Posh Swaps Blog

Events

Clothes Swap Party!

03 May 2010 15:00

Venue: Nancy’s Bordello - Newcastle

You are invited to a fundraising clothes swap party at the beautiful Nancy’s Bordello!

Come along and ethically refresh your wardrobe, enjoy a few drinks and support a fantastic charity!

There will be a raffle with fantastic prizes up for grabs and a delicious homemade cake stall!

How does the clothes swap work?
Basically, you raid your wardrobe for all those lovely items you no longer wear and either drop them off in advance or bring them along to Nancy’s Bordello at 3:30pm.
After half an hour of browsing the swap will officially open at 4pm!

Tops, shirts, dresses, skirts, jeans, coats, handbags, jewellery, ball gowns! Everything is welcome!

These will then be graded either 1, 2, 3 or 4 and you will be allocated tokens which can be swapped with other graded items of the same value and you go home with a new-to-you wardrobe!
Extra tokens will be available at 1=£1, 2=£2, 3=£3 and 4=£4

Clothes can be dropped off between 12pm and 1pm from Monday 26th to Friday 30th April in the seating area at Rijo’s Juice Bar in Newcastle University’s Union.

Tickets are just £3.50 and all funds raised will go towards an excellent cause.
Everyone will receive a FREE GIFT upon arrival.

Tickets are available at the above clothes drop off times at Newcastle University’s Union, at Nancy’s Bordello, or by emailing clothes.swap@hotmail.co.uk for an E-ticket or to arrange a ticket drop off.
There will also be some tickets available on the door.

Please invite and bring along your friends, remember more people means more lovely items to swap!

Nancy’s Bordello is located next to Manors Metro Station, please see map for details.

Childreach International works in some of the world’s poorest areas sustainably improving healthcare and education for children.

All funds raised will go towards my target of £2,300 to raise money to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, in aid of the children’s charity, Childreach International, registered charity number 1132203.

For any further information or to arrange tickets/clothes drop off/pick up please email either Deborah or Chloe at clothes.swap@hotmail.co.uk

Email: clothes.swap@hotmail.co.uk

Event Detail

SWISH FOR HUMANITY!!! - Charity Clothes Swap.

07 May 2010 18:30

Venue: 3rd floor, Newcastle Union.

A charity clothes swap to raise money for HABITAT FOR HUMANITY.

Come and refresh your wardrobe, enjoy a few drinks and support a great charity…complete guilt free fun for only £5-!!

How? Basically we all raid our wardrobes for gorgeous pieces that you no longer wear and swap for other lovely items in return. Anything goes, shirts, tops, skirts, dresses, jumpers, cardies, shoes, bags, jewellery….anything you think deserves a good home.

Rules of the Rail:
1) Each guest receives a ticket per item they bring to ‘buy’ other clothes. If you run out of tokens, or can’t bear to part with anything tokens are available for £3-.
2) You will have an hour to browse before the swish opens.
3) No item may be claimed before the swish opens.
4) As soon as the swish is declared open, everyone can ‘buy‘ items with their tickets.
5) Remember no scratching, spitting or fighting.

There will also be a homemade cake sale and a raffle on the night.

All proceeds and any left over items will be donated to Habitat for Humanity.

So please come along and bring all your friends. More people means more treaures!!

Email: r.j.hollingdale@ncl.ac.uk

Ladies Clothes Exchange Evening

07 May 2010 18:45

Venue: Cox Green Community Centre, 51 Highfield Lane, Maidenhead SL6 3AX

Don’t shop come and swap! Come along and update your wardrobe without spending a fortune!
6.45-7.30pm drop off clothes
7.30pm - 9.00pm exchange
Bring a max of 10 items. Entrace fee £10.00. Refreshments available. Raffle. A variety of retailers selling jewellery, cosmetics, manicures and lots more!
Bring along ladies party dresses and evening wear, day dresses, blouses, tops, knitwear, trousers, coats, jackets and shoes, please include hangers for display!

Email: sandra@nras.org.uk

MASTT’s Clothes Swap

08 May 2010 18:30

Venue: Colne Valley Leisure Centre, Slaithwaite, Huddersfield

ENTRANCE BY TICKET ONLY - OVER 18s ONLY.

Bring along at least 3 items of good quality clean clothing or accessories to swap with what others have brought.

Tickets £3, includes a free cocktail and yummy canapes. Tickets on sale from Green Valley Grocer in Slaithwaite.

