Oxfam Decades of Vintage Fashion and Style #VintageFaceandStyle

The search is on at Oxfam for 4 lucky fashion bloggers to be the faces of four decades of fashion at their online shop. I’ve chosen to pitch my stylish tent in the 1980s; supposedly the decade fashion forgot. Notwithstanding mullets, the 80s have had their archives plundered for plenty of things over the years: peplums, jumpsuits and shoulder pads (yes, I’m looking at you Balmain).

I popped out in November 1980 and my love of the subsequent decade has never gone away. I've wrestled with 60s shift dresses whilst being mistaken for a pregnant woman on the tube, dismissed 70s flares and meekly attempted 90s grunge in the midst of growing an hourglass figure, but it's the shapes and textures of the 80s I keep revisiting: defined shoulders, double breasted power jackets, patent, high pointed stiletto heels and the odd raglan sleeve.

Vintage 1908s jumper and clutch, coat and shoes from Sue Ryder, Topshop Mom Jeans, Mikey earrings

For me as a stylist there’s no shame in loving the 80s; it was the decade which understood my figure for what it is. Fashion finally offered women tailoring that helped them get a sartorial foot up in a man’s world – Melanie Griffith epitomises this in the film Working Girl. And how can anyone forget Cindy and her tribe of Supers, giving us the gift of the original “strong not skinny” body type?

Oxfam, I’d love to be the face of the 80s; it’s time to set the record straight and let the 80s back into the fashion fold.  

The Wardrobe Angel

Things I'm looking forward to in March...

I won't be going for this scrunchie tastic look when I hark back to the 80's...

1. Eee by gum, I was a right tinker last month. Posting seldom and not to mention, late. This is due to lots of "behind the scenes stuff" with The Wardrobe Angel, like starting a subscription service for clients and ....drum roll...starting my own YouTube channel!! I spent loads of time in February learning about what camera to buy and which lighting to use, how long videos should be, plus lots of time practicing filming my crazy face and getting over the idea that my face will be there for people to watch, my words will be there for people to listen and the keyboards will be there to capture any comments on what I have to say
2. My niece's first birthday. I have bought her a couple of super cute totally non-pink tops from COS. Ok, one of them has a pink pocket BUT they are mainly blue and white, and did I mention super cool?
3. Easter. Cos EGGS. 
4. Final stages of planning for our honeymoon. West coast of America here we come! It's a rucksack / travelling type holiday and my wardrobe preparations are well under way. 
5. Entering an Oxfam Decades of Vintage Fashion and Style competition to be the the face of the 80's on their vintage clothing website. I know the 80's are supposedly the decade fashion forgot but my wardrobe just reeks of it and I bloomin love it. Apart from scrunchies. #VintageFaceandStyle ahoy!
6. New sofa and rug arriving. For the past year Rich and I have had an assortment of largely uncomfortable seating in our lounge. Our current sofa is Rich's sofa bed which is padded with about 1mm of cushion. We also have a green chair which I love, but again, uncomfortable for anyone over 5,3"due to height ratios when sat. And then there's Rich's reading chair which is the most comfortable chair ever but can only hold 1 bum at a time. So we are awaiting the arrival of this Prussian blue velvet Bluebell beauty from Sofa.com. YUM.

Maybe I'll film all my vlogs sitting atop this beauty...

#Oxclusive Oxfam Sustainable Fashion Event

Ever wondered what happens to your clothes after you've dropped them off at Oxfam? Last week I had the chance to find out. Situated in Batley, Oxfam have a HUGE warehouse where clothing magic happens. On a huge conveyor belt, 25 grades of stock are sorted on a daily basis. Items which have been donated in clothing bins and unsold items from charity shops are separated. Between 9 - 12 tonnes of handbags and shoes are sorted each week alongside separating out vintage and on-trend clothing for the Oxfam shop and creating bales of clothing to sell to ethical clothing traders in Africa. It's fair to say no other charity sorts your second-hand clothing like Oxfam does.

