We love vintage at Greenmystyle.com. It’s an eco, stylish and often wallet-friendly way to add new gems to your wardrobe. So to celebrate last month’s launch of Lally’s closet, an online vintage retail space, we’ve been talking to its owner Topsy about stocking Tom Ford and enthralling vintage neophytes. Lucie Goulet writes.

The idea for Lally’s Closet, the new vintage shop on the web, sprang from a thrill familiar to all vintage lovers: “the feeling of discovering something that is exclusively yours, knowing that not a single soul will have the same”. Not your average vintage shop, Lally’s Closet also stores new designs from emerging createurs, including remade pieces.

Hi Topsy, thank you for taking the time to chat to Greenmystyle.com. Firstly, Why did you decide to open a vintage shop?

I have loved fashion since I was very young, and I have a passion for vintage and all things unique, so the shop has been in my head for a number of years it’s only just now that I have been able to bring it to life. I have always wanted to create a platform for emerging designers, as I studied fashion design myself and I understand how difficult it is to break through in this very tough industry.

How do you choose the designers you sell?

The designers are chosen for their design skills and uniqueness, and above all else their passion for their work.

How do you source the vintage garments?

We source the vintage garments from various places worldwide, we try to have a varied collection of vintage items.

What makes Lally’s Closet stand out from the other vintage shops in London?

We are very lucky in London to have so many wonderful vintage stores, however Lally’s Closet is different because we are online therefore accessible to everyone in the UK and beyond. We also stock new collections by emerging fashion designers.

We understand that not everyone enjoys rummaging through vintage shops. People might live in areas where good vintage shops just don’t exist so we aim to bring the best vintage pieces to the comfort of your own home. We wash all of our garments where possible, and many pieces are re-worked with a modern twist so we like to think that as well as appealing to avid vintage fans we might also convert those new to vintage shopping! Our vintage garments have been pre-loved, cared for by us and then hopefully cherished by our customers.

Most of the designer collections we stock are either one-off pieces or uniquely available from Lally’s closet.

We will also be stocking Lally’s Closet own branded new items, such as gorgeous iPods and travel card holders, useful and lovely things!

Who is your target customer?

We hope that we have something that appeals to everyone! Whether that is a brand new one-off dress by one of emerging designers or perhaps it’s a re-worked dress that you couldn’t imagine life without, we aim to have wide appeal.

Did environmental concerns play any roles in your decision? Do you have any green rules?

I do believe that each and every one of us should be more concerned about the environment and our impact upon it. The fashion industry alone is quite a big culprit, from the chemicals used in production to landfill waste, but people are now becoming more aware and I think that projects such as Make Your mark in fashion and LCF’s Centre for Sustainable Fashion are having such a positive affect on the industry.

We are concerned about environmental issues at Lally’s closet, and as such we aim to use recycled paper and biodegradable packaging where possible, and obviously vintage clothing in our opinion is the most wonderful way to recycle!  But being green or ethical is not what we aim our USP to be. It’s not something we shout about because we believe that these things should be an intrinsic part of any responsible brand. So we aim to sell beautiful things, that just happen to be ethical.

What are your plans for the future of Lally’s Closet?

We’d love for Lally’s Closet to be recognised as a brand in it’s own right, to be the place to get your vintage clothes. We are planning to launch our own collection very soon, so watch this space!

It would also be amazing to help launch the career of the next Tom Ford though our Designers Closet section.

Lally’s Closet

The two-hour styling workshop is ideal for finding out where to shop for vintage gems, how to build a vintage collection or achieve a period look. It is also designed vintage newbies that want to know how to mix vintage with their existing wardrobes.

Naomi, who has been featured on the pages of British Vogue and The Observer, will be sharing her top vintage tips and showing some of her most prized possessions.

Tickets for the London event are priced at £35 and include tea. For more information visit Queens Of Vintage.

