Posh Swaps Blog

I noticed in the Editors letter in this months copy of Elle,a mention of ‘ the Uniform Project’ an exercise in sustainability and the brainchild of Sheena Matheiken. Starting in May this year Sheena, pledged to wear the same dress every day for a year. Well actually she has seven identical versions of the exact same dress, one for each day of the week. She aimed to create a different look each day by accessorising with vintage, second hand and hand made accessories and layers. Sheena illustrates just how it can be done and creates so many different looks with the same dress and some very gorgeous and hand made vintage accessories.

Elle Editor, Lorraine Candy explains how she dresses according to her mood and found it very difficult to wear the same black dress every day when trying to replicate the excercise. I can understand completely what she is saying and think it would be incredibly difficult to wear exactly the same style of dress for a whole year, even for someone creative with their accessories.

But, the project does prove an interesting point that you do not have to constantly update your wardrobe with every new trend. It brings a new meaning to the words classic investment piece and versatile staple. It shows that if you buy quality and timeless pieces, you can look amazing and original. For those who just have to constantly update their wardrobe, there is always the clothes swap, you could even try swapping accessories.

picture from theuniformproject.com

Posh Swaps will be holding more clothes swap parties in November, December and the new year, but in the mean time, there is plenty going on to satisfy your clothes swap urges.

Refashionable Clothes Swap, Covent Garden

01 Oct 2009 19:00

Venue: Covent Garden Dragon Hall

Come and have a fun night out with your friends, go home with a new wardrobe and support a great local charity!

The night starts at 7pm at Covent Gardens’ Dragon Hall (http://www.dragonhall.org.uk). Swap will begin at 8pm in the main hall.

Bring along your unwanted wardrobe treasures to swap.

Cakes and Bubbly will be available on the night. All profits will go to Charity so be sure to bring some cash!

Free cotton Tote bag for each attendee to take their goodies home in!

Here’s how it works:

•Bring along between 5 and 10 items from your wardrobe you no longer need. These need to be clean and in near perfect condition – an item someone else would be delighted to receive (please no soiled or damaged clothes)
•Hand over your items to the swaps desk on arrival in return for your swaps card on which we will give you one credit for each item you bring.
•Swapping will commence at 8pm. Each attendee will be given a Refashionable cotton tote bag to stash their goodies in. There are also toilets available for trying on clothes.
•Items will be ticked off your swap card before you leave. You will be allowed to take the same amount of items you bring (so make sure not to misplace your swap card)
•If you have any credits left over at the end you will be able to keep hold of your swap card and use them at another Refashionable Swap event.

ST MARGARETS HOUSE CLOTHING SWAP

01 Oct 2009 19:00

Venue: Gallery Cafe, 21 Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green

After the success of our first ever clothing swap last month, we are excited to announce we will be holding a monthly swap on the first Thursday of every month. This swap is bigger and better than the last one, with DJ’s, homemade cakes, badge making, t-shirt printing and other crafty delights. So…boys and girls, bring a bag of your unwanted clothes, and swap them for a bag of new ones! The clothes are graded so remember, the better items you bring, the better items you can take away!

There is small fee (£3) which goes to charity

Email: siobhan@stmargaretshouse.org.uk

Bowdon’s Big Swish

01 Oct 2009 20:30

Venue: Bowdon Parish Centre

Have you got gorgeous clothes, shoes and accessories sitting in your wardrobe that you would be proud to hand on?

We want you to bring your posh frocks along on Thursday 1st October 8.30pm to the Bowdon Parish Centre to “Go Swishing”

Tickets cost just £5.00 which includes drinks and nibbles and need to bought in advance from Francine Ryan e-mail- francine@cathchildsoc.org.uk or telephone 0161 998 8802.

You can also be pampered by My Spa Clinics who will be on hand to provide complimentary mini manicures in return for a donation.

All money raised will be donated to the Catholic Children’s Society (Shrewsbury Diocese) charity number 509793 who support vulnerable children and families across the North West however they are constituted, regardless of their story, their beliefs or their lifestyles.

So come along - save money- save the planet- contact Francine Ryan today and join the swishing revolution.
Email: francine@cathchildsoc.org.uk

Swapclub’s Autumn Swish

04 Oct 2009 17:00

Venue: Harrison’ Bar, 15-19 Bedford HIll, Balham. London

It’s a refreshingly great feeling to clear out that clutter in your wardrobe. If you have clothes and accessories you never wear or no longer fit you, come along to Swapclub’s Autumn Swish to exchange them for ones you WILL wear.

Bring atleast 3 items of clothing , accessories or perfume.

