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swappity swap
Wednesday 31 May, 2006
I'm here! it's just paper-grading time again, which means I have to behave like someone with a "real job" - hah! and use most of my computer time for working.
I went to possibly THE BEST clothes swap I've ever been to on Sunday night...and I must have been to at least ten. It wasn't just because I got lots of fabulous things (a friend who used to be the same size as me has shrunk a few sizes and so I inherited lots of her skirts, tops, and a fab dress-thing she made from a vintage petticoat! Whee!) but it was because everyone who was there got LOTS and was really happy and excited by their scores.
There is nothing worse than a clothes swap where one or two people trudge sadly home with nothing in their hands, or a clothes swap where the people there aren't actually 100% ready to give the stuff away and keep changing their minds and then get talked into taking their stuff home! (Yep - I've seen it happen.)
I also witnessed two friends fighting over a pair of op-shop paisley PJ pants that I was giving away and I eventually was called on to decide who should get them! It's so true about one person's cast off being another person's treasure!
Here are my thoughts about how to run the optimum clothes swap:
::Firstly, and mostly importantly, it is KEY to invite a good range of people with different tastes in clothes and different sizes! There is no point inviting one size 16 person to a clothes swap where everyone else is size 10, because they will go home empty-handed (and probably annoyed at your thoughtlessness!) And no, it isn't the same in reverse..because lower sized people can always wear clothes don't fit them, or adjust the clothes, but the same isn't true in reverse - if something is too small- it's just too small!
::When they arrive, ply your guests with lots of nice drinks and supper to get a happy mood going.
::Only take to the clothes swap clothes, accessories, shoes etc THAT YOU ARE TOTALLY OVER and are happy to donate, and don't care who gets them and what they might do to them. e.g. when you hear that your 7th form ball dress is going to be cut up for craft projects by someone - you need to be OK with this, otherwise you are not ready to get rid of it!
::Once you're all ready for some swap-action - it is most fun and also most efficient, if each person briefly 'showcases' what they have, so that people can see everything and also hear the often funny stories behind the clothes e.g. "this is a botched sewing project blah blah" or "I can't wear this dress anymore because it reminds me of my ex" etc.
You can either throw the clothes to the person who expresses interest at this stage, or do the big swaparama after all the showing off stuff. It's up to you. On Sunday, we distributed as we went.
:: Although it is called a 'swap' don't be anal as in "what will you give me for it?" sorta thing. I think it is generally accepted that you bring stuff, you'll go with stuff so there is no need to make direct one-to-one swaps for everything - it just makes the whole thing a little stressful and too much like being a normal consumer type of thing. Like karma, give well and you will receive in abundance! :)
:: If you are hosting, make sure that there is a room away from the swapping room where people can try stuff on if they want to, with a mirror. By the same token, if people want to take things without having tried them on first, that is their business! (Unless multiple people want the same thing, then maybe it would be fair for it to go to the person it fits best?)
:: Another optional thing to consider, if you have a car or whatever, is that you can say to people that they can leave the stuff they bought but didn't get rid of with you, and then you can do one big dump to the clothes bin to save your friends from letting things they should really be chucking out creep back into their wardrobes!
:: You don't have to stop at clothes - books, accessories, shoes and craft materials were also swapped on Sunday night.
:: At the end of the night, express gratitude to all of you fellow clothes swapees about all of the fabulousness you scored - and then amuse each other in the weeks to come seeing what your friends do with your pink bell-sleeved top or the blue sparkly frock etc.
P.S - If you stay in one place long enough - you will see the same things get swapped and re-swapped, and sometimes you might even take your old things home with you after a break of a year or two! Strange how good that old polyester shirt can look after you haven' worn it for a year and you've seen your mate 'work it' in ten different cool combinations. Heh.
Mostly importantly, have a lot of fun and SWAP OFTEN!
posted by Helen on 31 May, 2006 | 11:38am
COMMENTS
Hi- thank you for all that great advice- some friends and I were thinking of planning such a swap but I hadn't thought of any of those points- so your post is very timely and useful. Sounds like so much fun!
Posted by melissa on 31 May, 2006 | 2:20pm
you look so very sweet in this picture...
yep...so much fun. The few other clothing swaps I've been to we've just dumped everything in a heap and rummaged. The 'show and tell' method is loads better, both in terms of seeing what there is and having fun. It was like getting several little shows!!!
xx
Posted by rachael on 31 May, 2006 | 4:54pm
Had never heard of this before...what a fantastic idea!!! Wonderful.
Posted by Shelly on 07 June, 2006 | 10:38pm
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