Strictly Sequins!

All That Glitters...

Above: Tanatswa showcases one of 8 sequin dresses procured from Nottingham Playhouse, as worn by the dancers in their production of Sweet Charity starring Rebecca Trehearn, in 2018. See the dress below in all its glory…

We all need a bit of sparkle in our lives more than ever right now after a tough year, with a somewhat uncertain looking future ahead, what with Brexit and climate change. But, we’ve all proven how adaptable we are, and we still know how to have a good time.

It felt like the perfect moment as we enter the thick of the festive season, to bring you a whole lot of festive sparkle, with a bit of information too, about changes we can make to maintain hope for a brighter and better future, both for people and planet.

Let’s Talk About Glitter…

I know it’s been a tough year and the last thing you want is being preached to by me.  But, if we all want to enjoy loads more festive fun in the years to come, we need to start thinking more about stuff like this.

Ok, so most of us have got glitter of sorts somewhere lurking, whether in make-up, home furnishings, crafting or the most obvious choice at this time of year, in the form of baubles, wrapping paper and bright shiny things in general.  I’ve got bits here and there in the form of make-up and adorning several of the festive ornaments I’ve bought over the years. My favourite type of glitter though, has to be the edible type. I’m still using the holographic edible glitter I bought 4 years ago, on my coconut meringue snowballs again this year and I love it.

There’s many different types of glittery embellishments increasingly adorning clothing, in the form of metallic coated micro plastics, used in a way to give the desired glitter ball effect.  Sorry to burst the glitter bubble there, but the smoke and mirrors of fashion, whether home furnishings or fabrics, sometimes needs undressing, as it were.  Maybe you’re already very aware and avoid such pieces, or buy very little of these types of clothes and objects.  Good on you for being savvy and aware. This is where buying quality means it should last longer and is therefore less likely to end up in landfill after a few years.

This 80’s cocktail dress is a prime example of such pieces, where the rate of drop-off of tiny bits of silver embellishments is assured with each wear.  It’s also why I recommend hand-washing such pieces, preferably in a Guppy bag. Even then, these little bits of plastic have to go somewhere. Plus, if you must wear a tiara, make your own from old jewellery you don’t wear anymore rather than these plastic versions. Get creative.

Just like the over-use of balloons for all kinds of celebrations, all this sparkly stuff, as much as we love it and the fact that it brings us so much joy, is bad for our environment. It seems there is always a price to pay for aesthetic beauty.

There are other ways to be festive and creative when we celebrate, and reconsidering just a few things like this means you can do your bit towards keeping landfill less toxic. Perhaps limiting this in some areas of your life or by thinking bigger and better in terms of sequins and the quality of the things you buy, so they can be enjoyed for many years to come.

I use my glitter make-up much more sparingly now, saving it mostly for special occasions. I’m not sure how much I’ll be buying again in the future but for now I have two little pots to enjoy and I’ll make them last (I think I’ve had them at least 3 years already).

One small but significant resolution can make a huge impact if a lot of us do it. So, hold on to and cherish those sparkly things.

Again, I don’t want to be too preachy here, especially after a tough year and we all want to have a sparkly beautiful Christmas, so I’m sharing these special sequin dresses with you for some glamour and excitement ahead of next years parties and events we’re all looking forward to attending again.

Educating yourself on these things, however is important because the green washing that happens when people use words such as ‘biodegradable’ without really knowing what it means is dangerous to our planet. 

Most of us don’t have time to research all these things in life, so I’ve done a bit for you here and all I want to do is to pass it on. 

You can find more in my instagram stories, the sustainability page on the website and next year, a dedicated Fashion Revolution page.

So Let’s Get festive!

I’ve been busy sourcing, sprucing and photographing some gorgeous sequin dresses for the party season and beyond, available to rent in 2021 from the shiny new fancy dress department here at ThriftVIP.

It was great to see one of these amazing sequin dancers dresses on the delectable Tanatswa, in August, after their procurement in spring. They’ve been sponge-cleaned, steamed inside, been outside shimmering in the breeze on my balcony (this was approximately 26 weeks ago according to my ‘Thrifting’ highlight on instagram stories), and now they’re good to go. There’s a few repairs needed here and there as I go, to replace some missing sequins, but I’m reassured by the fact that I’ve got a bag full of spare sequin material to go with them. They seemed the perfect pieces to launch my fancy dress offering for next year.

They will sit alongside other quality and fun fancy dress items for sale and rent, including a burlesque collection too.

