Posh Swaps Blog

picture of Style Eyes Fashion Blog

There has been a growing trend for the fashion conscious to seek out different styles of clothing and develop their own unique style instead of following the fashion trends. This includes seeking out clothes that are not available on the high street including handcrafted fashions on websites such as Etsy.com, clothes from unknown and Indie designers, individual boutiques, second hand and vintage clothing. The key to the new eclectic look is not so much about what you wear as how you wear it. This change in consumer behaviour is evident in the decline of the phenonmenas like fast fashion and the ‘IT bag’ and also the decline of sales on the high street. Consumers are becoming less likely to buy a piece of clothing just because of its brand or label. The focus is moving way from looking the same as everyone else to looking different and individual. Spring and summer 2009 is rapidly becoming known amongst fashionistas as the seasons with no trends. Posh-swaps.com actively encourages its readers to develop their own unique style by buying quality second hand clothes that look and feel great and unique one off vintage and restyled recycled second hand clothes. There are a number of possible reasons for the recent change in he focus of fashion, these include

The Recession

Less disposable income means that people need to think carefully about each purchase and how long it will last them. By developing their own personal style, individuals create a timeless wardrobe that does not need to be updated with every change in trend.

Increase in Environmental and Ethical Awareness

Greater publicity of issues like the use of pesticides in growth of cotton and child labour used to manufacture clothes has led to a much greater awareness of these issues. Consumers are becoming more ethically and environmental responsible by buying second hand clothes. Second hand and vintage clothing works particularly well with the eclectic look.

Celebrity Style

Celebrities have led the way in buying vintage clothes and creating their own look. Personalities like Beth Ditto and Dita Von Teese and Kate Moss have been key in developing their own style using a mixture of designer, high street and vintage clothes. People enjoy and are gaining confidence in creating their own styles in the same way. Again second hand clothes are a great way to find affordable, quality clothes to create an individual look.

Greater Choice Through the Internet

The internet has opened up a whole new world of fashion with many buying and selling clothes through ebay and other websites as well as online vintage boutiques offering almost unlimited choice. Posh-swaps.com will offer even more choice of second hand, vintage and restyled recycled clothing with the added benefit of being completely free to use.

Fashion Blogs

There are now hundreds of fashion blogs many giving inspiration to readers to try out unique and different styles. Style Bubble written by Susie Lau has got a cult following of readers who gain inspiration from Susies DIY and fiercely individual style often using second hand clothes. Street style blogs such as thesartorialist.com and facehunter.com to name a few also open up a whole world of inspiration with their global style photographs.

Landfill in the UK is becoming a huge problem. With the drop in the price of recycled products, the issue is what to do with all of the waste that we produce. The breakdown of waste in landfill sites creates huge amounts of the greenhouse gas methane. There are also many products that will not breakdown and will remain in the environment for ever with the potential to contaminate water supplies.

Traid, a charity specialising in the recycling of textiles reports that 900,000 tons of shoes and clothing are thrown away each year in the UK. Only 200,000 tons per year are recycled and the rest is dumped in landfill. The government estimates that similar amounts of between 550,000 and 900,000 tons of textiles are thrown away each year.

In addition to the problems of waste and landfill in the UK, there is also the consideration of the energy used and waste generated by the manufacture and distribution of clothing and textiles. Growth of cotton uses a huge amount of chemical pesticides and environmentally damaging cultivation methods. The manufacture of man made fabrics also has a huge environmental impact with. Demand for polyester the most widely used synthetic fabric has almost doubled in the last 15 years. The manufacture of polyester uses large amounts of crude oil and an energy-intensive process. It releases emissions including volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, and acid gases such as hydrogen chloride, all of which can cause health problems for workers by causing or aggravating respiratory disease.

Second hand clothing is becoming more popular as people begin to recognise the real costs of fast fashion. Consumers are becoming more aware of their buying choices and ways that they can help the environment.

So there are plenty of great reasons to swap clothes. Another great reason is that it is fun, frugal and a great way to try out new looks.

Manufacture and transportation of textiles and clothing both use valuable fossil fuels and contribute to global warming by releasing Carbon dioxide. The manufacture of many synthetic textiles such as polyester also uses petro chemicals and is particularly energy intensive. As many clothes are manufactured outside of the UK, their transportation and distribution also represents a significant carbon footprint.

