There’s nothing more fun than getting new stuff for free.
What if you could get stuff for free — new fashion, to be exact — while also detoxing your closet of unnecessary and unwanted clutter, and doing all of the above in a social environment amongst old and new friends?
Welcome to a swap party – the best way to throw an event that brings together women and men looking for an excuse to finally organize their drawers and shelves in exchange for some new-to-them pieces for their wardrobes. Oh, and also an excuse to have fun, socialize and get stuff for free, too.
Swap events are organized both on the mass and independent level. I visited Philly Swap last weekend to shoot a special webisode for Sammy Davis Vintage on YouTube.The event was an example of how a community can come together in recognition of shared individuality through sustainable style. Instead of letting unwanted clothes go unworn, the event encouraged Philadelphians to contribute their “trash” to the event so that it could become another swapper’s treasure.
After attending the swap, I was inspired to write an article for AOL’s Lemondrop blog on how to host a swap party in your very own living room. Read on for a shorter version of that article [which you can read in entirety here], and for all the tips you need to organize a swap party for your family and friends this fall. I’m planning one in November for my friends in New York City — if you’re in the area, drop me a line [sammy@roadhugusa.com] and let me know if you’d be interested in attending!
Inviting Your Guests
When to Invite
Give guests around a month’s notice pre-swap by emailing a quick save-the-date. That way, anyone particularly attached to their closets have enough time to finally let go of their freshman year fashion. Expect about 60 percent of those who said “yes” to actually show up. To keep shoppers from literally stepping on one another’s style, plan your space to provide enough room for seating, mirrors, the swag and enough elbow room to comfortably move between them.
Whom to Invite
Whom you invite can make or break a successful swap. If you invite a group that includes a 4-foot-10 girl, be sure to invite another friend someone who’s at least semi-close to her body type for balanced swapping to occur. Try to be accommodating of everyone, size-wise, and encourage bringing accessories to ensure that something fits everyone.
How to Invite
Forego overplayed (and often overlooked) Facebook event invites and try the more elegant Paperless Post to email an invitation direct to people’s inboxes that’s appealing enough to open.
Use the invite to tell guests what to bring — and what not to bring. That means no damaged attire (we see you, pit stains) and everything must be clean. Note that a swap party is not a donation center drop-off — you don’t want guests bringing a truckload of stuff into your living room. Keep the swap space from looking like a free-for-all sample sale by telling guests to bring fairly current clothing only.
Setting Up Swap
Space
While you can’t quite transform your living room into Saks, you can create a space that’s more suited to shopping than watching “Project Runway.” Remove stacks of magazines, pet toys, remote controls and other unsightly clutter. Hang a tapestry over your fireplace. Play music to set the mood.
Use a coffee table to fold sweaters or pants that can’t be hung. Decorative plates, mugs or even a bulletin board help to display jewelry DIY-style. Temporarily remove silverware from its drawer organizer and use to compartmentalize jewelry in one place. Take down paintings from your walls and use the nails beneath to hang long necklaces and bracelets. Grab a dish rack or drying rack from your laundry room to position scarves, belts and other skinny pieces of clothing or accessories.
Every guest is going to want face time with a mirror, so don’t just rely on the one in your bathroom. Ask a few guests to lend you full-length mirrors that you can spread around the space.
Tools
Rack
Throwing clothes on the floor for guests to sort through is the simple option, but definitely sans style. Invest in a few cheap and collapsible (read: easy to store) clothing racks, like this one from Target. (Or pick them up on the cheap on Craigslist.)
Don’t want to throw down the cash for something you’ll only use once? Reinvent your living room by using curtain rods, fireplace mantels and even the back of doors to hang clothes. Or direct traffic to your bathtub and repurpose the shower curtain rod into a makeshift clothes rack — just don’t turn on the water.
Bags
Reminding guests to bring their own bags for take-home purposes is the least stressful alternative to actually seeking out the bags yourself. Or, if you’ve been hoarding plastic and paper shopping bags from the grocery store anyway — now’s the time to reuse them in their full glory! Position bags openly in the swap area, encouraging guests to place their finds in bags as they shop to prevent clothes from laying everywhere and clogging up precious seating space.
Swapping in Style
Shop Start
Give guests an hour or so to arrive, munch and mingle before the official swap start. That way, you can organize their clothing by size for more organized shopping. Provide plenty of seating space for pre-shop socializing — comfortable guests are more likely to help dress and encourage one another to try on items.
Etiquette
Print a short swap rule sheet for guests to read when socializing pre-swap. Some rules to consider:
*Thou shalt shop this swap like a regular store
*Thou shalt return items to their original location
*Thou shalt try on no more than 3 items at a time
*Thou shalt respect all styles (these are the old clothes of attendees who may overhear comments)
*Thou shalt take no more swap items than one brought
*Thou shalt encourage and applaud the style of swap partners
*Thou shalt have fun!
Encouragement
When your shoppers seem swapped out, dive into the racks and pull items to display and suggest specific shoppers. Encourage guests to try on pieces you’d like to see on them most — your roll as swap host is a powerful influence. Remind guests that they don’t have to personally wear everything they take. You may not realize it now, but that too-small-for-you sweater could just what your mom wants for her birthday. Swap a few extra pieces to hold for future birthday and holiday gifts.
Wrapping Up Swap
Clean-Up
After you’ve picked up a new wardrobe that’s all your own, use leftover shopping bags to fold away the remaining stock swap and stow it in your car. Don’t throw anything away – it may be unwanted by your guests, but there’s still life to that style.
Donation
The swap benefits don’t stop when the last guest leaves. Take leftover items to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army and feel good knowing you’re donating clothing to benefit charity. Tip: While you can often leave bags in stand-alone donation bins in parking lots, giving bags directly to charity store associates allows you to ask for a donation tax receipt. Estimate the worth of what you’re donating to use as a tax-write off come April.
One of my swap finds from the Philly Swap modeled above!
Swap Bonus!
As host, you get dibs on leftovers! Snag something you wouldn’t normally wear for cost-free experimentation. Swap parties encourage the birth of new style without charge-card risks. So go ahead and wear that freebie — if you don’t like it, you can always keep it for next season’s swap encore!