Oxfam is all about sustainable living and squeezes every penny out of each donation; nothing goes into landfill. 

I can't even begin to describe the sheer scale of the operation.

After a tour of the warehouse we were treated to a fashion show showcasing all the awesome stock which the online shop sells. The fashion show ratcheted up an impressive trend round-up including denim and 1970's glamour which are all hanging out on a high street near you as we speak.

Suede? TICK. Fringing? TICK. That's 2 key new season trends right there!

Place your pre-conceptions at the door - just because it is a second-hand shop doesn't mean the stock isn't bang-on-trend. 

I spotted Whistles shoes and clothing amongst the stock plus we all recognise these red soles don't we....

One thing that really impressed me was the grass roots customer segregation which Oxfam has completely nailed. They have a dedicated festival shop which tours the country visiting Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds and Bestival to name a few. They also have a stall at the Clothes Show. The stock is rotated and customised for the specific festival they are at - talk about customer segmentation! Savvy!

Follow the team from the online shop over on twitter @OxfamOnlineBTLY and check out the Oxfam Online Shop by clicking here.

The Big Blog Clothes Swap

In January Janet from Words That Can Only Be Your Own and I launched a blogger clothes swap. The results have started rolling in: who has swapped what and what outfits have been created as a result.

With the average wardrobe containing 22 unworn items, clothes swapping is a great way of giving away clothes you no longer wear with the promise of new-to-you clothing turning up to surprise, delight and potentially push your boundaries, fashion wise. 

I was delighted to see the necklace and dress I had swapped turn up on Make, Do and Spend. The necklace I swapped was from Antiform a sustainable label set up in Leeds which now resides in Bristol. Bought to support this amazing brand when Antiform had a pop-up shop in the Corn Exchange in Leeds, the necklace was sadly never worn; the baubles made up of gorgeously soft suede competed with an already buxom chest and it never looked quite right. But styled with a striped tee on the recipient blogger, it looked at home; I was happy to see it being used, finally.

Photo from Make Do and Spend blog

So what did I receive? I came home one afternoon in the pouring rain and noticed a pink parcel sticking out of the shed. It felt like clothing Christmas had come! Inside there was a lovely handwritten note and lots of goodies:

• H&M cropped cardigan
• Floral Mac
• Topshop skirt
• Topshop dress
• Hat
• Belt

I knew immediately which ones were for me and which ones I could pass on (which I did at a clothes swap in aid of Oxfam later that week!) 

As soon as I pulled the Topshop skirt out of the parcel I clapped in glee: electric blue, high waisted, pockets. Just perfect. 

I styled it with an I heart NY t-shirt and some Topshop ankle boots for spring and then with my trusty leopard print blouse and boots for autumn. The skirt is a tulip shape, so a bit tight on the legs for wardrobe sorting but it's a fab piece wear for meetings and networking.

The cardigan, mac, hat and belt were sadly not for me. The mac, though wonderfully constructed, and seemingly waterproof was floral. If there's one thing I don't really 'do' it is florals. The cardigan was super cute but cropped. I've never really gotten on with cropped things so I passed that along at the Oxfam clothes swap as well.

All in all  cracking swap and one that I hope will happen year after year. 

Til next time...x

Celebrating small achievements

This week has seen three seemingly small but hugely significant changes in my life as The Wardrobe Angel and I celebrated BIG TIME thanks to the wonderful Gala Darlings's magnificent blog post on Redefining Success (click here for a read). I read Gala's post slack jawed with realisation that I don't down tools and celebrate enough, I normally make another brew and plough on. Reading Gala's wise words was eye opening because those even seemingly small successes are something that I created, worked for and deserve:

Learning to celebrate your small successes is a essential part of entrepreneurship.

