Filed under: clothes shopping, clothes swap, shopping, Uncategorized | Tags: clothes shopping, clothes swap, shopping
This morning my friend Paige and I headed across town to Swapapalooza, a superbly organized women’s clothing swap organized by some mothers from a Phinney Ridge neighborhood coop preschool. I got a completely new wardrobe of high fashion items for next to nothing! Here’s how it worked:
The women rented out a gym (windowless was key as people were stripping down to try on clothes!). Participating women registered on the Swapapalooza website for a fee of $10 which covered the costs, with extra dollars raised going to their kids’ coop preschool. The event was limited to 75 women. We were all given detailed instructions of what clothes to bring to the swap (consignment-worthy clothes, shoes, scarves, hats and purses), what not to (bathing suits, jewelry, and all ratty, unconsignable-in-the-real world clothes).
On the night before the swap we brought the clothes to the gym where the clothes went through a “fashion filter” — a designer type gal weeded out the good stuff, and tossed the not so good stuff. I, of course, disagreed heartily with her judgment call when most of my clothes were rejected (i.e., placed in the pile to donate to the local women’s shelter or the YMCA’s Dress for Success program). The number of items accepted equaled the number of tickets you got to “purchase” for free clothes at the swap. Any other items you wanted at the swap were yours for $5 each. Given the high end items available at the swap this was quite the deal, not to mention, a good way to raise money for their preschool.
The morning of the swap we women dashed through the doors at the appointed time and made beelines to the racks and tables containing our desired items, be they pants, shorts, skirts, dresses, tops, shoes, purses, scarves or the like. There were lots of mirrors scattered around the room so you could assess how the clothes looked on you before deciding on your “purchase.” Let’s just say, we pretty much all felt like we scored, because we walked out with a lot of nice stuff for nothin’!
This is the most organized clothing swap I have ever been to. Usually, my friends and I organize clothes swaps on our own once a year, with rotating hosts. If you are the host, you send out an evite or email inviting all your friends to invite all their friends to your house on a Saturday or Sunday. Husbands, kids, dogs and cats have to clear out for the two crazy hours of the swap. Folks arrive with their bags of clothes, etc. that they haven’t worn in a year, or years, and then we toss workout wear on one sofa, skirts over a chair, pants on the coffee table…you get the picture.
Once everyone has arrived and sorted their clothes into the appropriate piles the hostess says “Go!” and people start grabbing stuff. The rule is that you have to try on an item before you take it home. It may look good lying there on the pile, but it might not look so good on you, so this trying it on first rule allows someone who looks great in an outfit be the one to take it home. Over two hours you will hear 20 different kind ways of saying that something doesn’t look good on you or your friend. All in good spirit as women are generally quite happy when they are loading up on a whole new wardrobe while unloading their old stuff.
If you like the idea of giving clothes a second or third use, and can handle it if So and So is looking hot to trot around town in your now too tight jeans, then clothes swaps are for you. And, in my case, my pocket book and my husband love me for it!
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