We're fresh from holding our first Swishing Party called 'Swish with a Twist' which went down a treat and we held up our end of the bargain of making sure everyone went home with something sweet!
Before I go any further...do you all know what 'Swishing' is?
Swishing is a craze that has come over from the US and best described as a clothes swapping party for women. The idea is that all the ladies attending must bring at least one item of clothing to swap, for Swish with a Twist, we advised bringing 3 items. These items should be in good condition but just something that no longer works for you, either it doesn't fit, you have too many or it's just not your 'personal style' - these are all donated into the swapping pool. In return they get to choose anything they want once the party gets started!
We were also careful to prepare enough stock to ensure we had a good variety of sizes from 10 to 18. I know we had a lot of size 5 shoes though...because a lot of them were mine!!
So why Swish?
But don't just take my word (or Twiggy's!) for it, even the July 2009 issue of Good Housekeeping which features an article on ways to balance our budget talks about swishing as a 'new thinking' approach instead of buying a new outfit.
There is, however, a serious side to clothes swapping. On average, us British women can easily spend £450 a year on items that we never wear and even more shocking, one in 10 of us will just chuck these unworn garments straight in the bin. Now that contributes to an estimated 900,000 tonnes of clothing thrown into landfills each year! So by understanding how to shop better and recycling items items that no longer work for you, e.g. by swishing can not only be good for your bank balance, but it is an ethical form of fashion, encouraging recycling and is kinder to the environment.
Our Swish with a Twist Story
Our Party was on 17th June and we held it Yoma on Bedford Street....I think they were a little shocked at the extent of the transformation from humble coffee shop to a female dominated... boudoir!
There was plenty of mixing and mingling with some delicious drinks while we sorted out the Swishing Stock as it arrived. And I could see a few excited faces as they started to eye up what was coming in!
And then the time arrived...on your marks, get set....Go Swish!
The next hour and a half was a bit of a whirl but mostly spent running up and down stairs to help people try on items they might not normally have chosen or give some gentle and honest advice. It's amazing how different clothing can look hanging on the rail compared to on an actual body. But ladies, it wasn't just garments, we had shoes, bags, scarves and accessories to choose from.
And when it all got a bit much, there was plenty of reason to take a break to try some delicious delights provided by Yoma, in between battling changing rooms, stairs, hangers and mirrors!
We even got to celebrate a birthday as my lovely co-host, Anna Matthews was embarrassed into taking center stage...how I actually managed to divert attention from clothes swapping to singing Happy Birthday beats me...!
Judging from the laughter and smiley faces, we're pretty sure that everyone went home happy with something a little different in their wardrobes that they're actually going to wear! But just to make sure, everyone also got a cup cake treat (and between me and you, the mocca chocca was the best, go try one!).
Just a quick note to say 'Thank you' for a nice evening and well done on all your hard work in setting up the venue. It was really well done and everyone enjoyed it. A special thank you for including my Mum in the evening, she really enjoyed herself!
- S. Chant
Hey guys – just wanted to say thanks for a great swish party the other night. I really enjoyed it, I thought the whole thing was really well organized and the nibbles and drinks were really good and a bit different. I’m really pleased with the 4 tops I’ve got!! I was wearing the electric blue one yesterday, I know it’s not quite my colour but I’m hoping with a tan, I’ll get away with it!
- S. Russell
Hi Ladies - Thanks for a wonderful night on Wednesday, I had a really great time. You both put in so much effort and I think it really paid off. I wore the dress I got out last night, and I got the buzz of wearing something new that hadn't cost a thing! Looking forward to doing something again soon.
- A. Lintott
Super Evening. Well done. Looking forward to telling friends what a great night they missed.
- J. Stead
Well done for yesterday...those that were there seemed to enjoy themselves. Matt had cup cake for breakfast this morning...very nutritious!
J.Langrish
So our evening came to an end. We hope that all that joined us had just as much fun as we did...a little exhausting but fun! A big thanks to Yoma (Martin and Giles pictured) who were there until the end as they had to put Yoma back looking like a coffee shop again. Not surprising they needed a drink...!
