"Guilt-free shopping"--that's how Rachel & Nia referred to the Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry, & Accessories Swap they hosted at Rachel's house last weekend. And what a swap it was! Our hosts were so thoughtful of their guests & so well organized, it was a huge success.
Our beautiful hosts: Rachel & Nia
 Rachel |  Nia Rachel & Nia are in the midst of a "shopping freeze." They are supporting each other in not buying any new clothes until January! |
Two items I brought to swap:
 | I was glad that the invitation to the swap came early in the summer, so I had a couple months to sort through my clothes & accumulate things to swap. Rachel & Nia invited about 20 people to the event, & about 12 attended. |
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An elegant affair
| Rachel & Nia had done so much work in advance to make the swap work easily. Tables were labeled with the different categories of "merchandise," & an empty closet upstairs served as a "Boutique" where we hung our best or most expensive things.  |   |
| Everything was free pickings except the things in the Boutique--we put stickers with our names on our favorites and then worked it out later. We enjoyed beer, wine, & delicious snacks! Rachel put full-length mirrors around the house and welcomed us to use any room we wanted to try on clothes. |
Something for eveyone
As the women walked into the house, I was struck by how well dressed they were! There were also women of all sizes, so that everyone would be able to find something in her size amidst the clothes they brought. I went home with two bags of new things without spending a dime: a super nice real leather belt, a lovely necklace, two lovely ruffled blouses (Lei & Eddie Bauer), a pretty rose-colored tunic (Forever 21), a grey wrap sweater, a little halter top (Banana Republic), gray jeans (Forever 21), gray work pants (Loft), a printed skirt, & a pair of camel boots (Nine West) that I plan to have dyed dark brown. Truly—I made out!!  I had no trouble finding many things I liked at the swap--here's everything I got  Here are my four favorites: a Gordini tee, a Liz Claiborne wide leather belt, a Lei ruffled blouse, and a lovely necklace | |
Aftermath
 Rachel donated eight bags of clothes to charity after the swap was over. |
We left having met some new people, found some great new things to wear, having given our clothes & jewelry a new life, & having had a great time!
Rachel is thinking of making the swap an annual affair. I know she got some lovely items in the swap, & I hope it helps keep her shopping cravings at bay until the freeze ends.
Have you ever been to a swap? I've been invited to two in the past year, & I hear from friends that it's the latest trend. I think you could do it on a smaller scale too--just get together with a couple friends & swap. With a small group, you might enjoy telling the stories of the clothes that you've brought to swap.
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