The month of July snuck up on me like a bad joke, and considering that I’m still getting good use out of my rain boots, I would like a recall from Mother Nature.  But Mother Nature won’t hear my cries and July 4th will make every retail store within the tri-state area officially put their fall clothes on the racks in anticipation of some hungry buyers.  But instead of hitting the stores with last week’s paycheck, look to your friends for your new wardrobe.

Recently, I received an invite for a “Swap Party.” I’d heard of them before but I’d never been invited until now (I will assume this doesn’t reflect on my style). A Swap Party is where you bring any gently used clothing that you’re willing to swap with someone else’s goods. It could be anything from shoes you only wore once or a pair of jeans that you no longer fit into because of your weekly Pinkberry excursions.

The Swap Party asked each attendee to bring five pieces with them, so that everyone can hopefully walk away with five new additions to their wardrobe for what seems like for free.

A Swap Party is generally held at the beginning of a season, so when you fish out your clothes, you can swap anything that no longer fits or is of interest to you. The party is also great in the middle of season when you’re looking for some fresh new pieces to your wardrobe, but its impractical to buy new.

The only catch to a Swap Party is that if attendees want to swap mostly clothes, but are different sizes, it could get awkward. If you, the host, see that most of your attendees are different sizes, stress on swapping accessories instead. All you have to do after that is throw together some appetizers, drinks, and have shopping bags handy for your guests!

Any “leftovers” can be donated to a local charity, such as a Salvation Army or Goodwill. If you’ve already had your fair share of swapping you don’t want to be greedy and pounce on the leftovers. The idea is to purge your closet of items you’re not using, not add to it.

Be ready to have differing opinions on what is valuable and what is not. Some attendees may think their purse is worth two pieces of jewelry, but try to stick to the one-for-one rule to prevent too much haggling going on. This is your apartment, not Canal Street.

Swap Parties don’t have to be just once a season, your friends can decide to take turns as hosts, and by adding new people into the mix, your wardrobe will always be fresh but your wallet doesn’t have to take a hit.

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