Swap shops for swapshops
We pay a high price for fashion these days.
Not only are today's must-haves at an increasingly wallet-whacking price, but the amount of not-so-hot items of attire we are chucking away without a second thought has hit an all time scarier-than-Tom-Cruise high.
These clothes are literally wasted, and I'm here to tell you that if you bin clothes you might as well chuck out a couple of fivers with them, because you're throwing away good money.
Did you know Kylie's famous gold hotpants were originally found at a charity shop?
It's true - the web has an answer for everything.
Clothes-swapping is the new black. Fact. And what better place to do it than in cyberspace?
Be warned, though - there are some little gems out there, but there are some right horrors too.
The best of the bunch in my opinion are easily these three:
1. What's Mine Is Yours
Aside from a tres chic logo, this is perhaps the Queen Bee of clothes swapping sites, and this beauty offers great browsing tools (you can even shop by size, which is a god-send!) and has specific sections for vintage and designer finds.
Plus there's the option to buy as well as swap so there's more choice, not to mention some great fashion advice. It's a popular site, so there's always plenty to choose from.
2. Fashion Space
This is another great find, and offers much more than a super swapping/selling section - there's a blog, forum and an awesome list of fashion-related events worldwide.
Plus the swap/sell section is another popular one so there's always a lot of choice, although the browsing system isn't quite as detailed as WMIY.
Clothes-swapping is the new black. Fact. And what better place to do it than in cyberspace?Laura Vickers
3. Big Wardrobe
Along a similar theme, really, although without the fun added extras of the other two (not a blog in sight) but there is a big user-base and a fairly simple but effective search system, so you're bound to find something you like.
Swapstyle is also fairly good in that it is regularly updated, but has a bit more of an ebayish list-everything-out theme so no navigation tools, but they do offer swapsies on cosmetics as well as clothes, accessories and shoes (yay!)
Of course, the other obvious option is to hold your own swapping party - a great excuse to drink cocktails until the wee hours if you ask me.
There are some great online resources to help you in doing this, for instance this video gives some very handy hints (albeit in a horrifically corny way).
Swishing is also a great site for organising your own swapping party, and lists some upcoming big ones and where to find them.
Finally, if you'd like to try something completely different that will get you some instant style-points, not to mention totally unique clothing at a not-too-silly price, try etsy.com - it's a site dedicated completely to hand-made items, and to be honest I don't think I've ever fallen in love faster.
So there you have it - you now officially do not have an excuse not to make money from old clothes and bag yourself some fresh wearsies at the same time. So go on - swap til you drop!
