Truly Gifting and The Wardrobe Angel

Before Rich and I headed off on our honeymoon I found Truly Gifting on Twitter. Now I love a sustainable gift every now and again, a piece of vintage clothing always has the ability to catch my eye and I'm not averse to some pre-loved clothing coming my way via eBay but I've never seen anything like Truly Gifting before. They provide packaging and gifting cards, designed to encourage consumers into giving pre-owned items as gifts. Now, I'm sure we've all done a cheeky re-gift before, I know I have (usually with scarves) but the sense I get from Truly Gifting is that they want the pre-owned gifts to be given more gravitas in the gift giving arena. And rightly so - according to a survey carried out by Truly Gifting, over 50% of respondents were interested in second hand gifting. I guess it's just dusting off those preconceived ideas that only a "box fresh" gift is a real gift. 

Here's one scary ass fact from the Truly Gifting website: if everyone in the UK were to give just one second hand present per year, 60 million new items would never have to be produced. WOW.  Even the Ikea's Chief Sustainabilility Officer, Steve Howard, said earlier this year that we've hit "peak stuff."

“If we look on a global basis, in the west we have probably hit peak stuff. We talk about peak oil. I’d say we’ve hit peak red meat, peak sugar, peak stuff … peak home furnishings,” Steve Howard said at a Guardian Sustainable Business debate. 

One of the gorgeous cards to go with your pre-loved gift

As I unpacked the box of Truly Gifting goodies I had a stroke of genius thought. When I'm working with clients we sometimes create a space in the wardrobe for 'heirloom' pieces: pieces that the client won't wear again but may leave to a family member or friend further down the line: a silk dress, a designer handbag, a piece of vintage clothing. These items would be perfect for the Truly Gifting packaging, especially when paired with one of the awesome cards (the LOVE one is my favourite - see above - and blank for your own message) that come as part of the set. I am more than happy to recommend this packaging to clients in the future, especially as the ethos is just so delicious:

Now to play devils advocate you could just buy a box yourself to do the re-gift, use a shoe box maybe. But then there's the wrapping of the box, finding your own card and ultimately it looking like a bodged Blue Peter job if you aren't craftily inclined. I'm much rather use this packaging which is created from sustainable sources and looks AWESOME than have a go myself. Plus I think the wording on the package really explains WHY you are giving a second hand gift. For those who don't re-gift or trade in pre-loved items with friends and family, Truly Gifting packaging will hopefully spur them into action. 

The Silence & Noise jacket that no longer cuts the mustard in my 'joy filled' wardrobe

Luxury tissue paper is provided which makes your gift look AMAZING. Bye Bye jacket!

All wrapped up with the sleeve explaining what's inside.

I regularly send Wardrobe Angel clients clothes which I have found on my travels - be that clothes from charity shops I think they'll like, or clothes from my own wardrobe after I've had a clear out. I am so bad at wrapping up said clothes that I inwardly cringe from the thought of these wonderful, successful, awesome women opening the gift I have sent. And that's where I see the boxes and packaging options that Truly Gifting sell coming in handy. 

Instead of just handing over a piece of pre-loved clothing, give it the honour it deserves! It served you, and your wardrobe now say 'thank you' by gifting it on. 

A couple of weeks ago I re-Marie Kondo-ed my wardrobe (read my 1st post here) and came across an orange jacket that had survived the 1st joy sparking cull. I've used it to style many-a-dress in the past as due to the jazzy open back feature it looks nigh on awesome with a back splash of pattern poking through the material. BUT. This time as I held it in my arms I realised that it wasn't structured enough for my liking. So, a client that looks AWESOME in orange is the lucky recipient of said jacket, all packaged up mightily smart thanks to Truly Gifting. I hope she likes the jacket as much as I loved the packaging. 




Please click here to visit the Truly Gifting website.

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

The Hive of Antiform

When I arrive at Re-Made in Leeds one unseasonably hot day in March it all appears quiet on the surface. Lizzie greats me at the door with a huge hug and we march on through to the kitchen where she has a plethora of tea to choose from. I dish out some chocolate brownies (donated from the WI) and we sit down at her pattern cutting table.

It’s a hot day, we are supping our tea and there is a bloke fitting the floor. “Are you having your floor fitted? Does he want a drink?” I ask, pointing at the bloke who is lying excruciatingly close to the rung near the door. “Nooo…” Lizzie replies, laughing, “He’s a local artist – he’s sketching the rug!” And with that the bloke pops off the rug, waves adios to Lizzie and exits the shop.

