Have you ever 'swished'? Well, neither had I until the other night but I tried it and it was fun! According to the fount of all knowledge, Wikipedia, 'Swishing' refers to swapping an item of clothing, shoes or an accessory with friends or acquaintances. I'd not heard of it before, but some of the young women at our church, St Peter's in Shipley, decided to hold a 'swishing' party to raise funds for our youth work. (We employ a full-time youth worker and run holiday clubs, community events and regular youth club nights, all paid for by our congregation.)
The idea was that you took along some clothes that 'you would be proud to hand on to someone else' (ie: not your oldest tat!) and something to drink, plus a monetary donation if you wished. All the clothes were displayed and for the first hour you were free to browse and try things on. After an hour, the Swish was declared 'open', at which point you could claim the item or items you had set your sights on... provided no-one else had the same idea. I was very fortunate to gain a lovely easy-fitting cotton twill jacket in a soft sage green (see inset pic), which is as comfortable as a second skin. From The Earth Collection, it's ethically made too, so I can feel doubly happy. I managed to offload a pair of rather nice taupe shoes which I'd worn twice and which pinched unbearably (bad shopping error), and a silk chiffon skirt that I wore to my daughter's graduation but that I have quite simply grown too fat for. (Middle-aged spread!) It's kind of heart-warming to know your well-loved things have gone to good homes.
I've never heard of that before! It looks like so much fun. I just love your "new" jacket!
ReplyDeleteSwishing or Swapping, it's all fun. I hate to tell you but you have left the label on your sleeve. Did you pay for it?
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a good thing but it also sounds like a girl thing. But, that's OK. You're a girl. I'm not.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of such a thing either, but it sounds a fine idea.
ReplyDeleteJack, you can have some of my old socks if you want. No, you really wouldn't!
I was reading your post and just started laughing. I'm definitely not the swishing type, I guess. But it looks like people there were enjoying themselves, so that's a good thing! And please don't refer to your 'middle age spread' until you've got it! Just sayin' ;-) And that reminds me: When we flew back from England, after spending 16 days there, we got to the airport and went to our gate. Trust me: fat in America and fat in England don't look the same.
ReplyDeleteSwishing sounds like a super idea and your jacket looks like a real find - just gorgeous - What a fun way to do a bit of shopping plus the bonus of raising money for a good cause.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of this either ! what a great idea ! I have to keep this in mind ! It's good for all participants ! I have lots of things I could swap with pleasure, lol !
ReplyDeleteThis sounds as though it could be good fun. Glad to hear you were pleased with your new top. It looks very nice from the inset. What "fat" I am bound to ask?
ReplyDeleteNo, no swishing over here, not as an organized event... but I have often over the years been the beneficiary of something or another that a friend no longer cared for. Why just a few weeks ago a friend asked if I wanted a brand new top she had bought and then felt the colour was too strong for her. On me it looks... ahem... great! :-D
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice idea! And I loved the post of the minutiae of your rainy day.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I would enjoy a little swishing over here too. ~Lili
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