Gone are the days where wearing second hand meant being forced to wear your older brother’s hand-me-downs that had been ‘customised’ by your mum to make them ‘more girly’ (usually involving copious amounts of lace trim and/or an iron-on patch). All we had to do was replace the words ‘second hand’ with ‘vintage’ or ‘retro’ and voila, old has become the new new. With celebrities like Dita Von Teese and Nicole Richie leading the way down (fashion) memory lane, second hand is now far more Grammy than Granny, and not only that but it’s incredibly bank-account and environment friendly too.
Vintage clothing shops have been popping up like daisies across the UK, but despite their musty smell and questionable music choices, they do tend to be quite pricey. And while charity shops can contain some great hidden gems, finding them does often involve trawling through rail after rail of corduroy trousers and velveteen blouses. Of course some do succeed in pulling these off, but it’s fair to say that for mere mortals like me such items should stay firmly in the hands of those in possession of a free bus pass.
So for those of you looking for a fast, fun and pricetag-less way to pick up some second hand sizzlers, why not consider hosting your very own clothes swapping event. For those of you who haven’t heard of these before, it involves gathering up a group of people armed with clothes, shoes and accessories that they’ve never had the right occasion to wear, that no longer fit, or they’ve simply gone off, and bringing them all together in one place to be oggled over and exchanged – as they say, one girl’s Crocs are another girl’s Louboutins. Not only does this eradicate the corduroy problem, it also means that the clothes are completely free, and you get the added benefit of catching up with friends or meeting new people at the same time. Here are my top 5 tips for hosting a clothes swap party to remember…
1) Choose a venue
Probably the easiest and cheapest place to host your swapping event is chez vous. Of course if you wanted to make it a big event, it’s usually easy to hire out community centre halls, or even function rooms in hotels or restaurants to make it extra swanky. Ask around for old clothes rails you can borrow (you mum/nan is probably your best bet), or Homebase have them on sale for just over £8. Alternatively, you could try stringing washing line from wall to wall and peg clothes on, or simply lay them out on tables.
2) Invite your guests
Send out invitations that include a list of guidelines – clothes should be washed beforehand (and ironed if necessary), in good condition, and advise that old pairs of knickers or socks may not be best-sellers (except of course where Agent Provocateur is involved – if so, gimme). Ask for donations to be dropped off before the event so that you’ve got a good amount to get you going on the day.
3) Have a wardrobe overhaul
Don’t just rely on your guests to provide the goods -make sure you’ve got something to offer too. A good amount is between 5-10 items of clothing, shoes, jewellery and other accessories each. Be ruthless! My rule is that any item of clothing which hasn’t been worn in a year or more has to go. And no, you can not use the ‘but what if I need it for fancy dress’ excuse.
4) Provide food and refreshments
There’s nothing quite like a sausage roll to make your guests feel welcome. If you feel like going upmarket, pink champagne (/chambrini) and cupcakes go down a treat. If you’re looking for something a bit more laid back (and kinder to the purse) serve up jugs of punch or sangria, and scatter around bowls of crisps and dip. Of course, just offering a nice cup of tea is enough to quench a retail-therapy-induced thirst.
5) Take any leftovers to a charity shop
Don’t let things go to waste – put any unwanted items in bin bags and drop them off at your local charity shop. They will be more than happy to take them off your hands.
Happy swapping!
SIA 