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As mentioned in my previous post, on Saturday 31st January I went to Look magazine's Fashion Swap. If you haven't heard of a fashion swap before, it's really a rather genius concept - you take along items of clothing or accessories that you don't wear anymore, you're allotted points according to the type of item/where it is from, and then you can use these points to "buy" other peoples unwanted goods.
I myself had never been to a fashion swap before, but as I never really need an excuse to go to Carnaby Street (so much great vintage round there), off I went!
So I arrived at the Look 'Boutique' on Broadwick Street at about 12pm. This was the Saturday before London was hit by excessive amounts of the white stuff, so needless to say it was a little nippy! I took my place in the queue and, despite the cold, morale among my fellow swappers was surprisingly high. Every time the queue moved a few paces, there was a resounding 'whoop' from the crowd, and even though there were clothes at stake everyone was very friendly.
I even made a couple of allies in the queue - Liz and Laura. They definitely helped to keep me going with lots of friendly banter, enthusiasm (there was plenty of, "Oh, we're definitely the next ones in!") and even a hot chocolate, so if you happen to be reading, ladies - we made it!
Thanks girls! Hope you like all the stuff you got.
After queuing for a pretty reasonable amount of time, we made it in. Each group of girls were limited to 30mins browsing time, which may sound like more than enough but you'd be surprised how quickly it goes. My war buddies and I parted ways, and I got stuck in. With "you could wear a belt with it" as my mantra, I started digging for styles and fabrics that I could either harvest for parts or, indeed, wear with a belt.
So how did I do? Overall, I'm pretty pleased with my loot. I got a few good bits that I can work and have a little play with. Here are the bits I'm most proud of:
This faux-leather brown jacket is big on me (a size 16) but I figure at least I can wear plenty of layers under it to battle the winter chill.
This grey cardie is really great quality, and - let's face it - you can't beat a good bit of knitwear! Plus I'm very addicted to grey at the moment.
This mustard coat is missing a few buttons, but I prefer to add my own buttons to items anyway so it's perfect for me. It's nice and vibrant, so hopefully it'll help brighten up those dreary London days.
When I pulled this oversized vintage tartan jacket out of my bag, my Mum and sister were horrified - but they can't see the potential. Yes, it is far too big for me, but I love to mix fabrics and add them as 'hems' to skirts, dresses etc. Plus, look at these buttons:
With the military featured heavily in the glossies at the moment, I know I'm going to have a lot of fun with these bad boys.
So here's the question - would I go to an event like this again? The answer is "yes", but I'd definitely be more prepared next time. Based on my experience, my advice would be to talk a couple of like-minded friends along. That way you can be all over the room at once!
Also, I've got to give big props to the Look magazine crew - they were faced with a lot of very impatient, clothes-hungry girls, and they managed to keep a friendly smile on their faces. Very impressive.
So thanks for reading! I'm going to be working on new pieces today, and will be posting all about them this week. Please come back!
Much love,
Frankie
Swell Vintage
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