Items must be clean, quality and you should be happy to pass them on to a good home!
Hand them in to be sorted, meanwhile you and your friends can lounge around in comfort at Harrison’s.

When items have been displayed you can browse and try things on.

After guests have had a good look at what is on offer the begins.
You can then claim the items you want to take home

There is no limit to the numberof items you can claim.
Unclaimed items will be donated to charity (voted by guests on the night)

You go home with a revitalised wardrobe without the expense!

for info and guestlist discount join the mailing list email: swapclubsouth@gmail.com

Email: swapclubsouth@gmail.com

frockswappers

06 Oct 2009 19:00

Venue: Buffalos Bills Middleton road banbury

NEXT FROCK SWAPPING EVENT IS 6Th October @Buffalo bills Middleton Rd, Banbury, Oxfordshire OX16 3QT @ 7 oclock start look forward to seeing you all there (loads of parking and there is a pub which serve nice cool drinks) Can you ask for a better evening x

Email: banger.rachie@talktalk.net

Refashionable Clothes Swap 8th October

08 Oct 2009 19:00

Venue: PanAm bar, Albert Dock, Liverpool

Come and have a fun night out with your friends, go home with a new wardrobe and support a great local charity!

The night starts at 7pm at Liverpools’ PanAm bar. PanAm is a contemporary bar and restaurant, located in the Grade 1 listed Britannia Pavilion on the Albert Dock overlooking fabulous views towards Liverpool’s Three Graces and has won the coveted Taste of Merseyside Accreditation. www.panam-venue.co.uk/

Free cotton Tote bag for each attendee to take their goodies home in!

Charity for Cancer Care Unit Clonmel

09 Oct 2009 20:00

Venue: Knocklofty House Hotel, Clonmel, Co. Tipp, Ireland

Fun night of swishing cloths shoes & accessories

Email: accmulcon@eirecom.net

Swap in the City

10 Oct 2009 04:00

Venue: 199 Lafayette

Come enjoy refreshments, gift bags, & eco-friendly swapping. Bring clean, gently used & new clothing that you no longer wear (yes, dress you bought last year and never wore too) Don’t forget those shoes, accesories & new cosmetics.

For every item contributed, you get a swap buck to purchase other items.

Tickets: $10
purchase at www.theswapteampresents.com

All left over items and part of our proceeds will be donated to the Susan Powell Huntington Housing Facitily.
Official Site: http://www.theswapteampresents.com

Email: info@theswapteampresents.com

The Big Birmingham Clothes Swap in aid of Mencap

10 Oct 2009 11:00

Venue: Bournbrook & Selly Oak Social Club, 13a Hubert Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham

HUGE Clothes Swap in aid of Mencap. Bring along your good quality unwanted items (clothes, shoes, bags, accessories etc.) Browse our MASSIVE selection of fantastic items and swap, swap, swap to come away with a whole new wardrobe! All welcome.

Women’s, Men’s and Children’s clothes all welcome!

Also enjoy a drink from the bar and delicious snacks whilst swapping.

Guaranteed a day out to remember!

**STOP PRESS**

Sensational Colour and Image Consultant Kulwinder Dhillon will be there! Don’t miss her invaluable advice on how to look amazing!

Email: bigbirminghamclothesswap@live.co.uk

Sunday Swish

11 Oct 2009 13:00

Venue: Harry’s Wine Bar, Twickenham Green, Twickenham, Middlesex

This will be a charity focused event in support of the charity “Look Good Feel Better”. Look Good Feel Better is a cancer support charity that helps women manage the visible side effects of cancer treatment - see link here http://www.lookgoodfeelbetter.co.uk/site/index.cfm if you wish to view further details on their website. A small entry fee to the event of £5/person will be donated to this charity.

Sarah Brummitt, a local image consultant will be there to provide us all with fabulous style tips while we all swish.

Wine, nibbles, cakes and tea will be all be available for purchase at the event.

Free “goody bags” will be given out at the end of the event.

Email: kimwdean@googlemail.com

Clothes Swap Party

12 Oct 2009 19:30

Venue: IBAR 1277 High Road Whetstone N20 9HS

A fantastic fusion of fashion and pampering. You bring 5 Items that someone else would love to own & choose 5 to take home. You will have a stylist on hand giving out great fashion tips & advice, Therapists to pamper you, plus a fashion & beauty market. Cost of ticket is £15 and you receive a free glass of wine upon arrival, Pamper treatment either a Massage or mini manicure, plus a lovely free gift as a thank you for you to take home.

Email: info@total-renewal.com

Frock and Roll

24 Oct 2009 11:00

Venue: Hilton Grosvenor Hotel, Glasgow

Go for credit crunch couture and swap, don’t shop for fabulous new clothes, shoes and accessories.