This week we have some more great outfits imaginatively put together using second hand and vintage clothes. Proof that it is not just about what you wear but how you wear it. It is not just the girls who can look great in second hand and vintage clothes, we also have our first ever male on second hand style weekly with some very stylish ebay finds.

This photograph is taken from Flem007’s photostream on Flickr

A great mixture of vintage and new clothes, perfect for wandering around Carnaby Street

Hat - Topman.
Waistcoat - Vintage from Ebay
Jacket - Vintage from ebay
Jeans - Topman
Trainers - Next
Tee - Urban Outfitters 

 I really love this picture for the bright and fun outfits using colour co ordination to the extreme, from Lorena Cupcakes photostream. The inspioration comes from trying to be the most alternative couple on earth- now that is really individual and unique style. 

CLAUDE: thrifted scarf, 2 secondhand Ts, Old Navy hoodie, F21 girl jeans by way of Rag-O-Rama

LORENA: Hobby Lobby bandanna, DIY Robots Shall Overcome T, Delia*s mini, mismatched American Apparel socks, Happy Socks

SHOES: Claude and I are wearing identical PF Flyer Bob Cousy All Americans

WAYFARERS: Claude got his from Michael who was randomly given them at a party, mine are from Fred Flare and relensed in my prescription by Global Eyeglasses 

All Flickr pictures are used under the Flickr creative commons attribution licence

There are many good things about being short or petite. One being that you don’t have to duck your head as you walk through doorways (I should know, I am only 5ft 2). There are equally some disadvantages when looking for clothes that suit or fit you. There are some very good petite ranges in certain shops but sometimes you don’t want to just buy from these ranges and need to look for key items of clothing that will look great on you. You will need to look for clothes that elongate your body and legs and avoid anything that creates horizontal lines that will make you look shorter. Generally fitted clothes will look best on petites.

Try swapping

Oversized clothes
large patterns
high waisted trousers
cropped trousers
mid calf length dresses or skirts
Very tight fitting trousers

for

Fitted clothes
small patterns or plain clothes
floor skimming wide legged trousers or flares
dresses tunics to wear with trousers
empire line dresses
three quarter length or long line jackets and coats
just below knee skirts and dresses

We at Posh Swaps are convinced that swapping is the new shopping. People are starting to realise the benefits of swapping clothes in terms of saving money, minimising environmental impact, having fun and finding a great new look. Press coverage and articles about second hand clothing, swishing and clothes swapping have helped to spread the word. Here is some of the most recent press coverage;

April 2009 - UK Aware the UK’s biggest ever swish?

March 2009 - BBC Radio 4 - why clothes swapping parties are gaining in popularity

February 2009 - Reuters - Fashionistas: Swap ’til you drop at a “swishing do”
February 2009 - Daisy Green - to swish or not to swish
December 2008 - CNN - London Women Swish for their fashions
November 2008 - GMTV - Swishing with Mark
October 2008 - Sky News - swish swapping is new shopping
September 2008 - The Daily Mail - recycle your way to a ’swish new wardrobe’
August 2008 - BBC - For women who love to swap

Another very common body part that people hate is the tummy. It seems no matter how many sit ups and crunches some of us do, we are they way we are. But don’t despair, with the right clothing, a bulging tummy no longer needs to be the bain of your life. You just need to pick and choose your clothes very carefully. Don’t worry if you have made some major wardrobe mistakes in the past, you an swap your way to the perfect tummy tuck wardrobe.

Swap

Hipster trousers

skin tight clothes

crop tops

shiny fabrics

belted coats

anything too tight around the tummy

elasticated or gathered waists

kaftan tops

any short tops

for

empire line tops and dresses

Matt fabrics

Ruching around the stomach

single breasted short jackets fitted on the waist

low waisted trousers

wrap skirts and dresses

slim fitting tops

There are lots of great things about being flat chested. There are many clothes that will look great on you and but your larger chested counterparts could never look stylish in. The You could wear a bra with a little padding, but you can find lots of clothes that will look amazing on you just as you are.

Try swapping

low cut tops

3/4 length sleeves

corset style/ strapless tops

Empire line tops/ dresses

for

high neck tops

halter necks

Sleeveless tops

Top with detail

very deep plunging v neck dresses

polo neck jumpers