(A close-up of my haul from the swap)

Ok, so I’ll admit it, I’d never done it before so I was nervous. They say the first time is always the hardest and you just have to jump in head first. Switching it up and gaining exposure to something different is important, right?!? Well after about a month of planning, today was the day. It was going to happen…

I’m speaking, of course, of a Fashion Swap.

(Part of the set-up is a garment rack.)

Huh:

If you’ve never done this or don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s the deal: Someone (aka- the host) decides to invite friends over, asking them to bring their sassy, stylish selves and a minimum of ten clean, pressed pieces (accessories are great too). Anything left unswapped will be donated to charity unless the original owner wants to take it back.

Planning
What you will definitely need:
1. A garment rack (I got one at Target for under $20)
2. Extra hangers (not everyone brings clothing and hangers
3. To think like a retailer… you’ll need table space for “foldables” — think sweaters, pants, leggings etc…– and accessories like jewelry; you’ll also want trays or baskets to organize and/or separate stuff
4. To give guests ample planning time–remember they need to clean out their closets
5. A dressing room area (or areas) with mirrors
6. To consider a balance of shapes / sizes and heights for the guest list–you can’t have only one 5’11” person if everyone else is 5’2″.
7. Consider messiness when putting together your menu… There are going to be people trying on clothes

(Edibles: some are sweet, some salty, some are both )

(The inside of my fridge)

Refreshments:
Food is not the focus here…I had some quick bites, a cheese plate, hummus and veggies, chips and salsa, nuts and popcorn. And I have to have sweets: mini cookies, brownies and strawberries, mango and pineapple with Nutella served with skewers so guests can make dessert-kabobs. For beverages, I bought white and rose Prosecco and Skinny Girl Cosmopolitan.

(The sign of a successful swap = empty hangers–yes, at one time all of these held an article of clothing)

Governance:
If you are expecting a lot of people, you can institute a ticket policy where each item brought entitles the attendee to a ticket, and each ticket is redeemable for another item.

What I’d Do Again:
– Keep it small: 6-10 is good, any more and there wouldn’t be enough rack space.
– Invite people who don’t know each other: this wasn’t intentional, but it worked and I think may have been why no one was self-conscious.
– Invite people around the same height/size.

What I’d Do Differently:
– Buy less food / drink, I served MUCH less than usual, but I needed even less than that.
– Get a second mirror…and a full-length (I meant to, I just forgot).

(One of my “swap scores,” a trenchcoat)

Today was totally fun, I loved my haul and it was fabulous to see things I am not ever going to wear (or wear again) go to good use–it was embarrassing going through my closets and finding things with tags still on them–not to mention uncovering lovely new gems to add to my closet.

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