The turn of seasons is a perfect time to clear the closet. I always enjoy pulling my sweaters and boots out of summer storage. It makes me excited for pumpkin treats and apple cider! However, there are undoubtedly things that I know I won’t ever wear again that I need to get rid of (to free up space for things I actually like!)
This year, I finally got myself together to host a clothing swap with a few friends. I had been wanting to for years. It turned out fantastic, and everyone is now excited to reconvene in the spring for another!
Here’s the basic rundown, so you can host one, too:
Send an invitation (email, evite, or snail mail, depending on how formal and organized you may be:) at least a full week ahead of time to a few friends. They need to have time to go through their clothes! If you choose people of similar style and somewhat similar size, the swap will be more successful.
In the invitation, specify to bring gently used clothes (in this case, fall/winter items) in good condition (without stains, rips, or holes), washed, ironed and hung on hangers. This makes the “shopping” so much more organized and fun!
Clear a space in your house for the swap so that as guests arrive, they can easily put out their items anonymously. A place to change and a full-length mirror also make the process more fun.
For my swap, I moved the sewing table out of my sewing closet and set it just outside. The shirts and skirts on hangers went in the closet in order of color, the folded pants went on the table, shoes went on the floor. I set a full length mirror from my bedroom on the floor near the clothes for easy viewing.
Cut several different colors of ribbon, string or yarn into 6″ pieces and lay them out by type. Each guest will claim one color as their own. As people “shop” they tie will their strings onto the hangers of the items they want. This way there is some method to the swap, and one pushy assertive person does not end up with every cool item!
Let the guests know that they may tie onto a hanger that already has been claimed. At the end, those items with two or more strings will simply be drawn for.
Make sure everyone knows they can try things on as they like.
At the swap here, it ended up feeling a little like a fashion show, with everyone chiming in about the others’ clothes.
Provide some simple food and beverage. Shopping creates an appetite!
I went very low key and old school with apples and peanut butter, crackers, salami and cheddar with ice water to hydrate:)
For as much time as seems reasonable (or however long you chose), let the perusing continue. If every person has tied all of their strings, hand out a couple more each. As things wind down, give a two-minute warning of final ties.
At my swap, this is where it got crazy! Clothes flew everywhere as my friends and I raced to figure out where best to put our picks. It was great!
When the specified time is up, have everyone sit down and begin handing out the clothes. Those items with a single string on the hanger go directly to that person. For the items with two or more strings, simply untie the strings, put them in a bowl, and have someone draw (blindly) for the winner!
It seemed to work out for us that if more than once the same two strings were tied onto items, the winner was different. I don’t think any one person ended up winning every draw. There was some question about whether the person with a thinner string, rather than the thicker yarn and twine, was at a disadvantage, but I think it was overall very fair and organized. In the Spring I think I’ll go with either same-weight ribbon or clothes pins to remove even the small doubt.
After all of the drawings, as you can assume most of peoples favorites to be handed out, tell everyone to take one more look and decide if they wanted anything else. The remaining items go into a basket to be donated.
I am feeling ready for Autumn in at least one way now! My wardrobe got just enough purging and spiffing up for me to feel renewed without spending a penny!
