
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ello and welcome to the first issue of new student magazine Liberty. 2011 is here and if you have the new year blues Liberty is here to cheer you up. Packed full of tips and ideas to help you get through life away from home. Every month we will bring you the best advice to help you keep healthy and safe while at uni, aswell as give you tips on how to save money and make the most of your time away. This month’s issue includes advice on how to eat healthy and avoid food poisoning, tips on finding student accomodation as well as features on binge drinking and even student interior design!! So forget about the January cold and snow, and let Liberty into your life.
Meet The Team
Editor-Joe Stanley
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Helen Waller
Sarah Barlow
Hayley Jade Storrs
Louise Harland
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Could You Be At Risk? Sarah Barlow investigates
5-6
Are you enjoying yourself a little too much?
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Halls vs Houses. Joe Stanley looks at the pros and cons of
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healthy eating and the effects of food contamination
Helen Waller investigates student binge drinking.
living in the different types of student accomodation
And you thought they were just for sleeping on. Louise Harland gives tips on how to make your student house a home away from home.
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Leeds Vintage Shopping Secrets
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Could You Be At Risk? By Sarah Barlow
Students are constantly criticised for living on a diet of baked beans and super noodles, but for some maybe that is the safest way to eat...
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t is 4am and the pangs of hunger begin to kick in. A heavy night on the tiles ended a good few hours ago and after passing the ‘sickness phase’ your stomach is growling and persuading you to eat. Perhaps the small hours is not the best time to make culinary decisions, but beer goggles blur your sight and your munchies need to be satisfied before you can crawl back in to bed. Your mission leads you down the cold, creaky stairs in to the kitchen where you are greeted with the usual piles of empty pizza boxes and stacked up plates hiding rotting food. The bin is piled so high it looks as though someone has been playing Jenga with it and garbage is starting to leak out on to the dusty floor. The cupboard holds nothing to excite your taste buds so you move to your next port of call; the fridge. You don’t have high hopes for the usually bare shelves that are hidden within but it’s worth a try. As you peek inside you hold your breath in anticipation of the goodies that could be hidden within. Your eyes light up with excitement as you spot it… there in between a plate of chicken breasts and a bowl of leftover Super-noodles…. two pieces of pepperoni pizza. In reality it is stale pizza that had been sat on the counter for a few days prior to a ‘clean’ housemate storing it in the fridge. The cheese is now solid and it looks like you would need a few pints of water to help wash it down, but in your drunken stupor you are far too excited to care. You return to your room to cosume the finds from your raid and finally
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Raw chicken can prove deadly to some students drift off to sleep. A couple of hours have passed and you wake again, this time with much greater urgency and distress. The early symptoms of food poisoning can be both violent and painful. Vicious cramps, constant sickness and diarrhoea are complaints that people affected by food poisoning can experience in the first few hours of contracting the illness. The Food Standards Agency website states: “It’s especially important to store meat safely to stop bacteria from spreading and to avoid food poisoning. Raw meat and poultry should be stored in sealed containers on the bottom shelf of the fridge, so it can’t touch or drip onto other food.” Take a look in the typical student fridge and it is very rare that you will see hygiene practices that fall in line with those that the Food Standards Agency recommends. It is not surprising that student’s are said to be a high-risk group for contracting food poisoning. Fresh out of the family nest and many armed with only basic culinary skills, students are falling
in to GP surgeries left, right and centre with symptoms of the bug. Dr John Mark Gallagher, a practicing GP based in Manchester with over ten years experience, describes food poisoning as, “a common flu-like illness typically characterised by nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea due to a substance the patient ate or drank that contained harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, metals or toxins.” The most prominent causes of food poisoning are the microorganisms; Campylobacter, Salmonella and EColi 157. Leeds is one of the biggest and most popular student cities in the UK with a total student population of over 200,000. Between the three universities there are over 20 halls of residence to choose from and these are, not surprisingly, the most common place where food poisoning occurs. The local GP surgery in Leeds, aptly titled Leeds Student Medical Practice, states on its website “most times food poisoning is selfinflicted and could have been avoided if simple hygiene rules had
been followed.” The surgery said that they see at least 10 cases of suspected food poisoning each week and many of the complaints are from students living in halls. Food poisoning is an extremely common illness, in 2009 alone there were over 74,000 cases, and these were just the ones that were reported (Chartered Institute of Environmental Health). Most people will suffer from the illness at least once in their lifetimes, with the majority not seeking any medical treatment. Whilst most of the time a course of antibiotics and a little bit of TLC sorts the bug out, there are the few, very serious cases where hospitalisation is actually needed.