Bring a minimum of 3 items of party or occasion wear that you would be proud to pass on to others, we’ll put them on display and you can go home with a chic new outfit.

A brilliant way to reinvent your wardrobe with handbags and gladrags for the party season - and help to raise funds for charity.

You could even bag yourself a piece of clothing worn by a celebrity!

Hilton Grosvenor Hotel, Byres Road, Glasgow

Drop off your party clothes, Friday 23rd October, 5-8pm
Frock and roll swap begins, Saturday 24th October, 11am

£10 per person, including a complimentary drink on arrival

Style Week Swish

29 Oct 2009 10:00

Venue: Drake Circus Shopping Centre

As part of Plymouth Style Week 2009 we will be holding a Swishing event in Drake Circus shopping centre at various times throughout the day on Thursday 29th October. Please visit our site; www.plymouth.gov.uk/citycentre for more information.

Email: amanda.bishop@plymouth.gov.uk

Swish North East

29 Oct 2009 18:00

Venue: The Thistle Hotel, Fry Street, Middlesbrough

The ultimate girls night out - the theme of this Swish is Party Time - how many times can you wear the same party clothes this is your chance to get something new. Exhibitors include hairdressing, Temple Spa, House of Colour, Shoes, Handbags, Jewellery, manicures and much much more. A buffet and welcome drink are also included in the admission price of £20-00. Please include at least 1 party item in your 3 to 5 swishing pieces.

Email: pauline@btconnect.com

You may have heard of the term swishing and wondered whta on earth it means? Swishing is a relatively new term used to describe a clothes swap party. It can be a small party amongst friends arranged at someones house or a large scale party with hundreds of swappers. The term was coined by Futerra Sustainability Communications in order to promote the recycling of clothes.

The general idea of a swish is that each attendee brings along at least one piece of clothing that they no longer want but would be proud to pass onto someone else. All of the clothes are laid out and guests are given the opportunity to browse, perhaps whilst enjoying a glass of wine or some light refreshments. A warning is given 5 minutes before the beginning of the swap and then the swap begins. Everyone can choose which items of clothing they would like. Things can get quite heated a bit like in the sales with everyone grabbing for the stuff they want.

Each swishing party is different, some have stalls, beauty treatments, entertainment of refashioning where party goers can adjust and change an item of clothing that they love some aspects of but is not quite right.

Swishing is proving o be immensly popular in the UK and all over the world, which is understandable, it is eco friendly, a great way to refresh your wardrobe without spending lots of money and best of all it is really fun.

If you fancy going along to a swish, find out about Posh Swaps Clothes Swap parties. Alternatively you can swap your clothes online at www.posh-swaps.com.

estethica at London Fashion week seems to gaining pace. This time the British Fashion councils ethical initiative has added 13 new designer and 9 new labels making a total of 28 designers. estethica is all about fashion which is ethical but also achieves design excellence. Great news, we don’t think that just being ethical is enough, we want the clothes to look great as well.

We have already posted about North Circular the new label by top models with knitwear knitted by grannies using locally produced ethical wool. Other exciting new additions to estethica for this season are AJNA with a collection inspired by natures beauty and crafted by indigenous textile artisans in Peru, Nepal, Bolivia, India, as well as locally in New York in a range of eco friendly materials including The materials used are organic cotton, hemp silk, ahimsa silk(vegan wild silk), biodegradable viscose, bamboo, sasawashi(bamboo leaves and paper), pina(pineapple), abaca(banana leaf), organic wool, himalayan cashmere and indigenous alpaca. Beryl Man, designer at AJNA is also the former knitwear design director at Donna Karan.

All estethica designers adhere to at least one of the three estethica principles of fair-trade and ethical practices, organic and recycled materials. It is great to see support of recycling in the fashion industry. We love clothes swapping but there are also lots of innovative labels finding new ways to recycle and create beautiful clothes.

picture from www.londonfashionweek.co.uk

Yesterday, we were really pleased about getting a mention in the Mail on Sunday. The article which was on page 67 entitled ‘Junk? thats my wedding dress’ was about people buying, selling and swapping second hand clothes or swishing. It explains how fashionable it now is to swap, buy and sell used and second hand clothes both because of the recession and environmental reasons.

With less than 2 weeks to go, we can’t wait until the first ever Posh Swaps Clothes Swap party on 17th September in Chiswick. The tickets are selling fast so buy soon to avoid disappointment. Why not get together a group of friends for a really fun, frugal and eco friendly night out. There will be lots to do besides swapping with a free glass of wine and a mini manicure or neck and shoulder massage included in the price. There will also be lots of great stuff at the Posh Swaps fashion and beauty market including jewellery hand bags and shoes and some food for those who are hungry.