Email: info@mastt.org.uk

Swish in Spring

09 May 2010 13:00

Venue: Harry’s Wine Bar, #80 The Green, Twickenham

Here are the details for the next swish…

Date – May 9th
Venue – Harry’s Wine Bar (again!), #80 The Green, Twickenham, TW2
Time – 1pm to 3:30pm

Other Details
Clothing drop off and start of event – 1pm

What kinds of items to bring? Clean, quality, like new items that you would be proud to pass on to someone else but no longer want in your wardrobe. Skirts, tops, dresses, trousers are welcome. Accessories, handbags, necklaces & scarves are also welcome (shoes only if in impeccable, like new condition).

What’s on offer – mini pamper sessions (by various local pamper professionals), mini tarot card readings by Samantha New-Fielding (of Newphoria, www.newphoria.co.uk) and mini clothing workshops by Sarah Brummitt - Image Consultant (http://www.sarahbrummitt.com/), Catherine Counihan of Yummy Mummy Tummy (www.yummymummytummy.co.uk) and Lynn Witten, District Manager of Arbonne (http://beautyinsideoutuk.myarbonne.co.uk).

What else to note? – You will be given a tag/token at the beginning of the event. The number of items you have brought to a swish will be written on your tag/token which you must hang on to until the end of the event (I’ll make sure it’s easy to attach to something so that you don’t have to walk around with it in your hand!). Give the tag/token back to me (or the person at reception) at the end of the event (or whenever you wish to leave) when you have chosen the items you would like to take home with you. This is done in an effort to keep the exchange as fair as possible.
Please note: There is a very slight chance you might not find anything at a swish that you like but in my experience the chances of that are pretty slim. The key to a good swish is down to the number of women who attend. The more women that come the more choice there will be … so bring all your friends!

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Cheers,

Kim Dean, “Renew”
Tailor by personal consultation - 07757867515 mobile
The eco friendly way to create a vibrant, stylish wardrobe at a fraction of retail prices.
With Renew the solution to all your wardrobe woes are already IN your wardrobe!

Email: kimwdean@googlemail.com

SWAP don’t SHOP

12 May 2010 19:30

Venue: THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19A West Register St, Edinburgh EH2 2AA

Tickets are £8 each and includes a complementary glass of wine. Buy your tickets in advance from:dontshopswap@aol.com or 07793016630

Browse the collection between 7.30-9.30pm
The Swap opens at 9.30pm

-Bring clothes, shoes,belts, handbags, jewellery, the list goes on!
-Bring at least 2 items to swap
-Items must be clean and in good condition with a lot of life left
-You can leave with as many items as you can carry
-No biting, scratching or hair pulling!

All proceeds go to Craigsbank and Eastcraigs Childrens playgroup.

Email: dontshopswap@aol.com

A Very Stylish Spring Clean

13 May 2010 18:00

Venue: TigerTiger, Cardiff

Tickets for sale online: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/79278

Or join the Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=114735341879365

£5 a ticket gets you a complimentary glass of bubbly on arrival, half-price drinks for the duration of the Swish, and cloth bags to carry your new items home in. There will even be a personal shopper on hand to help you swish.

There will also be spot prizes, including a £100 gift voucher to the MacArthur Glen outlet shopping village by Bridgend to the Best Dressed Girl.

All proceeds, including unclaimed clothes / accessories, will be donated to Channel One Newport Hospital Radio, a registered local charity.

Email rose@roseshouse.co.uk for more information.

Email: rose@roseshouse.co.uk

Do the Swish

14 May 2010 19:00

Venue: Lyme Regis Football Club, The Davey Fort, Charmouth Road, Lyme Regis, Dorset

This is our first Swishing event and hopefully the first of many.

You bring your unwanted clothes and accessories, such as skirts, trousers, dresses, shirts, hats, bags, shoes and jewellery, to exchange for tokens which you then spend on other items people have contributed to the Swish.

Swishing your surplus items allows you to boost your wardrobes potential. Naturally, only items in good condition will be accepted, no fashionista wants cast-offs that have seen better days!

Please bring your clothes, on hangers if possible, and lots of your friends to join the fun. Ladies clothes only.

Bar, Cocktails and Nibbles available.

Tickets £5 in advance includes a free glass of wine, please contact zoeevans@me.com for tickets or futher details.

All proceeds goes to Lyme Regis Football Club.

Email: zoeevans@me.com

cinderella shall go to the ball

15 May 2010 16:00

Venue: The guildhall,Eastgate st, Gloucester.

