Replica Watches

Byline: Helena Frith-Powell

MY HUSBAND thinks my favourite haunt is a second-hand designer clothesshop in Covent Garden. It is a marvellous place, where you can pick upsecondhand designer kit for next to nothing, along with shoes, handbags andother accessories. What he doesn't know is that while such a shop does exist(I've even shown it to him), I have never been inside it.

I am not alone in hiding the true price of my fashion fetish. According to apoll by Debenhams, women in the UK hide a total of [pounds sterling]1.4 billion worth of newclothes from their spouses or boyfriends. The poll concludes that 58 per centof us lie and say an item of clothing we have bought is cheaper than it reallywas.

I don't believe this for a minute. It's more like 100 per cent.

I spoke to several girlfriends on this subject after the poll came out andevery single one of them admitted to a bit of sneaky shopping. 'Everyone doesit,' said one friend. 'It's all part of the fun of shopping.' The lengths theywill go to are astounding. I just buy the clothes, get them home (normallystuffed inside an M&S bag to hide the Harvey Nichols crest) and then put themstraight into my wardrobe. If Luggage Handags Replica my husband notices them the first time I wearthem I just say something like: 'Oh, this old thing. I got it a couple of yearsago in the sales.

Nice, isn't it?' But my friend Molly, who lives in Surrey, has a whole sneakyshopping strategy worked out.

Last time I went shopping with her, I suggested that instead of spending [pounds sterling]200on a pair of jeans in a designer shop, we could go to Gap and spend [pounds sterling]40. Shegave me a withering look and said: 'You go to Gap if you want to.' This is nota woman who scrimps and saves when it comes to buying clothes.

But with four children to educate, funds are limited. So her husband, Jack, isnot amused by her shopping habits.

SHE SAYS: 'I have to do commando-style rolls across the lawn to get my shoppinginto the house unnoticed.

Either that, or I leave it all in the boot and sneak out under the cover ofdarkness pretending to take our non-existent dog out for a walk.' Does he evernotice? 'He is sometimes amazed that by the end of the month we're eating bakedbeans for every meal.

But frankly a new pair of Jimmy Choos is so much more important than feedingthe children organic chicken,' says Molly.

When I spoke to her, she had just seen a [pounds sterling]700 Dachshund puppy. 'It was thecutest little thing imaginable, but it could be tricky to sneak into the housewithout him noticing.' They have to keep housekeeping cash and hoard it. Soinstead of spending money on lunch, they eat a tin of spaghetti and pocket therest.

Heather has just seen a designer coat she wants to buy. It costs [pounds sterling]250. She willpay [pounds sterling]50 on her credit card and the other [pounds sterling]200 with hoarded cash. 'That way, 3OFwhen my Stainless Steel Bangle boyfriend opens the credit card bill he'll think it costs me [pounds sterling]50, whicheven he can't argue with,' she says. 'I even do the same thing now with myaccountant; it's become a habit I can't break.' My aunt, who wears designerclothes while gardening or taking out the rubbish, cuts out the label of herlatest Armani purchases as soon as she gets them home.

I think in some cases husbands and boyfriends probably secretly realise allthis goes on but really would rather not
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