Swap Till You Drop

It's such an amazing idea. What I want to know is who came up with it? Visa Swap is being described as a clothing event to encourage sustainable fashion through ethical swapping activity. Huh? All I want are designer clothes for a fraction of their original ££. My wish was granted this past weekend.

The procedure is thus: for every item of clothing that is handed in, the donor receives points in return. Now it's not quite as simple as coming in with an old pair of Primark pumps and swiping a pair of Louboutins in return. The nicer the original item, the more points awarded.

Celebrities including Thandie Newton, Naomi Campbell, Mischa Barton and Sadie Frost were among the A-listers to hand in their unwanted clothes, and the swapping kicked off last weekend. The queue to get into the Visa Swap Shop on Saturday morning snaked along the Brompton Road. Some swappers started queuing at 5am – FIVE AM! And this is a Saturday, not a Tuesday. Needless to say, it was a resounding success.

At the launch last Thursday night I chatted to Meg Matthews who told me that she had handed in a yellow Prada dress, among other covetable itmes. After a detailed description of the frock, I decided this was the beginning of a mission - I liked the sound of this Prada dress and I wanted it. On Saturday I became a frantic rummaging woman. I HAD to find the yellow dress. Sadly I didn't. But I won't give up hope.

The Visa Swap has been such a success, that organisers are already in talks about organising a next one. I'm keeping my ear to the ground and as soon as I find out anything, I'll let you know.

PS To the lady with the yellow Prada dress, please could it be returned at the next event?