First up my seller rating on eBay went from STANDARD to ABOVE STANDARD. I have been watching and waiting for this to happen for a long time; I even had the date marked in my diary! It not only means I am doing my job properly and that my customers are happy, but that I comfortable and deserving of the tag "eBay Expert". I spend at least 1 day a week doing eBay - wrapping, posting, uploading, answering questions - and to be rewarded for all my hard work felt AWESOME. (Plus it extends the life cycle of clothing, keeping it out of landfill so double awesome.)

Second up was something I have been working away on since June: my blog. Hand on heart, my blog was almost an afterthought to my online presence. Then something clicked: my blog came together and worked. Confidence, cause and clothing have made my blog fun to be around these past few months and I plucked up the courage to apply for the Oxfam Fashion Blogger Network. I got an email this week telling me I have been officially accepted:

Thank you very much for your application to be an Oxfam Fashion Blogger. I am pleased to inform you that you have been successful and I warmly welcome you to the Oxfam Fashion blogger network.

We really liked your blog post and you showed a lot of creativity with your photos. We are also impressed by your blog and your commitment to sustainability in fashion, something we are very passionate about. We are sure you could bring a lot to the Oxfam Fashion blog and it’s great to have you on board. 

The third thing worthy of celebration is a little more personal. Recently I bought a house where I grew up. Returning to my old stomping ground to put down new roots, I am in love with this feeling of permanency after years of what seems like a nomadic existence which has taken me to: Manchester, Liverpool, London, Dubai, Halifax and back to Manchester.

We were taught as kids that blowing your own trumpet plays a very bitter tune, that it wasn't the 'done thing' to talk about what we achieved, that bragging was unattractive: I say SOD IT. So back to Gala Darling - how did I celebrate? I jumped up and down on the sofa. Good, proper childlike bouncing with glee etched on my face and my hair flying in the wind. Roll on success!

Til next time....!x

Kudos to those re-inventing the wheel

The brains behind the Manchester WI: 

Lucy Adams and Alexandra Taylor.

Back in the day the WI used to be PIONEERING and POLITICALLY active. Started in 1915, it now has over 200,000 members. I owe a huge chunk of my career success with The Wardrobe Angel to the WI and I won't hear a word against it but when you think of the WI (Women's Institute) your first thoughts may wander to jam, tea, cake, knitting. You may even get as far as Calendar Girls. But forget everything you think you know about the WI because two young ladies in Manchester have ripped up the rule book, changing the face of the WI ...forever....

Lucy Adams had lived in Manchester for 2 years and whilst working away in luxury retail she realised that the late nights and long days had left her with little time to make the most out of what is a truly magnificent city. She wanted to create a network of like-minded women who turned the city inside out for their own enjoyment, using local products and services and supporting each other in turn. Her step-mum was a member of an old-fashioned WI and Lucy, savvy chica that she is, realised the model for uniting women worked, it just needed a re-vamp, a push, nay, a shove into this century. Lucy contacted the WI Head Honchos with a brief for a younger, more vibrant, more relevant WI. 

Now this is where the fates intervened. Another plucky young chic of Manchester origin also wanted to start a WI in Manchester city centre: Alexandra Taylor. She too had contacted the mother-ship WI with similar plans. The mother-ship WI put Lucy and Alexandra in contact and the rest is history. The two ladies met up over a series of months to define their brand of WI, the logo, the speaker content, the location. They got their ethos sorted: support grass roots businesses, shop local, craft the night away and question mass culture and fast fashion, all while creating a community vibe in the city centre. 

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The self styled "sistas from another mista" Lucy and Alexandra have created a brand of WI that is invigorating, fresh and fun: a modern slant on the traditional concept. Featured on BBC Breakfast and partnered up with Oxfam to promote upcycling and recycling, there isn't a whiff of Jam and Jerusalem here! Membership is capped at 150 to keep the community vibe but they open up to new members each January to avoid elitism. And it has worked! They now have a craft club, fitness club, cinema club plus numerous others...

Check out their Facebook page with all the details of meetings and happenings by clicking here.