Watch out for details of our next Swish with a Twist event to be held early August but feel free to get in touch to register interest and watch out for details on www.imaginestyle.com.
Before I go any further...do you all know what 'Swishing' is?
Swishing is a craze that has come over from the US and best described as a clothes swapping party for women. The idea is that all the ladies attending must bring at least one item of clothing to swap, for Swish with a Twist, we advised bringing 3 items. These items should be in good condition but just something that no longer works for you, either it doesn't fit, you have too many or it's just not your 'personal style' - these are all donated into the swapping pool. In return they get to choose anything they want once the party gets started!
We were also careful to prepare enough stock to ensure we had a good variety of sizes from 10 to 18. I know we had a lot of size 5 shoes though...because a lot of them were mine!!
So why Swish?
"Telling women not to shop is like telling the Pope not to pray. Women always want clothes, credit crunch or not. I love a good swish."
As commented by Twiggy, taken from her book A Guide To Looking And Feeling Fabulous Over 40... in fact the 59-year-old face of Marks and Spencer, goes as far as saying that clothes-swapping parties (or swishing) were a good solution to beating the credit crunch. But don't just take my word (or Twiggy's!) for it, even the July 2009 issue of Good Housekeeping which features an article on ways to balance our budget talks about swishing as a 'new thinking' approach instead of buying a new outfit.
There is, however, a serious side to clothes swapping. On average, us British women can easily spend £450 a year on items that we never wear and even more shocking, one in 10 of us will just chuck these unworn garments straight in the bin. Now that contributes to an estimated 900,000 tonnes of clothing thrown into landfills each year! So by understanding how to shop better and recycling items items that no longer work for you, e.g. by swishing can not only be good for your bank balance, but it is an ethical form of fashion, encouraging recycling and is kinder to the environment.
Our Swish with a Twist Story
Our Party was on 17th June and we held it Yoma on Bedford Street....I think they were a little shocked at the extent of the transformation from humble coffee shop to a female dominated... boudoir!
There was plenty of mixing and mingling with some delicious drinks while we sorted out the Swishing Stock as it arrived. And I could see a few excited faces as they started to eye up what was coming in!
And then the time arrived...on your marks, get set....Go Swish!
The next hour and a half was a bit of a whirl but mostly spent running up and down stairs to help people try on items they might not normally have chosen or give some gentle and honest advice. It's amazing how different clothing can look hanging on the rail compared to on an actual body. But ladies, it wasn't just garments, we had shoes, bags, scarves and accessories to choose from.
And when it all got a bit much, there was plenty of reason to take a break to try some delicious delights provided by Yoma, in between battling changing rooms, stairs, hangers and mirrors!
We even got to celebrate a birthday as my lovely co-host, Anna Matthews was embarrassed into taking center stage...how I actually managed to divert attention from clothes swapping to singing Happy Birthday beats me...!
Judging from the laughter and smiley faces, we're pretty sure that everyone went home happy with something a little different in their wardrobes that they're actually going to wear! But just to make sure, everyone also got a cup cake treat (and between me and you, the mocca chocca was the best, go try one!).
Here's what some of our Swishers had to say...
Just a quick note to say 'Thank you' for a nice evening and well done on all your hard work in setting up the venue. It was really well done and everyone enjoyed it. A special thank you for including my Mum in the evening, she really enjoyed herself!
- S. Chant
- S. Russell
Hi Ladies - Thanks for a wonderful night on Wednesday, I had a really great time. You both put in so much effort and I think it really paid off. I wore the dress I got out last night, and I got the buzz of wearing something new that hadn't cost a thing! Looking forward to doing something again soon.
- A. Lintott
Super Evening. Well done. Looking forward to telling friends what a great night they missed.
- J. Stead
J.Langrish
So our evening came to an end. We hope that all that joined us had just as much fun as we did...a little exhausting but fun! A big thanks to Yoma (Martin and Giles pictured) who were there until the end as they had to put Yoma back looking like a coffee shop again. Not surprising they needed a drink...!
Watch out for details of our next Swish with a Twist event to be held early August but feel free to get in touch to register interest and watch out for details on www.imaginestyle.com.
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