Then the office phone starts going, a lady comes in to pick her jeans up which have been mended, Lizzie’s mobile starts bleeping with texts pouring in. Lizzie is one lady in demand and it’s not hard to see why – it seems the phrase ‘fingers in pies’ was invented with her in mind. Re-made in Leeds is a social enterprise, not for profit organisation which has an educational campaign structure. They facilitate Clothes Swaps (where numbers can exceed 100), Workshops and other awesome events. They collect ripped tights for recycling and old bras to give to charities abroad. Out of the Re-Made Building also comes the Antiform brand.

I came across Antiform when I was researching ethical, locally sourced clothes for a client in Yorkshire. I was blown away by the styling – ethically made clothes styled in a way which you would actually aspire to wear. An impressive 75% of all Anti-form clothes are made on site by local seamstresses and the other 25% are made in homes and businesses within 20 miles of the main factory. The materials are sourced from local factories – rolls of off cuts are stored in the Re-Made warehouse. Want to know where the material for their A/W12 collection has come from? The same factory knitting fabric for none other than Victoria Beckham, new darling of world fashion.

Each camp (Re-Made and Antiform) gives volunteers and interns the opportunity to get involved. And it is achingly cool. Remember that issue of Elle which was full of ethical brands but the styling was appalling? Lizzie does, “I don’t see why ethical brands stand their models next to trees looking soppy. We wanted to show a whole new way of doing things: that ethical can be just as stylish, just as on-trend as the mass produced stuff.”  And there are no trees in sight – the colours, the styling, the model, the location - all scream fashion and are styled by Lucy Harvey, the Ethical Stylist. The clothes are designed in accordance with the seasons, not 6 months ahead like other brands do, “We are trying to slow the fashion industry down versus the speed of the fashion industry proper. Our range depends on what materials are available to us from our suppliers.” Sold both wholesale and retail, this approach has seen the brand trade over 2 successful years to date.

So why Leeds? Lizzie downs her tea “We are sold this amazing lie that fashion only exists in New York and London but you can be fashion – it doesn’t matter where you live and it doesn’t matter what money you spend: just buy something from a charity shop and rip it up! Experiment! I wanted to prove that a successful label can exist outside of London, that a fashion supply chain can work in Leeds.” With 9 stockists of Antiform including stockists in London, Bristol, Glasgow and Spain, it shows that her wish is her command.

War on Waste

Waste not, Want not, Keep Calm and Carry On, Dig for Victory.

All recession friendly phrases from eras past.  And with Christmas slap bang in the middle of this period of financial uncertainty you can literally hear the sound of the end of year pay packets being stretched the accommodate yet another festive season: food, drink, party clothes, travel, presents, parties. So how can we really make our money go further?

You’ve heard the experts – cut down on non-essential items, switch your credit cards to 0% interest. Even David Cameron has been urging the Great British Public to pay off their credit cards. I don’t know if Visa accepts carrots but that seems to be all I have after my dig for victory.

But are we thinking about this the wrong way round? Is it about making what little cash may be floating around work harder? Or do we really need to spend any cash at all?

During the Second World War there was the phrase ‘make do and mend’. This call to action urged people to re-use their clothes by mending them. Socks were darned countless times over, trousers turned into shorts, curtains made into clothes. In a time when a) Hitler was rampaging across Europe and b) landfill was not an option, inhabitants of our fair island celebrated what they had and got the most wear out of their clothes as possible re-using and re-working as the Blitz raged.

Re-using passed out of our culture with man-made fabrics flooding the market from the 1970’s and the fast fashion culture which sprung up in the 1990’s. But if you have ever bought anything second hand or a vintage item then you have re-used without giving it much thought. If you have ever borrowed anything from your mate/ Mum / colleague then you are re-using. In most cases it’s easier than buying new. And it’s cheaper to boot!

Recycle for Greater Manchester is showcasing a wealth of events promoting re-using which will feed your brain and get you salivating over skills you never thought you could learn: sewing, cooking, furniture reclamation.  I got kicked out of sewing class for breaking the needle on the sewing machine when I was at school so I will be beating down the door of the sewing workshop to finish mastering the skills the sewing teacher (Mrs Turner) so wrongfully refused to teach me. And then there is the Fashion Show!! Saturday 26^th November. Get your glad rags on, surgically adhere your biggest ‘I’m famous’ sunglasses to your face  and elbow your way to the Front Row.

All events are FREE. Yes, FREE. You will only need your bus money to get there and maybe you can car share on the way home. Just sign up in advance to be guaranteed a place. See you for some sewing.

For more info click here! Recycle for Greater Manchester