“Thom spent five days in hospital on a drip” Thom Lambert is a student at Leeds Metropolitan University studying Music Technology. In his first year at university Thom became infected with the deadly food poisoning bug Campylobacter whilst living in one of the biggest halls of residence in Leeds; Kirkstall Brewery. The student ‘village’ is located close to Headingley and caters for over 1000 students. Thom had a severe case of food poisoning and spent five days in hospital on a drip, after initially receiving Morphine on arrival at A+E. In those five days Thom lost over one stone in weight and doctors told him if had not come in when he did the outcome could well have been fatal. Thom said: “I am a vegetarian and have been for over ten years so food poisoning is an illness I have never really worried about, I have always thought it is caught from eating raw meat.” Thom’s run-in with food poisoning proved that even vegetarians are not immune from the disease. A survey carried out by LIBERTY found that many students
believe that food poisoning comes from eating raw meat, however, Biddy Unsworth, Microbiologist and head of the Health and Social Sciences faculty at Leeds Met argues this is strictly not the case. “It is a common misconception that food poisoning is always caused by the patient eating uncooked or raw meat. This is completely untrue. Whilst a lot of the time the illness is caused by this, it can also originate from unhygienic practices. Simply the way food is shelved in a fridge (raw meats should always be kept on the bottom shelf) or overfilling the fridge can cause foods to be affected by food poisoning bugs. A fridge that is not cold enough will automatically make food go off sooner than the use by date because bacterium has chance to develop.” Thom was told that his case of food poisoning was likely to have been caused by raw meats on surfaces in his halls of residence. For example, a chopping board that had been used to cut raw meat that had been put back in the cupboard, or another housemate putting raw meat on top of Thom’s fresh food in the fridge could have caused the outbreak.
A collection of your typical student fridges...
Whilst food poisoning is easily contracted, it is also easily avoidable. Biddy Unsworth gave LIBERTY some top tips for avoiding food poisoning; •Do not put raw meat next to cooked meat or fresh food •You should always remember to put raw meat at the bottom of the fridge to avoid it dripping on to other foods •If the fridge is too full the temperature gage will not be as effective which means that food could be kept warmer than the recommended temperature and so allows bacteria to form •Putting warm food in to the fridge actually heats up the fridge and the surrounding food, so always wait until food is cold before you store it! •Keep left-over takeaways in the fridge and when re-heating make sure food is piping-hot before you eat it So all you filthy students out there REMEMBER… Clean your worktops, wash your pots and keep raw meat where it belongs… it might just save your life!
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Are you enjoying yourself a little too much? By Helen Waller Every pub and club now offers tempting drinks promotions to entice students in. But does this mean the end of responsible drinking and are they thinking about the damage it is doing to their bodies?
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t is no secret that many young people enjoy a drink and being at university is the perfect excuse to go out and enjoy life before having to step into the real world of work, mortgages and bills. But just what long term effects does alcohol really have on the body and do students ever stop and think about the damage? One of the biggest times for drinking is during freshers week which usually takes place the week before semester starts. This is an occasion for new students to make friends at a time when they feel most alone, some of which may stay with them for life. It often consists of bar crawls, pubs, clubs and sore heads the
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morning after. However, freshers week often gets bad press as images of teenagers lying in a drunken state on the ground are printed in every newspaper. This reflects a minority of students
“Is it any wonder that students are drinking more when bars and clubs promote tempting offers and incredibly low prices?” who may on some nights have one drink too many and find themselves not being able to walk let alone get home. While most will condemn them for drinking too much, why not just let them get on with it and enjoy themselves as this may be the only time in their life when they can fully let their hair down without having many responsibilities.
