Fancy a spot of swishing?

Thankfully my good character was restored when they realised it was garments not guys I'd been swapping.

Swishing, for those of you not in the know, is where you swap your unwanted clothes for someone else's.

Hence you get new outfits for nothing. Brilliant!

Not only is it ethical but it's cheap too so its brownie points all round.

My first swishing session was an experience and now I'm hooked.

My friend Nicola Alexander of daisygreenmagazine.co.uk had organised the party at As You Like It in Jesmond.

I'd expected a couple of dozens swishers to turn up with bags of faded frocks and washed out jeans but I was in for a surprise.

Hundreds turned out to swish. The queue was virtually out of the door and the mountain of clothes piled in the middle of the room could have filled a football pitch.

The atmosphere was one of nervous tension.

A roped barricade was all that separated hungry fashionistas and some nice new clothes.

Groups had begun to form at the starting line eyeing up what was on offer, others were eyeing up potential rivals and wondering who would be quicker on their feet.

When Nicola blew the whistle for the swishers to dive into the mound of goodies what happened next can only be described as an absolute frenzy.

It was crazy and downright chaotic.

Women with a determined glint in their eyes, pushed and shoved, grabbed and grappled, until they had in their hands the object of their desires.

I was one of those women. I'd had my eye on beautiful fuchsia dress that was hanging up on the opposite side of the room and nothing was going to stand in my way.

Not even 200 other women with just as much gusto as me.

When the whistle went I almost took off as I tried to longjump over my rivals who had also become possessed by an uncontrollable urge to 'get that dress'.

It wasn't easy. A girl beside me was on a mission to get there first and secure the coveted item for her friend.

But thanks to my younger years as a County Durham harrier I raced to the finishing line and held aloft the dress like a prized trophy.

"If it doesn't fit can I have it," said the girl with disappointment. I smiled sympathetically knowing full well that it would fit and it would be fabulous.

Not content with a beautiful pink dress, I also picked up a Nicole Farhi linen top, a Ghost silk dress and a Top Shop parka.

I felt slightly guilty that my offerings of a Henry Holland slogan T-shirt and some high street jeans didn't quite match up.

But that's the beauty of swishing. One person's Primark is another girl's Prada.

Think you are too posh to swish? Think again.

In 2009 it's going to be huge.