Some of the bigger luxe brands include Prada, John Galliano, Martin Margiela, Vivienne Westwood, D&G, Sophia Kokosalaki, Romeo Gigli, Gianfranco Ferre, Yohji Yamamoto, Ossie Clark, Allegra Hicks, Biba, Louis de Gama, and Oliver Spencer. There’s also a decent selection of higher end streetwear labels too, plus a few items of clothing for children from Miss Sixty and other shops.

There will be past season stock, a few overstocks, and sample garments. These samples tend to be on the small size, so you will probably have the widest range of choice if you’re female and a UK size 8 to 12, or male and a size Medium.

While the doors officially open at noon, customers have the option to queue jump by buying an advance VIP ticket for £25. This nets you a goodie bag with contents worth £75, entry into a prize draw to win a designer handbag, and the opportunity to bowl into the venue at 11am for the pick of the rails. Alternatively, you can sign up on their website for the standard free invitation, which has always served me perfectly well.
 
Designer Sales UK July One Day Sale
Friday, 23rd July, 2010. Open to the public from 12 noon until 9pm at The Music Rooms, 26 South Molton Lane, London, W1K 5AB.
Sign up to their mailing list for a free invitation.

This article by Penny Golightly originally appeared on lastminute.com

This article by Penny Golightly originally appeared on lastminute.com

So, how did this come about? ‘I noticed myself increasingly ignoring the glossy mags in favour of the much more “real” and actually more interesting content and images on all my favourite fashion bloggers’ websites,’ says Lauren. ‘This got me to thinking about the idea of a magazine that was filled with the sort of things fashion bloggers write about, from all across the spectrum of personal tastes and styles. Then we got chatting about the idea on Twitter, and it just kind of happened… Currently we are thinking that this would be the perfect project for a highstreet sponsor such as ASOS, or even as a supplement to an existing “high fashion” magazine.’

While it might be beautiful to look at a £4,000 designer evening dress, most of us have more modest budgets. According to Lauren, ‘Monthly [clothes] budgets of the people who have responded to our survey end up being an average of £110, with many people having significantly below this. 46% of respondents never buy designer clothes (the content of most current luxury glossies), with all but 1% only buying designer clothes occasionally or for special occasions. Interestingly, most respondents have low earnings (26% are on below £10,000, 25% 10-20k), yet 25% of them still read glossy mags.’

Covering affordable fashion can be tricky, to say the least. ‘We have to acknowledge catwalks as the (slightly ridiculous) forebears of much of our high street fashion, and we don’t want to ignore it. However, our aim is to discuss catwalk fashion in depth and realistically – as in how people would wear the creations or even channel a vibe in combination with past trends and wardrobe staples.’

‘Working with this, affordable fashion will be a range of things. High street brands, eBay shopping, vintage on etsy, thrift shopping, making your own clothes. All of these make fashion affordable, and I think, alongside featuring products, a major aim of this magazine will be to show how real women make their style their own so that readers can use that as a stepping stone to their own version of affordable fashion.’

If you’d like to follow their progress, drop by http://therealmagazine.wordpress.com/

Clothes swapping is becoming increasingly popular as a way to get some new-to-you items without the usual outlay of buying extra things. It can be very cost effective indeed if the entry fees are reasonably low and you find lots of stock that you’d like to take home with you. Dropping off clothes and accessories you no longer use frees up space in your home, clears clutter, and hopefully keeps garments out of landfill sites, so it’s potentially neater and greener too. Another plus point is that these occasions can be used as charity fundraisers, with entry fees going to good causes or unclaimed items being given to charity shops afterwards.

Rule 1: Know what you’re getting into
Find out as much as you can about the event in advance. How much does it cost to attend, how much or how little can you swap, what sort of stock are they likely to have, and so on. You should also find out about HOW the swapping is arranged: at some events you have one item with you and exchange it directly with a fellow swapper as a mutual agreement; at others an attendant rates the goods you bring and gives you a credit note to go ‘shopping’ with; and there are also events where you bring an exact number of items and select an exact number in return.

Rule 2: Ask a friend
Ideally, speak to someone who has been to one of these particular events before, or attend the event with them. They’ll be able to tell you what it’s really like and what’s good and bad about it, so you know what to look out for. They’re often very sociable gatherings, so if you go with a friend you can sometimes relax beforehand or afterwards with nibbles, sponsored drinks, samples or even live music.

