The Great Clothing Swap

Everyone has clothing in their closet, attic, dresser, what have you - clothes that we just don't wear. Maybe it doesn't fit correctly. Maybe you've gained weight. (oops!) Maybe you've lost weight (hurray!) Maybe you had a baby or two or ten and your body, she just isn't shaped the same ever since that last one.

Or maybe you have a shoe habit. You buy shoes, wear them once, and never again.They lay in sad, lonely solitude scattered around your closet.

Or you love to buy pocketbooks, and never carry the same one twice.(Psst - I'll bet if you check one of them, you might find your missing lipstick.)

Or jewelry. Earrings. Bracelets. Necklaces. Gauges.

Sorry. No gauges. Euw.

Why not host a clothing swap? I've done it twice and loved it beyond all rhyme or reason, and I'm planning a third for August.

Invite every woman you can think of, in any shape or any size - well, maybe you should limit it to friends. The point is, don't limit it to women of a certain size - so not just your size. You may have something that fits a woman you never dreamt of, and she may have the very thing for which you've been searching for months. Give your guests about a month's heads up. I know it sounds like a lot, but, trust me - you'll need a month - and so will everyone else.

In the invite - which I usually do via Facebook and email - say the following:

Come one, come all to the clothing swap! Clean out your closets, look in your attics and find those clothes you bought with the best of intentions - the ones you swore you'd lose ten pounds to fit into, the dress you spent the electric bill payment on, the shoes you hid from your spouse and never had the courage to wear out in public. Bring the freshly washed duds - on hangers, please, with a piece of masking tape on the front with the size marked - and get ready for a swap!

I typically have a couple of hanging racks - I use them for ironing, and for coats - and we tend to try to sort stuff according to size. Casually, because we all know that clothing sizes were created by Communists who hate Babies and no size 10  is ever the same size 10, even in an identical line.

Ask me how I know.

Jeans we typically fold and display on my fireplace area, and there are always skirts and shirts and sweaters that aren't hung, so we lay them across the sofa. Shoes go into one area, purses into another, jewelry a third.

And inevitably, there are some things brought that aren't clothes, etc. - kitchen stuff, movies, etc. Just designate an area for those items as well. Put out a roll of tape and a marker, just in case someone forgot to tag their stuff.

No one can swap until everyone is there - and this is the MOST important part of the evening, and what really MAKES the entire thing work, so straighten up and pay attention to this next thing -

Everyone needs to bring a dish to share, or something to drink - and everyone MUST partake.

Trust me. There is absolutely NOTHING worse than a party where every participant brings beautiful food and beverage and no one eats for fear of looking like a glutton.

Invite me. You will always look like a picky eater next to me. I eat like it's my last meal. Every time.

After everyone has gotten a plate and a beverage, hand out brown paper bags and open the swap. Hopefully you've gotten rid of the family, because the thing that makes it so cool is that everyone grabs clothes, goes into different rooms and shucks down to the skin and tries new outfits on. Then you have a house full of unbiased guests, who can tell you with absolute honesty, "Yes! That looks amazing on you!" or, "Hmmmm. Maybe not." Or, my personal favorite, "Try this - I loved it and I think it'll look stunning on you!"

Having the kids away is key.

After everyone is done, grab some empty (clean!) garbage bags and pack it all up. Have a guest take it with her, and hopefully she can drop it at a thrift store on her way home.

It's an amazing way to get an entirely new wardrobe, or even just a fresh pick me up - for nothing.

It's recycling at it's finest.

Comments

[Jen]

You know, I would LOVE to do this. But. I am 5'1" and I can count on ONE hand the number of women I know at this height. And don't even get me started on the booty size, which makes finding clothing even MORE fun. Not. :/
But. Because I like and trust you, I'll consider doing this once we finally move. I'll call it a way to meet new friends and neighbors. :)

[Jen]

Yeah, that should TOTALLY read 5'11" I haven't seen 5'1" since 4th grade. Sigh...long week...

[Valerie]

I have done this, with 5 of us of wildly different sizes and shapes. We all had amazing things hiding in our closets. It was a great way to get rid of a lot of things, get a few new things, and make a substantial donation of clothing and accessories to a women's shelter at the end.

Though it was odd to see my old clothes on new bodies when friends came to visit....

[amie]

Thank you so much, Carmen !!! Going to do one, will let u know how it goes.

[Annika]

I'm planning a swap later this summer for craft supplies. Maybe we'll do clothes in the fall!

[Megan]

Great idea! I had someone give me a box full of old clothes a few months ago. I went through it, saved a few things, and the rest sat on my bedroom floor for awhile. Then I got serious, cleaned out my closets, and was going to haul everything to the thrift store when one of my co-workers said, "Awww, let us look through it first!"

Much to my shock, three women of varying sizes and body types took almost everything. And when they were done, one person offered to bring the rest to the store for me. Which was nice because the drop-off hours and location were not convenient to me.

I bet they'd all show up for a clothing swap. But it'll have to wait awhile, because my new year's resolution was to stop buying tank tops.

[Elizabeth]

This is something I could do with my sister-in-laws at the very least. They have all lost weight, keep clothes forever (sequin strapless nylon jumpsuit anyone?) and buy really nice stuff. Throw in the grown up neices, their friends and voila a party!

[Gina]

Hey Jen, you can invite me! I'm 5'13". Any chance you're moving to South Dakota: )

[addy]

I would love to do this. I donate stuff on a regular basis just to get it out ot my closet!

[Carrie]

This is something I have always wanted to do. Your post motivated me to go ahead and send out the invite. July 9th it is! Thanks for the tips. :)

[Headless Mom]

I'm thinking that I should host one of these for kid's clothes. Most of my local pals have boys-they are all shapes and sizes so it would be perfect for us!