To celebrate the launch of the much anticipated film Coco Before Chanel (UK release 31 July 2009) starring Audrey Tautou, QueensOfVintage.com will be hosting,  the first ever Chanel fashmob (altogether more stylish than a flashmob) in homage to one of history’s greatest fashion designers.

Fashion lovers and vintage queens will gather in their finest attire to wave at the Eurostar and share their enthusiasm for the legendary Parisian label. The first 5 to join our get-together will be receiving Chanel biographies, while the first fifteen can bag themselves the exclusive soundtrack to Coco Before Chanel.

Meeting point is the statue of the lovers kissing on the second floor of the station at exactly 18.00.

See you there!

Event promotion by Gossip PR

The boutique, owned by former fashion designer Holly Pickering, will offer a sourcing feature with Holly finding specific vintage pieces as required and a private shopper service with pre-booked one hour appointments at the Freudian Slips studio in North London.

Courtney Love, notorious for her party lifestyle and unique fashion sense, has already placed a request for her favourite vintage fashion labels.

Shoppers will be able to pick from a vast selection of vintage garments from designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Hardy Amies and Frank Usher and receive helpful tips on investment pieces and advice on what era to go for.

Freudian Slips Vintage

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Swansea will become the unlikely eco-fashion hotspot next month as it plays host to the Eco and Ethical Fashion Show on April 3, and Enamore is taking centre stage.

Models will be strutting down the catwalk in Wales in Enamore lingerie and clothing, with accessories by Nanny K and jewellery by designer Catarina Vassalo. Ten other Welsh and UK designers guided by ethical, sustainable and ecological principles will also be showing their collections at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea.

The event is being held to raise awareness and funds for Fashioning an Ethical Industry (FEI) and The Environment Centre Swansea, and all profits will be shared equally between the two organisations.

If the Enamore designs we saw at London Fashion Week are anything to go by, expect to see vintage-inspired undies with ribbons and feathers a-plenty. This is show is guaranteed to unearth some upcoming talent and is a bargain at £4 for a ticket.

Whether you want to find the hottest vintage action By City (New York vintage anyone?) or By Decade (so, you love the Sixties?), if you have a vintage piece ready to be revamped in its exclusive Make & Mend section, or even if you want to steal style tips from the Top 100 Vintage Queens across the globe, QueensOfVintage.com has more vintage style advice and gossip than you could wave a Mark Cross overnight bag at!

Without blowing our very own 1930s Big Band trumpet, we know you’ll love your new daily glossy because it’s brought to you by the same Delightful Media company that creates greenmystyle.com.

So if you bask in Bakelite and frolic in frills, QueensOfVintage’s dedicated team of vintage-obsessed writers and gurus are making it their mission to bring you all that’s fabulous in the vintage world. It’s already been called a “Vogue for vintage”, which is nice .

Here’s our top five features on QueensOfVintage.com right now:

The world’s Top 100 Queens of Vintage

Sexy secretary chic (ah, the pictures are to die for!)

Vintage guru Veronica Cizmar picks her ultimate fashion piece from every decade

Steve McQueen, Cary Grant and more: Vote for your top vintage Valentine’s fantasy date

We worship Johanna Ost’s amazing vintage hair-do. We ache for it!

Maria writes: Attendees at this month’s Swap-A-Rama event, armed with at least one item of clothing to swap, paid £3 to adorn themselves with cast-offs fit to reside in even the most demanding fashionista’s wardrobe.

Resident DJs played remixes of old Motown classic hits, providing the perfect backdrop for a night of chaotic vintage glamour. Even the boys couldn’t help but get involved!

Flick through the gallery of gorgeous folk swapping Favela style by clicking the ‘Next Favela Chicster’ link.

» Next Favela Chicster

Corinne, 49, got this 1940s dress from the Swish: “It had been left behind, probably because it doesn’t look much like this, but it’s a good quality material and shape.” Her coat is a secondhand designer piece, inherited from a friend. Corinne’s dress and scarf are “about 20-years-old!”. Boots and bag from Marks & Spencer.

