40 OVER 40 Caroline Jones
#18
Caroline Jones
Fundraiser and Vintage Stylist
Caroline Jonesby Jenny Smith
In lockdown 2020 I started a fundraising campaign called Front Door Photo raising money for Refuge by photographing people standing at their front doors. I expected the project to last for a few days and hoped to raise £1000 if I was lucky. It ended up going on for two months and in the end I raised £21,284. It was such a rewarding thing to do, but boy was it hard work. Cue a phone call from someone called Caroline Jones, a woman who had embarked on her own fundraising project nearly 10 years prior. We bonded instantly and were able to chat about all of the behind the scenes admin that goes with running a charity campaign. She wanted to start a podcast talking to fellow fundraisers and revealing everything that goes on to make it a success and she very kindly asked if I would be one of her guests. Her What Have I Done? podcast has been a huge success and she's busy planning season two.
Caroline has a life long passion for all things secondhand and her charity project, Knickers Models' Own (in memory of her mother) saw her donning a different second hand outfit every single day for an entire year. She raised a fortune for Cancer Research UK and even published a book which features a photograph of Caroline taken by non other than photography legend, Rankin.
Caroline has been talking secondhand clothing long before it became trendy with the likes of Vinted and her instagram feed @knickers_models_own is a real inspiration if, like me, you find yourself in a bit of a fashion rut. During our session she took me to her local Cancer Research UK shop, where she has her own curated rail, and you could just feel her enthusiasm for the place radiating out of her. Caroline has kindly answered some questions for me and I found her answers really inspiring. I hope you will too.
Thank you Caroline for being one of my 40 inspiring women over the age of 40!
Caroline Jonesby Jenny Smith
How did your passion for second-hand shopping start?
As a child growing up in the 1970s hand-me-downs were a big thing, I would eagerly anticipate the moment my older cousins' outgrown clothes made their way down the line together with bundles of well thumbed Jackie magazines, this was the catalyst for wanting to wear other peoples' clothes and the roots of my love for styling. Second-hand has always felt 'new' to me and as a teenager in the 1980s - pre-charity shops and the designers of shopping apps probably not even born - I would regularly raid my mum's or grandmother's wardrobe for authentic '60s pieces, my love of the music from that era defining (and still defining) my style. Jumble sales were also rich pickings, diving into piles of knitwear on a church hall trestle table. Oh the joy! Shopping in an actual second-hand shop came thanks to my JustSeventeen magazine pull-out shopping guide and age 15 I took myself off to American vintage emporium FLIP on Long Acre, Covent Garden, London. Vintage fringed suede jackets, original Levi's 501s, Ivy League baseball jackets, flat-top haircuts, music blaring, a buzz like nothing I'd ever seen. I was hooked.... (Side style note: its now a flagship Hobbs store and whenever I'm in the area I'll always pop my head in, just to remember the magic).
Caroline Jonesby Jenny Smith
Is there an art to charity shopping? What are your tips?
Patience and curiosity are your friend. But, before you step one toe inside a charity shop or click 'buy' STOP right there and ask yourself honestly: "do I know what's already in my wardrobe?" and "what are my wardrobe 'gaps'?". Having that mental checklist will help you narrow down what it is you're looking for; it might take time - imagine that? - but when you step out of the fashion lane and into the styling lane you realise that there is no time pressure and that frees you up to shop slowly and with consideration. My number one tip is to shop in-store on your local high street, that way you are using all your senses to really decide if a purchase is right: try it on, hold it up to the light, look closely at the tailoring, examine the fabric, the trim, the buttons, the weight of the fabric, see how it hangs, walk around in it. Look on all the rails, including menswear and teens, you never know what you might discover. Oh and it's okay to leave a charity shop empty-handed, there really is no rush.
Caroline Jonesby Jenny Smith
What does fashion mean to you?
I see fashion as the gateway to styling and styling is how I express myself, bringing me far more pleasure than the 'what's-in-fashion' lane. I'm 56 in August which means I've been around the fashion planet many times, so I see retailers and designers hitting the repeat button over and over and that means I can dismiss styles that I don't feel work for me and instead focus on gathering up pieces - velvet, tailoring, denim, tweed, t-shirts, lambswool knits, costume jewellery, rolled-edge silk scarves... that bring me joy.
Caroline Jonesby Jenny Smith
Is there anything in your life that you’ve done that you would only have done thanks to being older?
Without doubt, at the age of 46, my year-long 2015 fundraising campaign 'Knickers Model's Own' pushed me way out of my comfort zone, both creatively and from a public facing perspective. I found myself well and truly under the spotlight and I think had I been any younger I probably would've talked myself out of it. I discovered both my second-hand styling 'voice' and my fundraising 'voice', giving me huge confidence to stand up and speak publicly. Discovering a passion for a topic is a wonderful feeling and I try and use it to make a positive difference.
Caroline Jonesby Jenny Smith
What advice would you give to your teenage self?
To see what I now see and to tell my teen self "My gosh Caroline, you have the most beautiful eyes, skin, hair, tummy, bottom, arms, teeth, knees, elbows, eyelashes...."
Caroline JonesBy Jenny Smith
How’s the menopause been for you so far and what kind of impact has it had on your life, if any?
Joining up the dots has helped: the aches, the fog, the lethagy, the facial bloody hair, the lack of confidence spilling over into my life and an acceptance that my body has and is changing. I do my best to help myself, so I talk about it with my husband, my family, my close friends, I take HRT, I have days where I go slow, I have days where I'm full of energy, I walk, I love my yoga and I use styling as my armour of choice.
Caroline Jonesby Jenny Smith
Any words of wisdom for women over 40?
From my teens through to my thirties I thought far more about my age, my capabilities and where I fitted in. Now I rarely stop to think about how old I am, I just do stuff, somethings work out, somethings don't quite happen, but I never use my age as a reason to think I can't do something. I also love to have friendships with older and younger people, conversations full of insight, observations and laughter. We've gotta find laughter!
Caroline Jonesby Jenny Smith
I think it's fair to say that our hormones have affected us all at some time in our lives be it puberty, PMT, pregnancy or the menopause. If that's you then check out my podcast, Dear Hormones, hopefully it'll make you smile. You can listen to it here.