Posh Swaps Blog

Clothes swap events with a social fusion of fashion, style and fun whilst contributing to the recycling efforts and charity in exchange for an arm full of new items!
Simply bring with you a minimum 5 maximum of 10 items of never worn or worn only once items. These can be clothes, shoes, handbags, accessories - but no earrings, scalves or plain t-shirts please. And on arrival you’ll receive a ticket with the number of items you have brought along which is to be exchanged for the same amount of items to take home. It’s best to get your £10 ticket in advance as it will be more on the door and and includes:

*Entry into the swaps and pop-up boutique
*Glass of wine
*Goodie bag
*Competition entry

PLUS there’ll be a raffle to win a mobile massage or beauty treatment, food available and more……

When? Thurs 13th Oct 2011
Where? The William 1V , Harrow Rd, Kensal Green London NW10 5JX
Bring your items from 6.30pm-7pm Swaps start 7.30pm

Tickets are available here:
http://swapinthecityuk.eventbrite.com

Enquiries:
sitcuk@total-renewal.com

Web:
http://www.total-renewal.com - Events
www.twitter.com/swapinthecityuk

Trends are great but they come and go. If you are a true follower of fashion you will need to update your wardrobe constantly to keep up with the latest fashions and trends. If everyone shopped in this way it would have a huge impact on the environment with a high carbon footprint and lots of waste.

Classic pieces of clothing are a great way to build a timeless wardrobe that will effortlessly take you from season to season on style. Most pieces of clothing that have earnt ‘classic’ status have done so for a really good reason. They are usually incredibly flattering and wearable pieces. But if you are worried you will look dated in classic clothes, don’t be. You can pick out some amazing modern classics that combine timeless style with a modern twist. You can also keep your look on trend by adding fashionable accessories. Here are our favourite 4 modern classic pieces.

Sheath Dresses - the sheath dress is a style which has been made popular by Victoria Beckham. It is simple but very stylish and suitable for an range of different occasions.

The Wide Legged Trousers - these are such a flattering cut of trousers, they will never go out of fashion. Whilst peg legged, skinny and harem trousers have come and gone out of fashion wide legged trousers have remained a firm favourite with so mnay stylish women.

The Classic Blazer - you really  can’t go wrong with a classic cut blazer. It is one of the most stylish and flattering pieces of clothing that you can own. Wear with jeans for a casual look or tailored trousers for work. You can even wear with a little dress for the evening.

Floral Shift Dresses - bright florals, romantic florals and ditsy florals all come back into fashion year after year. Pick yourself a simple shift dress for the most timeless style.

Classic clothing is also great for swapping, buying and selling second hand.

Which classic pieces do you love?

The great thing about swapping and buying second hand clothes is that although you might not be buying the latest designer collection, if you know what to look for you can find some great pieces that work perfectly with the seasons new fashion.

Get some fashion inspiration for your swapping and shopping with these 5 trends for SS11.

Stripes - stripes are one of those looks that are always on trend. For SS11 they featured heavily in the Prada collection, a sure sign that they are going to be huge for SS11.

Floral Prints - another look that never really goes out of fashion floral prints just keep on coming back. There were some amazingly bright and colourful prints featured on the catwalk at D&G for SS11.

Bright Colours - the perfect way to get yourself noticed bright colours were the perfect contrast the neutral colours that have become so popular recently. Look out for neons and juicy citrus colours to brighten up your spring wardrobe.

Maxi Skirts - hemlines will be moving downwards for the spring with long ankle length and mid calf length skirts and dresses. As maxi dresses have been popular for some time now there are likely to be some great second hand choices available.

The Seventies - the seventies will have a huge influence o Spring fashion with flare, maxi’s and pussycat bow blouses all featuring. Also watch out for that Studio 54 disco style.

For more ideas on trends for the season ahead check out www.theshoppingforecast.com

Christmas is such a happy time of year when we get time off work and time to spend with friends. The chances are that you will also recieve a fair few presents and possibly some that you are never going to wear or use. When it comes to clothes, it ca be very difficult to buy for some one else and wrong sizes and inappropriate styles are just two of the problems that you may encounter.

There is an element of guilt involved in not liking or wearing a piece of clothing that some one has given you as gift which often results in them being stored in the wardrobe for a few years before being thrown out or donated to charity. If a piece of clothing that has been given to you doesn’t fit, it is always worth checking to see if the reciept has been kept allowing for an exchange. Another idea is to swap it or sell it on Posh-swaps.com. That way you don’t really lose out, you get a great piece of clothing in exchange and if anyone asks you can just say you swapped it because it didn’t fit.

Set up an account today and list your unwanted Christmas presents (clothes and accessories only) for free on Posh-swaps.com now.

Image- Pussycat Bow Blouse

Louise Redknapp to host ‘eve Fashion Swap’ this September.