Many students feel pressured into drinking while at university simply to try and fit in. Leeds Metropolitan student, Simon Moore said, “before coming to uni I was never a big drinker but since starting I go out at least twice a week. You feel like a let down saying no to a night out r. e n u and don’t want to be ark T to M itied ccred A known as that guy who never . s dent r stu ge fo a im goes out so you go regardless of lar regu
whether you wanted to or not.” This is true for many students who just want to fit in and make as many friends as they can. No one wants to spend three years of their life miserable and alone because they got left behind when everyone else was bonding over cocktails. For many, alcohol relaxes them, stops them being so nervous and shy which is a common problem for new students. Living away from parents for the first time in a new place where everyone is a stranger is incredibly daunting but it is surprising how much easier it is to talk to new people after a glass of wine or two. You begin to open up, confidence builds and conversations flow more easily. Now I am not saying that you need to be drunk every time you meet someone new but for me personally these situations are much more comfortable on a night out in the pub rather than in the intimidating environment of a lecture theatre. As much as I think students should be able to go out and enjoy themselves without being scrutinised for their actions, more should be done to raise awareness of the damage that can be done to the body. In a recent survey, a quarter of Leeds students asked said they drank alcohol three times a week, with 36% spending an average of £30 each night. This is hard going
on the liver not to mention the bank balance. Medical professionals advise that men should drink no more than 21 units of alcohol a week (four a day) and women no more than 14 (three a day.) Taking into consideration that a 175ml glass of 13% white wine is equivalent to three units I feel it is safe to assume that these guidelines are not being followed by thousands of students, with what is now known as binge drinking taking place every day. But is it any wonder that students are drinking more when bars and clubs promote tempting offers and incredibly low prices? Take the popular club Oceana in Leeds for example. Most nights they offer bottles of beer or alcopops for just £1.20 as well as shots of vodka as the same price. Young people love a bargain and if you are on a tight budget this is the ultimate one. Lots of places also offer buy one get one or even two free encouraging binge drinking even more. And now as more and more women are drinking as much as men, medical professionals are urging us to take note of the health risks, as it may come as a surprise to many but alcohol doesn’t affect men and women in the same way. Sorry ladies but we get the rough end of the stick when it comes to our bodies dealing with it as studies have shown that alcohol-induced liver diseases such as hepatitis and cirrhosis develop over a much
shorter period of time in women, which is one of the risks most commonly linked with alcohol. A serious issue for women not usually associated with alcohol is breast cancer, but research has shown that women who have as little as one drink a day increase their chance of develop-
“alcohol can, and often does have devastating results with a reported 5000 deaths a year in England and Wales”
Students enjoying a night out. Accreditied to Aberdeen student radio.
ing the disease by a shocking 9%. However it isn’t just serious health conditions that are being caused by excessive drinking as skin, hair and nails all suffer due to dehydration and a reduction or iron levels in the body. And for the men out there, don’t think that this means you are invincible when it comes to consuming alcohol as new research has shown that 25% of male admissions to hospital are alcohol related costing the NHS around £3billion a year. Alcohol can, and often does have devastating results with a reported 5000 deaths a year in England and Wales. In February, Leeds University student Matthew Wilcox,
19, drowned after falling into the River Aire after being over three times the legal drink drive limit. Then in March foreign language student Frederick Archer-Joy, 18, suffered a fatal heart attack caused solely by the vast amount of alcohol he had consumed. It was later revealed that he was almost five times over the legal drink drive limit. The coroner, David Hinchcliff said, “it is so sad, tragic and depressing. These were two young men, talented people, whose lives were tragically cut short by acts of foolishness, consuming far too much alcohol.” It is stories like this that will hopefully make students across the country stop and think about what they are doing to their bodies and health. After all, a third of students thought that as a whole students drank too much whilst at university so doesn’t this tell us something? Leeds University student Hannah Brigg, 20, says, “we’re young and enjoying our first taste of freedom. Students get a bad rep from a few idiots who go out, get wasted and get into trouble but most of us just go out to have a good time. Its not like we drink every night, we couldn’t afford to anyway.” So to all students reading this, go out, have a drink and enjoy yourself but once in a while stop and think about the damage you could be doing. You may be having a good time but your liver definitely won’t be. 6
