Where did you get that dress

As a young child Gwen Crowley would often borrow her older sister’s clothes and dress up as a princess or an actress. Gwen, 38, still likes to put on other people’s clothes, only now the blouses and dresses she wears belong to famous film stars. She also buys clothes from celebrities such as Cher in order to sell them in her second-hand clothes shop, Star Wares, in Los Angeles.

Read a magazine article about a woman who buys clothes from famous people and then sells them in her shop. Eight sentences have been removed from the article.

Cher tends to get rid of a lot of things each year and we just go over with a truck and pick them up. I’ve met her a few times, although I’ve never been wearing any of her clothes at the time. 1. ________________________________________________.

I love Cher’s style. I have her shoes, her jewellery and even some of her furniture. They’re a real bargain because I pay less for them than she did originally. Many of my customers don’t wear the clothes they buy and just keep them as memorabilia.

2. ___________________________________________________________________.

I also had a denim shirt which I bought from Mel Gibson. I wore it all the time, even when I was decorating the house. 3. ____________________________________.

I really liked that shirt and it was great fun telling people which famous person owned it before.

My first ever purchase was a white T-shirt of Cher’s that had peace signs all over it and which I wore until it fell to pieces. But my favourite item of clothing at the moment is a black shirt of hers by Ghost. I’m a little bigger than her, so her clothes are often quite tight on me. 4. ________________________________________________.

It’s a plain, flowing shirt that feels really nice to wear – except when it’s raining.

5. _______________________________________________________________.

The shirt shrank and the sleeves, which were long, suddenly went up past my elbow. I was really upset. I had to go into the bathroom and put it under the dryer. Luckily it survived. Now I wear it just about everywhere – around the house, out shopping, at work.

Sometimes I see Cher in magazines and think, I’d like that top or dress, and a few months later it comes into the shop. If she’s worn the item on a CD cover or something, I don’t usually buy it because then it becomes a collector’s item and can be very expensive. 6. ______________________________________________________.

Although my husband doesn’t share my passion, he was delighted when I bought him Cary Grant’s silver cigarette case for his 40^th birthday. 7. ___________________.

It’s a real talking point at parties because my husband is called Lou and everybody asks: “Why does it say Cary?” When he tells them, they’re amazed.

It’s wonderful to have a part of someone that you admire, that you can actually hold, look at, enjoy and wear. At the moment I’ve got my eye on a very special costume from my all time favourite TV programme. 8. _________________________.

It’s not the sort of thing you can wear to the shops, but it would certainly attract attention at a fancy dress party!