FINDING a designer gem among the second-hand items in a charity shop used to be seen by most as too much like hard work.

But the new designer boutique section at Help The Aged in School Street, Darwen, is quite an exception to the stereotype.

Instead of suits with shiny elbows for £1.50 a throw, an upstairs room has been transformed into an entire level of designer labels, bursting with Armani, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada — more common on the catwalks of Milan than the streets of East Lancashire.

Far from the corporate high-street chains, the smaller and more laid-back hand-me-down shop is enjoying a recession revival.

And it’s all thanks to Mary Portas, who is attempting to take the world of charity shopping into the retail mainstream through her BBC2 series Mary Queen of Charity Shops.

In Help The Aged there is a genuine Louis Vuitton handbag, which retail for several hundred pounds each, on the shelves for £30.

A Little Brown Bag from Bloomingdales, made famous by the Sex And The City girls, has a price tag of just £8.

“It was decided some of the higher end stock was being wasted downstairs,” explained shop manager Nina Penney.

“We decided to turn upstairs into a designer-only section.

"I have tried to create a more boutique feel so you don’t have to rummage and it’s more upmarket.

“We stock all the top designer stuff, some high end fashion labels and a lot of boutique names, especially the expensive tailored suits.

“You don’t need to spend a lot to get designer names any more.”

Sales assistant Shelley Blackburn is pictured wearing a top for £6.95 by Michael Kors, an American designer often worn by Gwyneth Paltrow; Dollhouse jacket for £6.50, Levis jeans for £5.50; shoes by Belle for £5.50 and the Little Brown Bag handbag. Total outfit price — £32.45.

Nina is wearing Warehouse trousers for £3, Mango top for £3, shirt from Dorothy Perkins for £3.50, court shoes by Odeon for £4.50 and the Louis Vuitton handbag. Total outfit price — £44.

Some of the best bargains include a Prada T-shirt for £3.25, a £250 dress by Amanda Wakley for £12 that has never been worn and an Armani suit for £25.

Sense Charity Superstore is also thanking Mary Portas for a surge in sales after it was voted by The Times as one of the best charity shops in the country to pick out a bargain.

Assistant manager Jenny Dewhurst said: “We have noticed a big increase in younger customers recently and they’re all taking about the Mary Portas programme. You have to search but you’ll always find a label here.

“It used to be looked down upon to shop in a charity shop but now it’s trendy.”