HallsVS. Houses
Taking the step from living in student halls to a student house can be daunting, but, with the right help and advice, can be extremly worthwhile. By Joe Stanley
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ohn woke up to his room flooded. His laptop, mobile phone and iPod were completely ruined from water damage. We’ve all heard horror stories about student houses; rat and insect infestations, mould and damp in rooms and dodgy building work putting students at risk. But John Lloyd, a Leeds Metropolitan University student in his third year, wasn’t living in a cheap bedsit. He was living in a brand new skyscraper student accommodation, and he wasn’t the first person for this to happen to. Student accommodation is big business, with tens of millions of pounds being spent on building student halls all over the country. Gone are the days of pokey old flats. Skyscrapers and ‘the World’s best tall building’ are the new face of student living. Last year Unite opened the doors to the Sky Plaza; the world’s tallest student accommodation, but the first year brought an enormous amount of problems. Speaking of the building John said: “I’ve been stuck in the lift on two occasions. I was waiting an hour to get rescued the second time. My room has been flooded, my bathroom was flooded, and there’s been loads of cases of break-ins. I’m paying £174 a week to live here, you expect a lot more for your money.”
The recent influx of impressive looking new-builds offering accommodation for students look appealing from the outside. Broadcasting Tower, recently crowned ‘best tall building in the World’, is owned by property developers Downing, who say they offer a ‘Distinctive, stylish and contemporary accommodation that is value for money’. However with prices starting at £105 over a 50 week contract, this means that students are paying £5194 a year to live in a room which has simply been described by one student living there as ‘a box room.’ And while the students who are 7 paying these prices are getting themselves
Ten Tips For Finding a Student House. 1. Choose your housemates carefully. 2. Decide what you need in a house i.e amount of rooms etc. 3. Make sure the letting agency are Unipol accredited. 4.Have the contract looked over by Unipol 5. Check for problems such as damp and mould.
deeper and deeper in debt, the companies that are charging them are making huge profits. The chairman of Downing, George Downing, has a wealth of £500m and is living in slightly more comfortable accommodation than his customers, in Switzerland. So if you are over there on a gap year, perhaps you could stop by and ask if you can bunk at his for the night, after all it is your rent that paid for his luxury pad. A recent survey carried out by Unipol, a charity trying to improve the standards of student accommodation, found that over the past three years private student halls rent has risen by over 14% in some cases. In 2007, the average self catering, ensuite room in a private student halls was around £86, in 2010 that has risen to £101. For a larger room students are looking at paying a minimum of £120 a week, and in London one private halls is charging £253 a week for an en-suite room and £451 for a studio flat. Staying in halls is almost always first choice for freshers moving to a new city, but what do you do after your first year at University? If halls are out of your price range or you just fancy a change, looking for student houses is your next option, which for some can seem very daunting. “There is a myth that you need to find a house before Christmas otherwise all the best ones will be gone.” says Jane Campbell from Unipol. “This isn’t the case at all, even by September the following year there are plenty of houses in good locations that haven’t been let. And besides, many first year students have only just met who they are living with this year, so to decide who they want to be living with the following year so early, is all a bit too soon.” Before looking for a house you need to decide who you want to move in with. You may think it is as simple as choosing
to move in with your best friends but you need to think about other factors when choosing the best house mates rather than just friendships. “We often have people coming to Unipol who have fallen out with their house mates and had to move out of their houses. We advise students that before you sign a contract to rent a property you make sure who you are living with are going to be the right house mates for you. It can simply be if you’re not a party animal, don’t move in with people who are going to be having a lot of parties. But you also need to know that your flatmates are going to pay the rent and their share of the bills on time, otherwise this could affect you drastically.”