Charity clothes swap in aid of THE BREASTFEEDING NETWORK
£5 PER TICKET
bring 5 items of clothing ,shoes or accessories in good condition then choose 5 to take home. Also items for sale on the day
these include
jewelery,handbags, henna painting, cake stall and pamper treatments.

Email:not available

Accessory Swishing at Publicasity

19 May 2010 18:00

Venue: withheld…

Publicasity is holding it\’s very first swishing event at their offices based in Covent Garden, London.

This is accessory swishing, and looks set to be a great evening.

Drop Aaron an email at ahuckett@publicasity.co.uk if you are interested!

Cheers

Publicasity team

Email: ahuckett@publicasity.co.uk

Swish for Shelter!

20 May 2010 19:00

Venue: Edinburgh

Join us for a fabulous evening of Clothes Swapping, Pampering, Bellini’s and Cupcakes – all in the name of charity - all money raised goes directly into a fundraising pot for my 100km Sahara trek in aid of Shelter!

Step into Summer with a whole new wardrobe – bring along any unwanted clothes, shoes or accessories and swap for some fabulous new items.

Fantastic prizes to be won including:

Night for 2 at relaxing retreat
Hot stone massage
Beauty treatments
Virgin Vie products
Plus many more

£10 a ticket with free bellini and cupcake on arrival. Contact Leanne for tickets / more info

Email: lanniex1@yahoo.co.uk

Swishing in aid of Breakthrough

21 May 2010 19:30

Venue: withheld…

To help me reach my next £1,000 target for Breakthrough Breast Cancer

Email:not available

Beach Swish

23 May 2010 13:00

Venue: Bedruthan Steps Hotel,Newquay

Swish at the beautiful Bedruthan Steps Hotel on a sunny, Sunday afternoon overlooking lovely Mawgan Porth Beach. Admission £3 and includes tea/coffee. Collection in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Email: CornwallClothingSwapShop

Posh-Swaps.com have announced that we are celebrating our first birthday at the end of April 2010! Our website, which is fast becoming a popular place to swap, buy and sell clothes, will celebrate the occasion with a fantastic prize-draw for anyone that registers and lists clothes to swap during the month of May 2010, with prizes to be won including £100 of shoe vouchers! The website was launched almost a year ago for people to do clothes swapping for free.

There are other clothes swapping websites which have introduced fees everytime someone swaps, buys or sells, but we have no plans to do so ourselves. The aim of the free service is to encourage everyone to swap clothes without the need to throw them away, and so recycling them to do our bit for the environment.

This first year has certainly been a busy one for us at Posh-Swaps, with plenty of successful online swaps and two swapping parties (known as swishing) held in Chiswick and in Bath. Clothes swapping is becoming increasingly popular lately, as it is a great way to refresh your wardrobe- gaining new clothes and discarding others which you never wear, and thanks to Posh-Swaps, all for FREE! You also get a great sense of having done a really good thing for the environment, by reducing what goes to the landfill sites and reducing the environmental impacts associated with the manufacturing of new clothes.

Our website constantly keeps you up to date with the latest fashion and eco-fashion news with plenty of different blog posts published each week, plus a fantastic newsletter that gets sent out every fortnight to let ypu know of the latest items available for swapping.

Picture taken from www.ask.com

Whilst you might think carefully about where you buy your clothes and how eco friendly they are, shoes are something that not many of us pay much attention to. The manufacture of shoes can be environmentally damaging with the use of chemicals as adhesives and for tanning leather as well as a range of non biodegradable materials.

Swapping clothes and buying second hand clothes is a great way to get sustainable style, but sometimes it is not that easy to find just the right pair of shoes in your size. A great sustainable alternative to second hand shoes is eco friendly shoes. There is a growing choice of eco shoes available ranging from organic, natural, biodegradable and recycled options. We have just discovered Spartoo, an online shoe store with a great selection of eco friendly shoes including brands like Think, El Naturalista and Pikolinos.

The notion that eco friendly shoes mean boring, frumpy or unfashionable footwear goes completely out of the window with these gorgeous, trendy and stylish shoes which are good for the environment and good for your feet.

Vialis by Campari - this delicate and on trend summer sandal will work with so many summer outfits from military shorts to floaty maxi dresses.

Schlapfa Divg by Think- this lovely bright mule is made manually using 100% natural materials, ou would never guess!

Nayeri by Panama Jack - a sturdy and very wearable medium height. Very now and very versatile try wearing with feminine floral dresses and jeans.