Rule 3: Don’t go over the top
If you don’t know much about the event, take the minimum amount/value to swap. Test the water carefully and don’t take everything you own – you might not like anything you see when you get there and while there may be green credentials or the chance to help with charity fundraising, you won’t want to come out of it empty handed or feeling ripped off.

Rule 4: Nothing you’ll miss
Many organisers say you should bring items that you haven’t worn in a while and that you’re unlikely to use again. I’d just add this: don’t take anything you still have even a slight fondness for. If you’re still attached to an item and don’t want to keep it stored away, consider altering it, dyeing it, or selling it instead.

Rule 5: Clean and tidy
There is a trust system in operation so treat others as well as you’d wish to be treated yourself. Get your clothes into good condition before you set off – make sure they’re nice and clean, and that they don’t smell of cigarette smoke or kitchen grease. Remember to bring hangers if you’ve been asked to provide them too.

Rule 6: Get in first
Arrive early and hand things over in plenty of time. This makes it easier for the organisers, and it also gives you the chance to chat to staff or volunteers to find out more about the layout of the room, or whether they have any particular stock you should be making a beeline for. Have a nosey around if the rules allow. If it’s a free-for-all event where everyone’s let in at the same time and you have to grab things quickly, make sure you’re at the front of the queue.

Rule 7: Play nice
Be polite and friendly to the staff and to the other customers. The staff are far more likely to help you find what you want, for starters! Pushing, shoving and tugs-of-war are very much frowned upon, and make it harder for everyone to get around the event properly. Besides, there might be friends, friends-of-friends and other acquaintances there so, seriously, don’t act like a bitch.

Rule 8: Play fair
At many of these clothes swapping events, it’s quite likely that you and another person might grab or want the same garment at the same time. Settle these disputes fairly – many organisers will do this for you by flipping a coin or pulling names out of a hat. Be gracious and abide by their decision. If you want to take home more than you’ve brought in with you then check the rules, as you may be able to pay the extra for them at some swapping and swishing parties.

Have you been to a swapping or swishing event yet? Do you have any tips for first-timers?

The clothing will include heavily-reduced excess stock from current and past seasons, and a few one-off sample designs. You can expect discounts of up to 90% off the recommended retail prices, with pieces starting from as little as £5. The labels confirmed so far include Moschino, DKNY, Cavalli, Belstaff, Dolce and Gabbana, Bolangaro Trevor and Yohji Yamamoto, so there’s something for everyone there, from couture to quirky designs and streetwear.

If you’ve never been to a sample sale before, get down there early before someone else grabs the best bargains, don’t bring along bulky coats or big bags if you can help it, and take some cash if you want to avoid credit card charges. Oh, and the changing rooms are makeshift and communal, so make sure there are no holes in those boxer shorts, gents!

This menswear sale is being held at Shop 14, F Block, The Old Truman Brewery, 15 Hanbury Street, London, E1 6QR, and the nearest tube and rail stations are Aldgate East, Shoreditch, and Liverpool Street. Admission costs £1. Open to the public: Friday 5th March, 12 noon – 8pm; Saturday 6th March, 12 noon – 7pm; and Sunday 7th March, 12.00 – 6pm. 

The Secret sample Sale will also be holding a combined sale of womenswear and menswear in the second week of April, so check back with their website next month to find out more about the times, labels and location.

For more information, visit www.secretsamplesale.co.uk or telephone: 020 7247 3959.

This article by Penny Golightly originally appeared on the lastminute.com blog.

This review isn’t meant to trash the people who run these events, and nor is it an attempt to sabotage charity fundraising. It’s just one person’s experiences and opinions. But this person worked in charity shops, organised fundraisers, went to many jumble and sample sales, and ran a small business selling second hand clothes through dress agencies that helped her get through college without running up huge debts so she’s fairly clued up. Oh sod it, I do kind of know what I’m talking about when it comes to this sort of thing.

Different organisers have different rules at swishing events. At this one we were asked to bring in at least three garments, for which we were offered points – with more points being awarded to designer items or the more expensive end of the high street. This gave each of us a ‘passport’ with credits on it to be cashed against items we picked up in the sale. You could, if you so chose, bring in several cheaper garments and exchange them for one or two more expensive ones.

