Fit the Bill: Fashion Swap

By Cool J
This Saturday was the official Fashion Swap, (preview here). It was a fun event, and I hope everyone thought it was a success.


Preparation:
To prepare, I purchased a few standalone wardrobes from Ikea:
(only $14.99!)

I also picked up some tags from Target to mark everyone's items with their initials. This was the most time-consuming part in the preparation. A few participants dropped off their items earlier in the week, which helped a lot with the organization. Next time, I would give each person the tags to mark their items themselves before they came over. Even though the tags weren't entirely necessary, a lot of the girls said they enjoyed knowing whose clothes they were trying on :)

 Originally, I had set up some rules for the swap- for every item you brought, you'd get a card to swap for another item.

However, after everyone arrived, we decided it would be more fun to have a free-for-all. I knew this was risky, as people might end up giving more than they received or vice versa, but all the girls came with an open mind, and they seemed okay with this plan.

These pictures are from when only a few people had dropped off their items. We had a LOT of clothes to choose from...

 

Snacks and wine were important for the success of this event. Since I ran the Goldy's 10 mile early in the day, I didn't have a ton of time to cook up some appetizers, so I decided to order a few appetizers from Broder's Cucina (such as these tasty caprese skewers, the Fulton flat breads, and a cheese tray)

 

 I also offered a "signature cocktail" made with Cake vodka and ginger ale.

 Personally, I obtained some killer items in the swap that I am really excited about:

such as the below fun Rachel Roy one shoulder dress that will be PERFECT in Vegas, and a short little BCBG number!

Skirts, tanks, workout tops, plenty of Lulu gear (my top and crops are both a swap from my friend Anne!)

The feedback I received was positive. I think the swap was a successful way for my group of friends to switch up their wardrobes for free. And another unexpected part of the fun was seeing your clothes work for someone else. A lot of the girls mentioned how nice it was to see a friend find a new item that wasn't quite right for the original owner, yet looked amazing on the friend!

Clean-up was easy, as the D-man helped me bag up all the leftover clothes for donation to Goodwill later this week.

A fashion swap is good for your closet, good for the pocketbook, and good for the community!

I highly recommend the fashion swap to others. I hope to make this a yearly event!