A new online boutique company called Sequel London has arrived on our scenes- one of the latest boutiques to launch that are eco-friendly. Sequel London offers a range of leather handbags, which have been made from recycled leather jackets, discarded silk ties and curtains that are no longer wanted. The company has been created by cousins Claire Baigent and Laura Queening, both of whom want to reduce waste and to encourage sustainability in fashion by choosing unwanted clothes and accessories from Oxfam’s Wastesaver Warehouses, and using the materials to create their stunning new range.

The collection features bags made from leather including leather buttons, a removable silk tie decoration to add colour and style to the bags, and recycled curtains which are cut so to provide the lining of the bag. The ties on each bag will vary by design and will depend on the amount donated to Oxfam, so no two pieces will be the same. All of the Sequel London products are made in London itself, and the company is aiming to use recycled materials wherever possible- from the leather and the curtains, to the packaging and the stationary which will be made from recycled paper. All of the products have been designed by co-owner Laura Queening, who graduated from the London College of Fashion in 2007. “We decided to launch Sequel London as a way of encouraging sustainability in fashion by using those cast-offs that most of us have in the backs of our wardrobes, to produce classic, beautiful pieces that can be worn with pride time and again,” comments Laura. “We only choose the best quality material, even if the clothing itself has passed its fashion sell-by date.” Claire Baigent graduated from Newcastle University in 2006, and holds a CIPR Advanced Certificate in Public Relations.

The Spring/Summer collection, which is only available to buy online at sequellondon.co.uk, consists of six designs which are priced from £39 to £79, and offer beautiful and durable designs to last a life-time at high street prices.

Pictures and Quotes from www.sequellondon.co.uk

The famous fashion sport’s brand O’Neill has announced the launch of their new collection called ECO’Neill- a collection that is made entirely out of eco-friendly and sustainable materials in a new attempt at ‘doing their bit’ for the environment, and so reduce O’Neill’s carbon footprint. As O’Neill is one of the world’s leading companies when it comes to surfing products, the launch (which will be released next Spring), comes to us as extremely good news as they are seen to many as role models for other surfing and sporting brands.

The collection includes board shorts with fabric made from recycled plastic bottles, basic t-shirts, tanks and beanies made entirely from 100 percent organic cotton, and novelty t-shirts and tanks made from 100 percent organic cotton slub jersey. Advertising the new eco-collection is reggae artist and waterman Mishka, who completely supports the launch. He will promote his latest album release ‘Talk About’ to coincide with the launch, and will be giving his fans a preview of the collection during his album tour which started at the beginning of April. As the newest member of the O’Neill family, he will also be contributing to the designs and creative side of further ECO’Neill styles. Also in the coming months ahead, Mishka will then be featuring in advertising for the brand, social media and mobile marketing to show his support for the coming launch. O’Neill is among many different companies- designer and high street- to launch a new eco-friendly range.

Having been around since 1952 when the world’s first neoprene wetsuit was introduced by surfer Jack O’Neill, O’Neill’s are extremely pleased to be able to create such a range made from recycled and organic materials and yet still maintain their surfing image around the world and continuing to deliver to their customers exactly what they need in terms of style, flexibility, and now the knowledge that what they’re wearing is reasonably sourced.

Picture taken from www.fashionunited.co.uk

To celebrate Earth Day, we have more great posts from our Green Chic Friends- enjoy! 

Factio Magazine checks out eco-friendly favorite! LUSH Cosmetics is now more popular than ever and is cooking up some great treats for your summer beauty needs.
Posh Swaps looks at the differences between Clothes swap parties V clothes swap websites both great ways to recycle, which do you prefer?
Urban Outfitters is having a $5 sale, online only and while supplies last. Runway To Retail can’t get enough of their vintage and eco-chic lines!
The Fashionable Gal is giving away a Stop & Shop $20 Gift Card in honor of Earth Day!
The Fashionable Housewife found Pregnancy Safe Body Wash & Natural Stretch Mark Oil to make your pregnancy as happy and comfortable as possible!

picture from Facto magazine

The two latest trends around in the fashion world at the moment is Clothes Swapping- clothes swapping parties and clothes swapping websites. The idea of clothes swapping is for us ladies to be able to update our wardrobes, on a budget and by doing so, helping the environment as you are recycling rather than throwing away clothes and buying new ones. But which one is the better one to do?