Not only will you go home with 5 newly swapped pieces of clothing but you will also recieve a posh swaps goody bag filled with discount vouchers and product samples.

 http://www.total-renewal.com/page21.htm or by emailing info@total-renewal.com

Forget the latest Chloe, Mulberry or Louis Vuitton handbag, when it comes to carrying your stuff around in sustainable style, the Posh-swaps.com bag is just what you need. Swapping is the new shopping and at a clothes swap, you will definitely need something to carry all your goodies home in. The bags which are Fairtrade accredited and manufactured in a carbon neutral factory are also so much better for the environment than carrier bags. They are long lasting, reusable and biodegradable and perfect for swapping, shopping or even school or college.

The Limited Edition Posh-Swaps.com reusable cotton bag will be given to all attendees at the First Ever Posh Swaps Clothes Swap Party on 17th September. But we are also offering users of the Posh-swaps.com website the chance to purchase one (while stocks last) at only £2 plus postage and packing.

Looking stylish and being green is so much fun. This week my Green Chic friends will show you how with posts face masks and natural hair dyes to bags and vintage clothes.

Viva Woman shares a simple homemade recipe for a DIY hydrating mask.

Thinking of dying your hair the natural way? Karissa at Prissy Green breaks down one of the most natural hair dyes on the market, and warns you! And while you are there, make sure check out her exclusive coupon for 30% off KORRES natural cosmetics!

The Fashionable Housewife wants to know if you swap clothes or have ever attended a clothes swapping party? It’s the economical way to refresh your wardrobe!

Mexico, one of our favorite eco-friendly travel destinations, is getting their very own top model! Factio Magazine checks out Mexico’s Top Model coming soon!

Looking Sharp! is going back to (grad) school with a chic and green bag.

My Beauty Bunny is giving away free Kiss Down Under goodies!

Posh Swaps tells us about the environmental implications of synthetic clothing and clothing swaps.

Bravo’s Real Housewife, Alex McCord was in Chicago to celebrate the opening of Second Time Around. Runway To Retail checks out the high-end consignment shop selling the best vintage designer merch.

picture from thefashionablehousewife.com via shesaid.com/au

Nylon and Polyester are amongst the most commonly used synthetic materials for clothing manufacture. They are made from petro chemicals and their production pollutes the environment and adds to the growing problem of global warming. The disposal of synthetic clothing also prevents a significant problem as it does not easily decompose or bio degrade. Nylon takes 30 to 40 years to decompose.

During the production of nylon nitrous oxide is released. This green house gas contributes to global warming and is 310 times stronger than carbon dioxide. Polyester manufacture which uses non renewable petrochemicals is an energy intensive process and releasesemissions including volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, and acid gases such as hydrogen chloride, all of which can cause or aggravate respiratory disease. Polyester manufacturing plants release Volatile monomers, solvents, and other by-products of polyester production in the waste water.

It all sounds pretty bad and the increased use of these synthetic fibers to manufacture cheap, fast fashions has further added to the problem. But synthetic clothing does have some plus sides, it drys quickly and does not usually require as much ironing as synthetic fabrics. Both of these activities use energy and therefore cause carbon dioxide emmission and contribute to the problem of glocal warming. So what is the solution?

Whilst much research is being carried out to find the perfect eco fabric, common sense suggests that one of the best things that you can do for the environment is to recycle clothing, buy less new clothes and throw less clothing away. Clothes swapping is a great way to ensure that your clothes get plenty of wear and are not thrown away before the end of their useful life. Second hand clothes are so much more sustainable than synthetic clothing and fast fashion. All clothing manufacture, eco fashion or not has some level of environmental impact so recycling is the only completely eco friendly option.

We are so excited about our latest announcement. We have been really busy planning the first ever Posh Swaps clothes swap party. Whilst many people love swapping clothes online for it’s choice and simplicity, some also really like the social aspects of swapping and will give any reason for a good party. Clothes swapping parties or swishing have become hugely popular in the UK.

With this in mind, we have teamed up with Total Renewal and Style to Wear for our first ever clothes swap party for 17th September in Chiswick and we are sure that it is going to be a completely enjoyable event, the chance to catch up with friends and to relax and enjoy a bit of pampering. We think it will give you the chance to refresh and update your wardrobe but it is not just a clothes swapping party. The event will include a pamper treatment for each guest, a glass of wine and a fashion and beauty market. Each guest will also recieve a Posh Swaps goody bag.

For further information and tickets go to http://www.posh-swaps.com/blog/posh-swaps-clothes-swap-parties/