We queued up then were let loose into a room with a smallish designer area and a larger high street area which was arranged by size. I’m on the smaller side, and there wasn’t all that much on that rail, which perhaps just reflected the fact that there weren’t that many people my size at the sale. The general quality of the stock was really not good – some of the customers had brought in bobbled, heavily worn, smelly and dirty items, which I thought wasn’t in the spirit of the event.

I spotted many items that had been free gifts, such as Boots Christmas handbags and New Look belts that had been separated from their original garments and classed as a new item, and the stock was from the cheapest end of the high street, mostly supermarket brands and Primark.

The designer section didn’t have anything in my size, and I initially put that down to not being the first person to get to the rail. However, after speaking to various customers I had a little surprise.

Nobody I spoke to, however quickly they’d reached the designer rail, had spotted any of the top range clothes they’d brought along with them in the first place. This really concerns me, as you’d expect at least one of those 20-or-so garments to have been recognised by its original owner.

Being as fair as possible, I think there are two most likely explanations for the vanishing designer goodies. Perhaps the first person to get to the rail swept them all up in one go and paid the extra if she didn’t have enough credits on her passport. If so, the organisers might want to curb that in future to make it fairer (other swishing events have different rules that give customers a fairer chance). The other possibility that springs to mind is theft by shoppers, venue staff, or a sneaky volunteer who’s operating under the radar. I did notice several people coming in and out with large bags before the sale who didn’t seem to hang around for the sale itself. Perhaps there’s a perfectly sensible explanation that I’m not aware of…

Either way, it was hard to get hold of goods to come anywhere close to the value of what I’d brought in, and much of the stock was in very poor condition. The discrepancy between my points earned and my points spent was very large indeed, and the balance was automatically donated on my behalf.

If you’re mainly looking for value for money, you might be better off using a swapping website, or going to a dress agency, a sample sale or a jumble sale. You might get lucky at an organised swishing event and come home with something better than you took with you, but don’t count on it.

On the upside it was a very pleasant and sociable evening with enthusiastic organisers, and the customers were polite and friendly – no barging, biting or scratching whatsoever (that counts for a lot). Hopefully it did keep things out of landfill sites, and at least the extra points/goods went to charity rather than into another person’s pocket.

If you want to clear some unwanted cheap old clothes out of your cupboards, have a bit of fun with your friends without splashing too much cash and still be able to make a donation to charity then you might be the ideal customer. Maybe leave the designer stuff at home though.

However, there are several areas where they fit together perfectly. It’s impossible to get everything into one article for reasons of space so here’s a quick overview for starters, and then I’ll write properly about each point in turn at a later date.

Buy less, buy quality
Buy fewer, more versatile clothes that you know you’re going to get a lot of wear out of. Having a few plainer items makes it easier to mix and match to create variety, and they are less likely to go out of fashion after just one season – you can put together an interesting capsule wardrobe without too much outlay. For inspiration there are now several green style websites that showcase good looking garments from more environmentally friendly manufacturers, if you’d like to buy new.

Take care and repair
Hanging clothes up properly, cleaning them gently according to the instructions, pressing them carefully and storing them away from moths can keep them looking good for years. Quick running repairs also keep garments going for longer, and sometimes it’s worth paying the professionals for invisible mending and so on.

Alter to suit
A little extra tailoring will give you the perfect fit on something you’ll want to keep for a long time, or you can customise clothes to keep up with seasonal trends or your personal taste. Give an old outfit a new lease of life. If you don’t feel like doing the handiwork yourself then you can buy ‘upcyled’ and customised clothing from a growing number of retailers, and look for garments made from recycled materials.

Borrow or rent
Get outfits or accessories on loan from friends or relatives (with a few ground rules agreed beforehand), or hire/rent anything from men’s suits to this season’s it-dress or designer handbags. Much better value than buying something expensive and then hardly using it.

Swap or swish
Swapping used to just be straightforward swaps with someone you knew, but now you can try organising or attending a one-off swapping event or party, or using one of the many new commercial or charity swapping services that have sprung up.

Buy second hand
Give a vintage piece a new lease of life, keep clothes in use and out of landfill sites, and stand out from the crowd in something unique. Home made, high street or designer, there’s something in every price bracket. What’s not to love?

If anything’s been left out here, feel free to add your 2p worth and more in the comments below. Updates on their way later…