I’m sure you’ve heard of these. Clothing and purse swaps are quickly becoming a new fad. Sometimes open to the public, oftentimes hosted for friends, swaps are a great way to get rid of items you no longer wear and pick up a few things you will. The way it works is simple: you bring things you no longer wear, display them with everyone else’s items and choose items for yourself.

Non-hosting Options

If you aren’t interested in hosting a party, there’s probably a public swap happening in your town. Try a google search for clothing swap + your city name to see when the next swap is.
Clothing Swap is a business that organizes swaps around the country (and tons in California). Check their website for a list of events.
Or, if you’d rather stay at home, Swap Style is a virtual swap. You can post items you’d like to swap and search for specific items you’d like to own.


All of those options are great services, but the funnest way to participate in this craze is to host your own clothing or purse swap. Read more for how to do host a swap party.

How to Host a Swap Party

Invites

When you invite your guests, specify what they need to bring.
If you’re hosting a designer purse party, make sure guests understand that they need to bring a real designer purse. If you’re swapping regular purses, you might want to specify the price range of the purses.
If you’re hosting a clothing swap, don’t get too hung up on sizes. Tell your guests to bring any gently used or new items they no longer want.

Displaying Items

For a clothing swap, have everyone place their items on a table or in the middle of your living room floor. Offer a place to try clothes on or tell your guests to wear a bathing suit or leotard. If your guests are not too modest, your party might resemble an open dressing room. Don’t limit the number of items each person can take. If the clothes fit and people want them, they should take them. It’s probably not necessary, but encourage your guests to be fair if there are many ladies that share the same size.
A purse swap looks a bit more civilized. Usually, each lady will bring just one purse. Have the purses displayed on a table. To avoid unpleasantness, draw names to order the choosing.

Refreshments

You should definitely offer some snacks and beverages during the swap. Make it festive and fun for your guests!

Aftermath

When the choosing is over, gather all of the unwanted items and take them to a local charity.

Your thoughts…

Have you ever attended a swap? What do you think of this idea? Do you have any questions or tips to add? Leave your thoughts in the comments.