Next page: Kim reinvents a winter coat

Lena writes:

There is a section in my wardrobe, the corner in the very back, where – out of sight, out of mind – I keep all my fashion sins, misguided buys and unloved fashion gifts. Today I am stuffing this rather heavy pile into a bag, ready to pass it on to someone else, hoping that the grey 80s jumper with the question mark pattern (what was I thinking?) will find a loving owner who will wear it with pride. And in return I will get a as many clothes, shoes and accessories as I can carry.

It really sounds too good to be true, but this brilliant and simple idea is behind the new fashion trend taking London by storm and rapidly spreading over the UK. Swishing, or clothes swapping, is a fun and eco-fabulous way of getting a whole new wardrobe by exchanging your unloved fashion items for someone else’s. Easy.

I am feeling a little bit nervous as I arrive at the swishing venue at the V&A and spot the queue of girls eagerly waiting to swish. They are armed with bags and suitcases ready to grab as many items as possible. Some even brought their boyfriends, who willingly trot behind them, ready to become their personal shopping bag carriers. I look at my tiny little handbag and feel ridiculously ill prepared.

After dropping off my unwanted clothes, I join the queue nervously clutching the swishing rules. They are very straightforward: everybody must bring at least one item, there will be a sneak preview where you can look around but not yet take any clothes, and once the swishing gets going, you can take as much as you like. I am however slightly worried by the last rule that says ‘no scratching, spitting or biting’. What have I let myself in for?

During the preview, where everybody gets to have a look at what’s on offer, I spot a fabulous 70s halterneck dress, a beautifully made brown leather clutch and some great white heels in my size, which I casually shove behind some jackets in the hope no one will find them. There are rails and rails of clothes, rows of shoes neatly lined up and belts and scarfs hanging off the walls. Futerra, who have set up the swishing party as part of the V&A’s Ethical Fashion Day, have also prepared style booths where expert advice on picking and wearing the perfect item is on hand.

Once the doors finally open, everything seems to be over in a few seconds. I can’t remember where I’ve hidden the white heels, and the 70s dress is long gone. I grab a black and red patterned scarf, which turns out to be Armani. Wow! Soon the V&A’s corridors are lined with swishers showing each other their finds. There’s a really friendly atmosphere, no shovelling or pushing past, and I am pleased to see my 80s jumper wasn’t one of the few left items.

To me, a total shopaholic, the swishing was a great event that gave me the thrill of bargain-hunting and retail therapy but also allowed me not to compromise my ethical and environmental standards. With almost 2 million tonnes of clothes and shoes ending up in UK bins each year, swishing is quite simply an alternative way of consumerism, one that allows us to get a whole new wardrobe without overspending, be it our budgets or our planet’s resources. As Lucy Shea from Futerra says: “Swishing is for women who want to look good while saving the planet.” Well, if saving the planet means shopping for free, I might just have to swish more often. Life can be so hard…

Must read: Real women do vintage at Swish

Judy, once a Selfridges personal shopper and TV fashion stylist, now runs Britain’s biggest clothes swapping website Whatsmineisyours.com. Three years ago she set up The Affordable Vintage Fashion Fair, a vintage fair with a whopping 40 plus stalls, which has brought affordable vintage fashion as well as reworked clothes and accessories to the north of England. The Fair is launching new ‘Make, Create and Customise’ areas at each event, tapping into the current ‘make do and mend’ vibe.

Lena: Hi Judy. Erm, yes, I have to admit to being over-excited about talking to you. Private time with a vintage style queen! So, Judy, it’s credit crunch time. Do you feel that vintage fashion is a real alternative to pricey high-end highstreet and designer fashion?

Judy: Absolutely! We’ve seen a huge increase in people coming to our Fashion Fairs. They still like their high street shops but are tired of seeing everyone wearing the same things. From vintage stores and at our Fairs they can pick up individual items such as a fabulous original 60s shift dress for £15 to £20. All of our stalls are price-checked to make sure no one is charging more than they should.

» Next page: Come on, Judy, what’s the real difference between vintage and secondhand?

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