With a clothes swap party, you can make it in to such a fun time, allowing you to socialise with people. You can invite your best friends, your work colleagues, and even your neighbours and ask them to bring a friend with an armful of clothes, so that you have even more choice and the chance to make new friends as well. You will have the opportunity to see clothes up close, and if there is a designated changing area, then you also get the chance to try items on. However, no matter how many people do come to your house/party, the choice will be almost nothing compared to what you will find on a website. Your friends/neighbours/colleagues may also have different sizes to you, so what you do like may not fit you. The items are there for you to take home right away, but there could be arguments over certain popular items.

On a clothes swap website, you will have an endless choice of items from all over the world, so that this way you have more control over which items you receive in the swap. It may take a while to negotiate the swap as you may have to wait for the other-end person to come online, and if you are swapping from abroad, you may get caught up in each others’ time differences. Normally with clothes swapping, not a penny gets exchanged whereas online you may have to pay postage and packaging. However, the price of a parcel may just be worth it for that gorgeous dress that’s only available in America!

Some more very green and very stylish posts from our Green Chic friends this week - enjoy!

Factio Magazine goes green this spring with eco chic footwear! Naya shoes are made with style and comfort in mind while still being gentle on the environment.
Fashion Tribes Check out Dita Von Teese in eco-chic, plastic fantastic shoes by Jean Paul Gaultier for Melissa -
Guiltless & Glamorous reviews a hot new cruelty-free skincare line made in Vancouver!
My Beauty Bunny tells us about the new USPS shelter animal stamps that help save animals’ lives!
Posh Swaps has some great tips on organising a clothes swap party or swishing
Runway To Retail checks out the spring/summer 2010 collection of AGGA B.that is sure to intrigue you.

picture from Runway to Retail

The idea of second hand clothes has always been, to many people, a not-so pleasant one, with people only going in to charity shops if necessary. These days, however, charity shops are now beginning to undergo some modern changes and reinvent themselves. Oxfam in particular are really embracing this change. With the environment being in its bad shape, the idea of recycled fashion is becoming more and more popular with some of the bigger high-street fashion stores creating new lines of their own made out of recycled and organic materials.

With the opening of two new ’boutique’ stores last summer that came with plenty of media attention, Oxfam have gone all-out to try to shake off the musty image of charity shopping and create the new image of fashion store, whilst most importantly helping the environment. The new boutique stores were created to be little more than a charity shop- they are shops that provide beautiful, one-off clothes made from recycled materials and the assurance that every item sold will raise money to fight poverty around the world.

The Westbourne Grove boutique in London stocks donated high-end pieces re-crafted from pre-owned garments, so some of the items available can be a little pricey, but in return you get a one-off piece that no one else will ever own. There are seven boutiques altogether across the country (though mainly in London) that have been divided in to five categories- Loved for Longer, Fair Trade, Reinvented Made with Love, and Good Fashion Sense- all the details of which can be found at http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/content/secondhandstore/fashion/boutiques/default.html.

The transformation has come courtesy of fashion guru and Oxfam volunteer Jane Shepherdson CEO, whose vision of reinventing recycled fashion has turned around our basic charity shop image with the Oxfam Boutique which brings together specially selected donations, customised by volunteers or restyled by designers to bring us the new idea that charity can be chic.

Picture taken from www.oxfam.org.uk

A beautiful new collection has appeared on racks and shelves in H&M shops- The Garden Collection, named for its floral patterns and use of organic and sustainable materials. The collection has arrived just in time for Spring to show off our romantic, exotic and glamorous side with plenty of floral patterns which includes big, bold prints, sunny landscapes, vibrant green gardens, and the cool 70’s hippy flower print look. The collection is made entirely out of organic and sustainable materials such as organic linen, organic cotton, tencel, and recycled polyester. The organic cotton and organic linen for this collection has been grown without the use of hazardous chemicals, the recycled polyester tops and dresses are made from PET- bottles and textile waste, whilst the tencel provides you with a silky, renewable material that has been produced with minimal environmental impact, so that when you buy these clothes you are helping to do your bit for environment!

The sumptuous designs mixed with sustainable materials helps to create a sensuous sophistication, whilst the vivacious patterns spread the radiant richness of the season. The stunning floral and bright women’s fashion trends will offer a modern yet sustainable look to everyone, no matter what their own style or taste is as the collection also includes pretty neutrals as well as the bright and the bold. You can combine a vibrant floral top with neutral cropped trousers or linen shorts, or wear a feminine chiffon dress with plenty of floral print combined with a beige anorak which are all available in the collection. These fantastic floral prints will really add some sparkle to your wardrobe, helping you to update and totally rejuvenate your own collection.