Entering the world of theatrical exploits and fantasy feels right, especially during uncertain times where we all need to look forward to some escapism and fun. Experiences are becoming a more important part of how we enjoy ourselves, whether this means dressing up for a zoom performance or party, or in real life settings.

Bring on the party times.

Bring on the fun.

Think Big

The bigger the sequin the better.

The beauty of these dresses is the size of the sequins, which can be repurposed or collected if they fall off the garment.  They are also pre-loved, and to be enjoyed by many others before being repurposed again in the future.  Kylie Minogue  wore this size sequin on a vintage dress, on the Graham Norton show in November 2020 and I thought it looked great.

Why not dress up on a Saturday night for a Strictly Come Dancing party, hire a dress each and come together on Zoom for some lockdown party fun. By the time the fancy dress department is launched next year we’ll all hopefully be doing this with each other together in person, not just from a screen.

CIRCULAR SOURCING

A big part of my own efforts within the fashion industry with ThriftVIP, is to make circularity a big part of the sourcing process, to see a garment’s future longevity, and a life beyond our own use, the use of the next person, and beyond. 

I like to call this lifecycle: FASHION-FAD-FOREVER enabling the garment to cross over into all of these areas. 

The pre-loved sequin dresses fit all this criteria, albeit reliant on others to continue the lifecycle. That is why it’s so important that my own customers are informed and aware of the process too. I think a lot of vintage pieces fit very well into the CLASSIC lifecycle and I always try to source timeless styles to fit this, with a few wild cards here and there.

It is the thought process and pre-purchase considerations that ultimately give these pieces that fighting chance in their journey towards sustainability, circularity, longevity, and most of all LOVE.  Because loved clothes last.

GLITTER AND GREEN WASHING

The takeaway below is something I’ve wanted to share for a while. 

It’s taken from a conversation from a sustainable fashion Page on Facebook, about glitter and green washing…..

Bio degradable glitter green washing …

’Glitter is not eco friendly- it contains styrene and as defined by the UN it's a microplastic - It is toxic and as it "degrades" it leaches into the area where it has fallen. - From a scientist point of view please look into other options! - bioglitter is lies and again a green washing con to make people think they’re doing good.’

‘As far as I'm aware, there are glitters that don't contain microplastic and are formed from cellulose, and are biodegradable - https://www.bioglitter.com/what-is-bioglitter/’

‘Nope it's lies they contain styrene.

I work as a sustainable scientist I debunk the myths and green washing of companies this one has been called out Soo many times , they are not good for the environment due to the microplastic at 0.4Ø as defined by the UN sdgs which is what happens to this as as well leaching the styrene chemical into where ever it may land aka grass,soil and water.’

’If my reading is correct - these bio glitters are made with same chemicals process of rayon fabric. Is that right? Cellophane is also made with carbon disulphide like rayon is, so this wouldn't surprise me. Rayon is also the biggest greenwashing in the textile industry. I didn't know this about bioglitter though. Good to know. I always just saw glitter as a waste, whether biodegradable or not. Would I be able to get some more technical info on bio glitter? Can I send you an email to ask some questions?

‘Yes rayon is also the same and cellophane too!’

‘Blue Sun are a unbiased testing lab where you can get msds sheets if needed.
Cha Vestergaard

I hope that has cleared a few things up for some of you who might have been asking these questions. There are so many loop holes adopted by companies who are using green washing to make their customers think they’re doing a good thing when in fact the truth is quite different.

So please be aware people of what you’re buying (and buying into).

When something says biodegradable, it means it requires certain processes and heat to be able to break down, and even then it is often still damaging and should be avoided being made in the first place.

The short bits of conversation above offers a small amount of information that you can use to do any further research yourself. Even if this little bit of information helps you to think first, like it has done with me, then at least it’s something we can be more aware of and question in the future.

I’ve learnt that a lot of industry and commerce is about what you can get away with, within the law. Companies often push this to the limits of what they can do and get away with. We need to be more informed overall to be able to make responsible choices as consumers.

I’ve learnt more about the SDG’s over the last 2 years and I’ve highlighted this further on my Slow Fashion Revolution and Sustainability pages.

Tanatswa was the first to model our latest procurement for the fancy dress rental department

The Sweet Charity Sequin Dresses will be heading into our new department in 2021, alongside fancy dress and burlesque pieces. Sale and rental options will be available.

Above: take a look at the company in rehearsals where you can see the original dancers from this show.

Now it’s time for some glamour with this years Strictly Come Dancing final!

See you on the dance floor

Thank you for reading, Madeleine x