“I’ve been stuck in the lift on two occasions. I was waiting an hour to get rescued the second time.” Once you have chosen who you want to live with you then need to go house hunting. The best advice is to ring up several letting agents and ask them for viewings of properties in the area you want to live and for the amount of bedrooms you need. Then book an appointment and let the letting agencies do the rest. It really is as simple as that. When viewing houses check they have double glazing and what the heating system is like, these may sound like simple things, but they really do save you money in the long run if the house you choose has them. If the current tenants are in ask them what it is like living in the house, they will be able to tell you anything you need to know, like the train that goes past at five in the morning or the neighbour who keeps a cockerel in his back garden. When you find a house you like on a viewing, don’t sign for it straight away. Get a sample contract from the letting agency to look over to make sure there are no extra fees that you need to know about. Your university should be able to help you with this as well as Uni-
pol. If you decide on letting from that agency, do this with the real contract too. There has been several stories recently of letting agencies charging students for hidden extras such as garden maintenance when the property doesn’t even have a garden! “Although there are some letting agencies that do add hidden charges, if you take your contract to your universtiy or Unipol and get someone to look over it with you this will help you avoid any problems later on. When looking for a house check that the agency is Unipol accredited, this means that they have to stick by the standards and guidelines of Unipol and that you won’t be stung.” Jane continues. Michelle Norwood, who owns Norwood Homes says of letting agents: “ You only ever hear of the bad ones, and the bad experiences student’s have. Ninety percent of letting agencies are genuine and want students to have an enjoyable time while staying in their houses. If you have any problems about the property, talk to your landlord or letting agents, nine times out of ten they will be able to sort it straight away.” As student halls continue to increase in size and price, moving into a house is a cheaper and often more practical option. Follow the steps on this page and you should find the transi-
tion from living in student halls to a student house to be as stress free and easy as possible. For more information of moving into student housing visit the Unipol website. www.unipol.org.uk
6. Check the house is secure and has an alarm. 7. Talk to the neighbours of the house. 8.Talk to the previous tennants 9. Don’t rush into living somewhere you aren’t 100% happy with. 10. Enjoy living in your new home.
Student housing in Leeds. Accedited to Tom Mulrooney. Creative Commons.
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And you thought they were just for sleeping on... Everyone wants to feel at home in their home away from home, here is how me and my University housemates made our own social and confortable living space.
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ts not stealing, it’s recycling.” My housemates exclaimed as they burst through the front door carrying three mattresses’ they’d found in the street. The look on my face must have been a picture I looked so confused, Andy reassured me “Lou, it’s ok. We’re building a den!” Still non the wiser I helped them carry the mattresses’ upstairs nearly causing serious, however comical, injury as its hard to manouver a mattress up a spiral staircase. Now in our attic room we had three mattresses’ and an idea. Anyone who has ever lived in a shared student house will know that comfort and tasteful décor often bypass landlords and letting agents. I want an alfresco way of living, but inside. Somewhere to relax, invite friends over to drink beer and eat pizza. In my student home there is no dining table, and even if there was it probably wouldn’t be used for eating. My housemates and I eat our food on our knees or we’re typically found sat on the floor with the 18” pizza box in the middle of us. Its not that we’re lazy, it’s simply comfortable, relaxing and puts us all on the same level as each other without any social hierarchy in the house. Metaphorically similar to the Roman dining habits of guests lying on couches
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around a central table from which food would be taken using fingers, a very relaxed and enjoyable meal time, but instead of wine and fine cuisine, we stuff beer and pizza down our necks. The Den was going to be something like Turkish lounging but on a cheap budget and not as authentic. We’d use the mattresses’ as low level sofa beds and gathering fabrics and cushions to make it comfy. Keeping in mind our desire to create a social living space too. My housemates and I would spend little to no time at all in our living room and would all be hiding in our own rooms because, like a lot of student homes things do not work, and our living room radiator was one of many problems. It was freezing! And as winter drew nearer we had to sort something out, seeing as the landlord could not be bothered. We started The Den by hoovering, flipping and sanitizing the mattresses’ and left them to dry while we all went shopping! We had a limited budget to spend, like most students out there, but we were determined to make it our own. We went to budget textile retailers like Harvard Mills, Dunns Stores and Dunelm Mill and picked up fleece throws and cushions of all colours. kitchenproject.com We bought fleece throws, cushions, cushion covers and between us we spent around £30, we also bought three washable mattress protectors, to prevent soiling of them when the drinks are flowing. Our choice of styling, as can be seen, was to make the Den as mishmash as possible adding a little bit of all of our personalities to make it special and put our own stamp on the house. Andy has his “Andy yellow” cushion, Tim with his Thomas the Tank Engine fleece, Jeb has his, ever so soft,
“Somewhere to relax, invite friends over to drink beer and eat pizza.”
