Clothing Swap Success

I’m a big fan of the clothing swap. Yes, I’m selling a bunch of my pieces from my kit or my own closet on Copious.com, but there are just some items that I’ve loved for years and it’s good kharma to get them to your friends (and friends of friends), who may love them even more than you did.

Tonight I cleaned up at a clothing swap hosted by my friend Rachel of Nona E. Rose in the East Village. I scored with a Lauren Moffat dress, a Vince top,  Sam Edelman heels, American Apparel maxi dress and a rad oversized-shawl sweater that’s Olsen-worthy from Calypso, care of my friend also named Liz that used her employee discount but fell out of love with it—and now it’s love at first sight for me.

STYLIST TIP:
RULES OF A SUCCESSFUL CLOTHING SWAP 

1. Gather a group of stylish friends (5-12 usually work well) and have them each bring a bag of clothing/accessories they don’t want anymore. 

2. Supply snacks and spirits, and gather everyone in a circle.

3. Each person goes through their pile of clothing and tells a story about the item, as well as why they don’t want it anymore. Be honest about holes, stains, fit, and even if it’s from an ex-boyfriend.

4. If someone wants it, they must speak up…but if more than one person wants it, it goes in the center of the room to the “hot commodities” pile, where people can try on the pieces at the very end. 

5. Whatever is not claimed goes into the donation pile, which should be taken/picked up by a local charity. I’m partial to HousingWorks and The Opera Thrift Shop (which picks up for free in NYC!). 

6. Enjoy your new items and the satisfaction of giving your old ones a good home!

xoLiz