Fashionable women from all over Manchester are being invited to pick some stylish items from their wardrobe that they can bring along to a spectacular ‘fashion swap’ event taking place at Dukes 92 in Castlefield on Wednesday15th September.  Louise Redknapp will be hosting the event.   

The ‘eve Fashion Swap’, created by new drinks brand eve, has been inspired by the latest ‘swishing’ trend – the fashionistas way of updating their wardrobe for free. Ladies simply choose an item of unwanted good quality clothing, bring it along to the event and exchange it for someone else’s.  

Unlike many fashion swap events, tickets are free. Anyone who’d like to come along simply needs to apply for SMS tickets by texting ‘eve Manchester’ to 82500. In return, a unique code will be sent to their phone which can be shown at the entrance to allow them access to the swap.

The doors open at 6pm, and as the last few clothes are sorted ladies can sample the new eve lychee and eve passionfruit drinks and enjoy bespoke eve cupcakes. Then once Louise Redknapp declares the swap officially open, the rail rummaging can begin. As the swap progresses organisers will be secretly placing surprise items on the rails, so there will be loads of bargains on offer for the most thorough of guests!

In between trying on clothes, the swapsters can get style advice from a celebrity stylist, and could enjoy one of the limited mini-manicures. There will also be an eve goodie bag for each attendee to take away at the end of the night. 

Louise Redknapp, who is the official face of eve, says:

 “It’s no secret that I absolutely adore fashion and I love shopping with friends. The eve Fashion Swap embodies this perfectly, so it’s the perfect night out for women who are serious about style. I’m sure the ladies of Manchester will share my passion for fashion and love my latest find, eve. I can’t wait to see what they bring along, I’ll definitely be having a look through the rails myself.”

For further information visit http://refreshingeve.com/fashion-swap

Posh Swaps has just had its first birthday and in celebration, we are holding a great prize draw during the month of May. Anyone who lists clothes to swap on Posh-swaps.com during May 2010 will be automatically entered into the draw. For each item listed you will get one entry into the draw so the more items that you list, the more chance you will have of winning. The winners will be drawn at the beginning of June and notified by email, all prizes should be claimed within 2 weeks or there will be a redraw to determine a new winner. So here is what you can win:

First Prize - £100 of shoe vouchers for Spartoo.co.uk (this prize is only available to those resident in the UK) - take your pick of some of the latest styles of shoes and handbags including some great designer brands.

Second Prize - a new Initial wallet by Lollipops Paris - a large and well organised purse with large coin pocket and sections for notes and cards, this is the perfect balance of style and practicality.

Third Prizes - three lucky winners can take their pick of one item from our own Posh Swaps swapping account. With a selection of second hand accessories and clothes in a variety of sizes (and a few vintage pieces).

Runners Up - ten runners up will each recieve one of our stylish reusuable Posh Swaps cotton bags.

ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions

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 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

For those of us looking to update our wardrobes, there is a new craze sweeping around which could be the answer to all our shopping dilemmas- Swishing Parties. Swishing Parties are great as they don’t cost anything, you get to clear out unwanted items from your wardrobe and gain new pieces simply by swapping what you no longer need for something that you really want but what your fellow swisher doesn’t want. You can do swapping online as there are more websites appearing that are dedicated to swishing, or you can organise one in the comfort of your own home. All you will need is a few friends/neighbours/colleagues with an armful of clothes that they are each willing to trade! And because you’re not throwing away your clothes or spending money, swishing parties are environmentally friendly- even more perfect!

How to organise your swishing party:

. First round up as many friends as possible, telling them to completely empty their wardrobes and decide on what they no longer need. This can be clothing, shoes, accessories, jewellery, and bags.                           

. Next, decide on a date and venue for your party, sending out invitations/emails if necessary.

. Encourage your friends to bring along other friends so that you have a wider variety.

.You will need to think about how to organise everyone’s clothes for show, perhaps by size or by type, and use whatever space you’ve got- doors, chairs, tables etc.

Once you have organised everything, you will need to lay down a few rules so that everyone knows where they stand and that it works out fair for everyone.

. First things first- No money should ever be exchanged- all clothes are free!

. Second- Everyone must bring at least one item but can leave with as many as they like!

. Third- If two people are arguing over the same item, then toss a coin to make it fair.

. Forth- No one can claim items before the opening of the swish- it’s first come, first served!

. And finally- Whatever people take is theirs, but make sure that you are happy to give things away (although you don’t have to). To prevent people from walking out with armfuls of clothes they may never use, encourage them to try things on- perhaps create a dressing area in a room with the curtains closed and where no one can accidentally walk in!

If your party is a success, then maybe next time you could make it even bigger. Find a suitable venue such as a cafe and create posters to advertise it.

You could even try having a themed swap party. how about ski wear. Just take you old ladies ski jacket and ladies salopettes along and hope that you will come away with a lovely piece of Adidas Stella McCartney Ski Wear.