DESIGNER label fans could save a small fortune by heading for a town’s Sue Ryder charity shop rather than the bright lights and glitzy stores of the West End, according to a survey.

The care shop in Chipping Norton High Street featured on a list of Britain’s best places to pick up designer second-hand clothes.

The Sunday Times’s Style magazine said the outlet was the country’s fifth best charity shop outside of London.

Among the items sold in the shop recently were a Prada handbag for £25, a pair of Armani jeans for £12.50 and a coat from high-class label Aquascutum for £35.

The store can also boast of receiving cast-offs from Conservative leader David Cameron.

A glass decanter donated by the Witney MP sold for £25.

Assistant manager Jacqueline Smith said she regularly read fashion magazines so she can identify gems included in the 100 bags of items donated to the shop every week.

She said: “We do get such nice designer stuff coming in and we are extremely grateful to the people of Chipping Norton for that.

“It’s a constant surprise just how good the items we have donated are and a lot of items we get haven’t even been worn.

“There’s been a real sea change in our customers too.

“A generation ago younger ones wouldn’t think of going into a charity shop but we have quite a few come in now to have a look at our gear.

Mrs Smith, who has worked at the shop for 13 years, added: “Charity shops have become cool and people know they can get cool things in here.

“There are so many designers these days that I always keep reading the fashion magazines just so I’m aware of the different designers and I know what to look for.”

Ryadal Sturt, 14, from the nearby village of Chadlington, bought a jumper from the Irish knitwear company Paco for £8.

She said: “I think it’s a really good charity shop. It’s very good for getting nice clothes that are cheap.

“I think it’s cool to shop in charity shops although you have to hunt to find the best items but that’s part of the fun.”

Style-conscious friend Emma Yapp, 15, also from Chadlington, shops in the store about once a month.

She said: “Fashion is very important to me and there are some very nice items in there from time to time. I have bought a belt and a top or two from there in the past.

“The stigma of charity shop shopping isn’t dead but it is not there as much.”

cwalker@oxfordmail.co.uk