Tuesday, August 9, 2011

how to host a clothing swap


this past saturday, my sister and i hosted a clothing swap.  we invite our friends over and told them to bring any gently worn (or new) clothing, shoes and accessories that they're ready to part with.  there were six of us in total...and more clothing than we knew what to do with : )

if you're ready for a wardrobe makeover, i highly recommend swapping items with your friends.  i came home with two huge bags of new-to-me clothing.  my bags were full of clothes from anthropologie, j.crew, gap, banana republic, etc.  it would have cost hundreds to buy all that new!

kate, sara, ashlee, hannah, me, cate
so, if you're intrigued...here are some simple tips to make your clothing swap a success.

1. invite in advance.  give your girls plenty of notice so that they have plenty of time to sort through, find and organize what they hope to exchange.

2. make space.  be certain to choose a location (we hosted it at my parents' house) that has plenty of room to lay everything out.  that way you can easily see what everyone brought.


3. offer food...and cocktails.  hannah (my sis) and i made homemade french bread pizzas, salad and sangria and ginger lemonade.  it made the event much more festive and everyone appreciated the "lunch break" mid-swap.  (i was thinking about posting the pizza recipes tomorrow if you're interested...)



4. have bags handy.  make sure you have extra bags (we used reusable "green" bags) so everyone is able to easily gather their items and pack them for transport.

5. donate.  whatever is not swapped, donate.  simple enough : )


we all had a blast, and everyone left with tons of clothing that they loved.  we're already discussing when to host the next cool-weather swap, so we can stock up on fall/winter items.

17 comments:

  1. this is a great idea and yes please post that recipe, it looks so good!

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  2. This is so fun and such a great idea!! I have to do it with my friends one day.

    Belly B :)

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  3. My friends and I did this a few years ago! It was so much fun and I even got some pieces that have never been worn and still had price tags on them!

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  4. I love this idea!! It's amazing! I'm already thinking of who I could invite!! How much fun!!

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  5. I've always wanted to do one of these - how excellent! Glad it went well! xoxo from Trinidad

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  6. I am a huge fan on swapping clothes! I love being able to get together with other young women share a few treats and eats and talk, not to mention have a fashion show while everyone tries on stuff and models around : )

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  7. what a fun party! did you invite people who are mostly the same size?

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  8. hi sam!

    all of us are relatively the same size, which did make swapping easier. but, with today's fashions (loose tops, tunics and slouchy dresses), it worked out well even though we weren't all exactly the same...

    cheers!
    cailen

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  9. Oh I been wanting to do this! However it is hard since most of my friends are not the same size. Looks like you all had a great time!

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  10. This is SUCH an incredible idea, and it sounds like your friends have excellent taste in clothes! :) As usual, your food looks amazing!! What a fun night that must have been!

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  11. I am now so inspired to host one myself! Incredible idea!

    I also love your happy hour post!

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  12. never heard of a clothing swap...I MAY just have to do this :)

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  13. awesome! my friends and i always talk about doing this but never do. this is good inspiration :)

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  14. this is THE COOLEST idea!! I love it! :)

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  15. What an awesome idea- thanks for all your tips! :)

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  16. What a fabulous idea! This would have worked in South Africa as all my friends were 5'8" or taller, we were all somewhere around a size 10 (US) and we just kind of all looked similar. In London, I feel like a giant sometimes! I'm taller than most people I know and either much smaller or much bigger than them. Boo. :)

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hello there. thank you for your comments - i love reading them.

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