What’s mine is yours, what’s yours is mine…
What’s mine is yours, what’s yours is mine…host a clothing and accessories swap!
For many of us, watching our budget can seem doable until that cute pair of shoes or sparkling pair of earrings catches our eye. A moment or two of rationalization later, and we’ve dropped another $20, $30 or $50 on something we probably didn’t really need in the first place.
When we were children, we outgrew clothes year round. Our parents provided us with new clothes, and before we could tire of them, we had outgrown them and it was onto a new wardrobe. As adults, we no longer have that excuse to buy a new wardrobe each season. It can be so tempting to go hog wild when we see new things in the stores, however, or even when we see a particularly great outfit on a friend.
The funny thing is, our friends feel the same way. The solution? Get together and have a swap meet! No, this isn’t a bunch of guys trading used car parts, this is you and your favorite fashionistas gathering to trade things that are old to you, but new to each other. Let’s face it—having these items sitting around collecting dust in the closet isn’t doing anyone any good. On the other hand, someone else could make good use of those items. Chances are, the scarf that you have tired of will be very appealing to one of your friends. The almost new jacket that never quite fit right may be perfect for someone else.
To start, have everyone go through their closets and purge them of everything that they no longer wear. Don’t feel limited to just clothing—go through scarves, costume jewelry, shoes, belts, headbands, barrettes, handbags. If you haven’t used it in a year, it’s likely you won’t use it again. Just make sure you’re not getting rid of things you can’t part with.
When instructing everyone to comb through their fashions, you may want to have a deadline. This will help keep everyone on track! Otherwise the date of your swap could be indefinitely postponed while waiting for the procrastinators to finally get this crucial step completed.
Once everyone has had a chance to clean out their closets, choose a date and place to get together for the swap. Ideally, you want to have a good sized location to display all the wares. You’ll also want to set up tables and/ or racks, depending on what everyone has to bring to the swap. In addition, have mirrors handy, as well as a spot for clothing try-ons.
Make sure you give yourselves some time for the swap. Once everyone is together, you’ll want to plan on spending a few hours together. One of the bonuses of the swap is that it is a great chance to socialize, as well as breathe new life into your wardrobe.
Let everyone browse through the various offerings, trying things on and asking for opinions as they go. To keep things fair, you may want to draw numbers, one through however many guests attend. If there is an item that two people want, whoever has the lowest number gets that item. Once they have used that “turn,” their turn is forfeited until everyone has had a “first” choice, if necessary. Usually these things are able to be resolved on their own, but it’s nice to have a backup plan—just in case.
To top off the swap, have everyone choose their favorite “new” outfit and model it for everyone else. And it doesn’t have to be an entire outfit—maybe it’s a great hat that frames someone’s face just so, or a great pair of shoes that one of the ladies loves to strut her stuff in. This is supposed to be informal and fun, so have a great time with it!
Make sure you have a camera on hand to take pictures of the “models” as they show off their new treasures. If possible, have someone take a picture of the whole group together donning their new duds, or set a timer on the camera—you want to make sure you have everyone in the photo.
Hang onto that group photo and use it to make a great invitation—you may want to make this swap a yearly event!