My Swish vintage clothes swap

Clothes swapping - ain't it great. My Swish events offer the perfect opportunity to swap those unwanted clothes cluttering up your wardrobe for new-to-you gems from beyond your circle of friends.

Brighton is full of stylish folk, so there are always fabulous finds to be had, but their first ever 'vintage and retro swish', held at the Blind Tiger this Sunday, was in my humble opinion, the best yet.


Goodie bags with free copies of Vintage Explorer magazines, tea and Cloud 9 chocolate brownies served on vintage china from Roses All Over and vintage styling and shopping courtesy of from Emily Inglis from Wooden Hill Boutique - and all that on top of free clothes!

Helping the Swishettes sort, tag and hang the clothes, I got to have a sneaky peak at the best bits before the snatching began, and managed to bag a cute green beaded knit, canary yellow floral summer dress, 1960s pop art mini for a friend and, the steal of the day/month/year - a Marc by Marc Jacobs sun dress!

Christmas sparkles

Yes, the pre-Christmas excitement has well and truly infiltrated the Fortune household and my most recent second-hand purchases are two very special sparkly tops perfect for the party season.


Silver cardigan with pin polka dots, £24 - Rag Trade Sale


1960's party top (part of a skirt set), £9.99 - Barnardos at Brighton Retro Fair

Loving the Lurex!

Christmas windows - Brighton Lanes

Fairy lights, foxes and decadent displays - the shop windows in Brighton's Lanes have infected me with Christmas spirit today. Ho, ho, ho!

Custard cable-knit

Looking to add to my collection of winter woolies with a colourful cable knit, I've spotted some covetable cosy pieces in River Island, Zara and Topshop this season. However, as is always the case, the more I saw these on others, the less I wanted them.


Once again I'm glad I held off on a pricey high-street purchase, because yesterday I snapped up this custard/mustard-coloured cable knit for just £5 a the Art Junky fair in the Phoenix Gallery. Such a bargain and the perfect piece to compliment my Tatty Devine autumnal leaves necklace.

Rabbit lamp

Our new pet - rabbit lamp, £34.99 in the sale at England at Home:


I'd been lusting after one of these for a while, having spotted a few different designs on the market, so snapped this up when this went in the sale.

The price points for 'novelty' homewares such as this are so varied, as these two items illustrate nicely:

Moooi rabbit lamp - £320 and Next rabbit lamp - £35

A confused closet

Unless it's pants and socks, I never buy clothes at full price, and I'll even hunt those essentials down on sale a three-for-two deal. Charity shops, car boot sales and second-hand boutiques are my bread and butter, topped with the occasional spreading of high-street sale and designer bargains.

The thrill of picking up wearable vintage or second-hand high street pieces for a few pounds will never leave me, or at least I hope it won't, but as I've started to become more knowledgable about high fashion, the investment potential of designer bargains has seen me break through my £30 one-item-spend ceiling on a more regular basis.

So, my wardrobe is now an odd mix of designer dame and charity shop chic, see exhibits A and B below:

Bottle green velvet beaded collar dress, £12 - Cardiff charity shop (taken up by my lovely friend Sarah) and Alice by Temperley black lace dress, £62 - Cocosa.com

Luella silk black and floral panel top, £45, The Rag Trade Sale and John Lewis floral silk top, £3.99, British Heart Foundation, Western Road

It's great to have a few really special pieces for occasions that warrant them, and to know that these are likely to hold or even increase in value over the years - I may even pass them on to my children if I have any, and they give a four-letter-word about pretty tops and dresses.

What type of pieces is your wardrobe made up of?

Through a child's eyes

Illustration is becoming an ever more desirable art form online as websites struggle to identify themselves as unique. As well as fashion illustration, such as that showcased at Amelia's Magazine and on blogs such as Canned Fashion, I've also come across some fabulous children's illustration that I thought worthy of a quick share session.


In September, H&M launched a range of children's clothing, All for Children, to raise money for UNICEF's initiative to help some of poorest cotton-growing communities in the world. As well as some super-cute ensembles, the collection includes a picture book telling the tale of Moritz the sheep and friends, created by H&M children's print designer Therese Bruckner and her sister Caroline Bruckner, who wrote the story.



On our summer jaunt to Amsterdam, a very affordable Woolworths-style shop called Hema also offered up charming illustrations in the form of products decorated by artist Fiep Westendorf. I'm sure Jip & Janneke, Westendorf's little boy and girl characters, and Pim & Pom, a pair of cats, are much-loved by Dutch children.


And finally, a children's illustrator a little closer to home - I recently visited Catherine Grimaldi's flat to do a shoot for the vintage interiors book I'm creating with Mat from Southern Retro, and not only marvelled at Catherine's impressive Snoopy collection, but her own art work. This piece is from her book 'It's Raining'.