fleece throw and I have my pink, heart-shaped cushion. To us, this was the bees’ knees. We had done it, created our own chill zone. We threw in the cost of an old portable TV we bought off eBay with a built in DVD player for £15 and we hooked up the games consoles, because Jeb reckons “life is dull without video games!” It was great, we sit up there for hours having a bit of friendly banter on or just chilling watching a movie. And whenever we invite friends over they all say how cool it is. Having The Den space brought us together as a house because we did it together and, because our only other communal living space had icicles hanging from the ceiling by this point, it meant we could all hang out together. Like many students the dreaded winter heating bill will take a large chunk of money out of your budget, The Den saves on energy also as it is in a small space which warms up quick when we are all using it. You can use many different types of throws and cushions this idea can be taken further to create quite stylish living spaces. It can made simple and minimalist using plain white throws adding splashes of colour with vibrant cushions. Or it can be made very authentic and rustic like Turkish style, which rich fabrics like silks and satins, using detailed and embroiled cushions and patterns. The cost of this would be a little more expensive, depending on where you get your materials from. The places we went to stock more elaborate designs like this but it all depends upon your budget.
It’s nice to put your own touches to your student home, it acts as practice of homemaking in many students first home away from home. You don’t get a choice in the décor of your student digs so like most you make it your own by using posters, pictures, throws, cushions or even the neighbours old mattress’, and it can really make you feel at home. There is nothing like collapsing at the end of the day and feeling comfy and cosy in your own home.
This is how we layed the mattresses in the attic bedroom.
By Louise Harland
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LEEDS VINTAGE SHOPPING SECRETS
By Hayley Jade Storrs
A guide to Vinatge Shopping in Leeds, and as our Fashion and Retail correspondant Hayley Jade Storrs discovered, can be quite daunting...
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omeone once told me to write about what I know...for the purpose of this feature, that belief is going completely out of the window as I have decided to tackle...vintage clothing. Contrary to popular belief vintage is not one of my strong points. I prefer my shoes glossy, hand wrapped in tissue paper and presented to me in a clean, white box adorned with the words ‘Topshop’ on the side. I like my shops organised in rails according to trends and colour not thrown in a pile on a cold concrete floor. I simply don’t have the time or the energy to root through a jumble sale, however I am willing to attempt to be persuaded otherwise. All in the name of Liberty. Anyone who lives/loves/shops in Leeds will know that the city boasts some of the best vintage stores in the North. To name a few Blue Rinse, Pop Boutique and Ryans Vintage, the most popular being Blue Rinse. Blue Rinse opened in 1997 as a small clothing store next to the Corn Exchange and has now expanded to a store in Manchester, a concession in Miss Selfridge and collaborations with Topshop and Urban Outfitters. Still I remained skeptical as I half ran half walked past the River Island sale and crossed over into the promised land, with only my bank card and a good friend to protect me. Tucked away on a corner next to the Corn Exchange with a cream and brown sign it is not so easily missed as I imagined. As the shop has recently
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Five top tips for Vintage shopping. 1. Have patience - It can take a while. 2. Don’t be afraid to break out of your comfort zone by trying new things. 3. Two is better than one - Take a friend, they may spot things that you don’t. 4. Barter, if you’re not happy with the asking price some shops are willing to negociate. 5. Be prepared - The item may not be perfect.
expanded and now has two floors it has much more of a presence. Upon entering I was greeted by a girl behind the till, who made a point of welcoming us and saying offering her help. To my delight there was no piles of colourful mickey mouse t-shirts or battered shoes with no boxes, all the clothes are on racks and categorised into types and colour...a bit like Topshop with a rustic feel. The hard wooden floors echo a Carrie Bradshaw esque vibe and although it was slightly chilly I felt right at home.
