VIVIENNE Gonzalez realised she was on to a winner when her first clothes-swapping party for friends was a runaway success.

It led to regular events which became so popular that she has now developed her original idea and set up a shop.

Southwell's Twice A Lady boutique is crammed with an array of goodies which ladies have brought in to sell. But this isn't a charity shop-style place; some of the clothes and accessories changing hands are brands like Prada, Escada, Armani, D&G and Chloe, to name but a few.

Vivienne, 48, from Oxton, decided to take the plunge and open her shop after spending 20 years working as a facilities support manager at Experian.

She said: "Both of my sons have grown up and got jobs now. One of my sons rang me and said: 'Mum, you don't have to look after us anymore, do what you've always wanted to do.'

"I couldn't take any risks when they were growing up because I needed to look after them."

Having always loved clothes and fashion, Vivienne decided to take some time out and organise clothes-swapping parties for friends in the area.

She hosted her first in August last year, to raise money for charity. Vivienne charged £2.50 entry per person and held the party in the dining room of her cottage.

Each of the guests brought items they no longer wanted and swapped them for clothes others had taken.

After the first party proved incredibly popular, Vivienne decided to host one each month. At these events, she also sold any leftover clothes and took a percentage of the profit.

"By November I had rails and rails of clothing, jewellery and handbags, and my partner suggested I should open a shop," said Vivienne.

As a regular shopper in Southwell, Vivienne decided to open Twice A Lady in King Street.

She said: "I love Southwell, I shop here all the time. It's becoming a bit of a 'ladies' haven'.

"You can come here to see the Minster, do some shopping, get your nails done and there are also lovely cafes."

Although inspired by clothes-swapping parties, the boutique doesn't work quite the same way.

At Twice A Lady the sellers bring their items in and Vivienne sells them on on the donor's behalf and then splits the proceeds. It's already crammed full of both designer and high-street items which locals have brought in.

Vivienne said: "I inspect them to make sure they're well laundered and in a good condition, They don't necessarily have to be designer.

"Then we decide on how much we're going to sell them for, bearing in mind it's a 50:50 split on each sale. At the end of the month the customer gets a cheque with whatever sales they've had."

The price of the item is based on how much the customer originally paid and whether it will have gone up or down in value.

If any of the clothes are in the boutique for longer than three months they are either returned to the owner or given to one of the local charity shops.

The clothes are displayed on pearl hangers and the assistants wear stylish bright pink box jackets, giving it the feel of a designer store.

Vivienne has also used local suppliers where possible to fit out the shop. The clothes are displayed in a front section which has pink wallpaper and pictures of movie legends Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe; there's a purple chaise longue in the changing rooms for customers to relax on.

Careful

Although the thrifty appeal of the shop is quite different to that of other stores in the area, Vivienne said there was a demand.

"This is for ladies who can't afford to pay a lot of money but we also get ladies coming in who do have a lot of money but they're trying to be careful, especially in this economic climate.

"It's also good for the area as it's competition, which keeps us all on our toes, and it offers a lot more variety in Southwell."

Since opening the shop at the end of February, Vivienne has already dealt with a few gems.

"We've got a lovely Prada handbag which was seen on Meryl Streep and there's also an Escada opera cape.

"Anything that's worth a lot of money is offered out for bids. There's a few ladies that are after certain garments."

Vivienne is also very discreet about who is bringing in clothes to be sold.

"There are so many interesting stories behind each item. We get a lot of unwanted gifts – maybe they've split up with their partner and don't want the present anymore.

"Because the shop is in two halves, I always tell the ladies to be careful what they say, because ladies to love to gossip and if there's someone else here, you don't want it falling on the wrong ears!"

riah.matthews@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk