wanted: a pink dress in 48 hours

Drawing by Annie Duncan.

Let me explain. We were throwing a party for everyone in our summer community on the front porch and lawn of our house. Over the years our Pink Porch Chairs have come to symbolize the arrival of summer and I decided two days before the party that I wanted to wear a dress to match the chairs.

Having seen and admired the Dosa Pink Collection at the beginning of the summer, I had resisted the urge to buy anything because my typical sartorial leanings are toward black, grey and blue. Deep in to the spirit of summer, I realized my mistake. A quick internet search led me to a bright pink slip dress in my size for a reasonable price — completely in line with my “whim purchase, not an investment piece” budget — from a company unfamiliar to me.

With no overnight delivery option on the checkout page, I picked up the phone and explained that I had to have the dress in 48 hours, and at the other end, the delightful Kat Rose uttered these very satisfying words, “We will make it happen.” And because they didn’t have an overnight delivery option, she took the dress to UPS herself.

So thrilled with this level of service and Kat’s sympathetic understanding of how I absolutely had to have this dress, I investigated the company further and learned more about the delightful Union & Fifth. Founded just last year on Giving Tuesday, the Concord, California based company raises money for non-profit organizations by selling donated gently worn luxury clothing online.

The genius of Union & Fifth is that they make it so easy for us to clear out those closets that are filled with clothes that either don’t fit or look right anymore. We buy our clothes with care and so it makes sense that we would want to give them away with the same amount of care.

Union & Fifth send you postage free shipping bag or labels. You send in your clothes and choose an organisation (or add one yourself) to where you would like the proceeds of your sales donated. Simple, straightforward and free of regrets.  And while you’re there, it’s worth having a look at the shop. Remember buying means donating too.

N.B.: This post was originally published in My Contents Have Shifted on 20 August 2015.