‘I came across a beautiful camel clutch bag for a mere £10.00’ Upon diving through the handbag racks I came across a beautiful camel coloured clutch bag with a gold fastening, BANG on trend this season. Although a little worn around the edges with a few loose stitches and a slightly stained lining I knew that it was meant to be. As I approached the till frantically trying to calculate my overdraft amount, my mouth fell open when all the nice lady demanded from me was a mere £10.00. I was used to the not-so-nice girls in Topshop demanding £55.00 for a bag almost exactly the same. I was then handed my purchase in a cute bright blue bag and I was on my way. Feeling extremely optimistic it was time to tackle Ryans Vintage. Located
The store opened in July 2008 and can be found just behind Briggate. With others located in Liverpool, Manchester and Sweden, the Leeds store is the most recent addition to the boutique family.
Vintage Shop in all it’s glory: Image accredited Dan P, Creative Commons down a street opposite Topshop, around the corner from popular student haunt Nandos, this place is not for the faint hearted. I was astounded at the vast amount of stock for both sexes, I must admit slightly overwhelming confirming my worst fears...a jumble sale. Whilst my friend leaped on a pile of coats and began rummaging, I turned my attention to a pile of cowboy boots behind a pile of t-shirts. Although they’re not my personal favourite, they too are making a comeback this season and at a mere £20.00 per pair you can’t go far wrong. Ryans Vintage is fairly time consuming and requires the paitence of a saint if you want to find that hidden gem which unfortunately wasn’t there for me on that particularly cold thursday in December, however I was mildly entertained by listening to a fellow student barter with the owner for a battered Levis denim jacket which he considered to be priced too high at £30.00 and after little deliberation (I spied hiding behind a pile of faux fur) he walked away with the jacket for £20.00. Whilst extremely
impressed with his bartering skills I couldn’t help but wonder...what kind of shop allows people to name their own price? ‘They don’t do it all the time’ says Kate, a 2nd year student at Leeds University and a vintage fanatic, ‘I think it depends what mood they’re in or how much the item means to them, but it’s definitely worth a try. I once got a genuine leather jacket from here for just £18.00 and when I’m short on cash it comes in handy that they’re willing to negotiate, plus a lot of the items in there are really high quality. You just need the patience to look’.
The layout is similar to Blue Rinse with different clothing divided into categories, it was here I spotted a rack of gorgeous chunky knit jumpers, perfect for winter and adequately priced at £25.00. I picked up a cream creation with a black glittery bow sewn onto the front, long sleeved with a round neck, perfect for cold walks to Uni. Making our way downstairs we were greeted with a lounge area dedicated to shoes, boots and accessories... heaven. It was here where I found my next vintage purchase. A black and gold waist belt with a buckle fastening at the back, embellished with a gold leopard on the front, and it was to be mine for £14.50. Elated with my finds I headed back to the high street to have a well deserved Starbucks...with a quick pit stop at H&M on the way
My verdict? You can take a girl out of the high street but you can’t take the high street out of the girl. I admit there are some great hidden gems to be located and vintage is great if you’re on a budget, which lets face it most of us are. Some of the worlds greatest designer pieces ‘Chanel? That’s a differ- are vintage, such as the Red YSL gown worn by Audrey Hepburn ent story..’ and we all remember Carrie’s vintage Dior purse in Paris. Each Exhausted already we moved onto becomes your best friend, they tell Pop Boutique where I was already a story and can be valuable in the beginning to loose hope and the years to come. But for me? Nothing novelty of my new clutch was begin- beats a shiny new purchase with it’s ning to wear off, I longed for the price tag attached and the knowlcomforts of the high street stores. edge that I am it’s one and only But as soon as I entered Pop Bouowner, unless it’s Chanel. Then that tique I knew it was all going to be is a whole different story... okay! Not a pile in sight! Hurrah! 12