Saturday my plans for a new kind of party came to successful fruition. I've always enjoyed planning and having parties, especially when they go off without a hitch. I'm not talking large raving, drunken parties - I never have enough energy for those, for hosting or for cleaning up after them. But small dinner parties and the like... much more fun.
So my latest plan, which came to me in a flash, like intuition or an epiphany, a lightning bolt sent from the heavens... you get the idea. Anyway, all of a sudden, I thought, what a great way to update and clear out my wardrobe, by throwing a party and exchanging them with other peoples' unwanted clothes! Voila'! The Thanksgiving Clothes Swap was born.
Ayah. Some people, not into the idea of reusing other peoples' clothes, might not appreciate how brilliant my idea was. Others might like to try it for themselves.
Five of my girlfriends came over, with bags of clothes they didn't wear anymore, and I put some wine on the stove to mull while we chatted and I created a hasty party soundtrack. We thought about some different strategies for the exchanges, and ended up with the easy, chaotic, and fun idea of just tossing the clothes out on the floor and just going for it. Then, we spent an hour trying on multiple pieces of clothing, and picking out what each of us liked best. One of the most useful things about trying on clothes with girlfriends is the way they'll tell you when things look good, and when they don't.
Some guidelines that we found useful, though not entirely necessary:
So my latest plan, which came to me in a flash, like intuition or an epiphany, a lightning bolt sent from the heavens... you get the idea. Anyway, all of a sudden, I thought, what a great way to update and clear out my wardrobe, by throwing a party and exchanging them with other peoples' unwanted clothes! Voila'! The Thanksgiving Clothes Swap was born.
Ayah. Some people, not into the idea of reusing other peoples' clothes, might not appreciate how brilliant my idea was. Others might like to try it for themselves.
Five of my girlfriends came over, with bags of clothes they didn't wear anymore, and I put some wine on the stove to mull while we chatted and I created a hasty party soundtrack. We thought about some different strategies for the exchanges, and ended up with the easy, chaotic, and fun idea of just tossing the clothes out on the floor and just going for it. Then, we spent an hour trying on multiple pieces of clothing, and picking out what each of us liked best. One of the most useful things about trying on clothes with girlfriends is the way they'll tell you when things look good, and when they don't.
Some guidelines that we found useful, though not entirely necessary:
1. Everyone must have fun.
2. Everyone must bring something, and exhanges only are to be made. You must end up with exactly the number of things you brought, unless at the very end people still want to give items away and there aren't enough things left over to exchange.
2.5. Exchanges should be made at an even ratio, so everyone ends up with a similar number of items at the end
3. There will be no negative judging of clothing
3.5 Clothes must be tried on and viewed by others, who may comment on how well it fits (or doesn't). Honesty is strongly recommended.
4. There will be a contest at the end to see who can come up with the most outrageous outfit created out of the items that everyone has brought. I will work on a prize for this.
5. Leftovers that are not exchanged may be given away (see rule #2) but everything must go to charity, which is not exchanged or given away. No throwing away any items of clothing will be permitted!
2. Everyone must bring something, and exhanges only are to be made. You must end up with exactly the number of things you brought, unless at the very end people still want to give items away and there aren't enough things left over to exchange.
2.5. Exchanges should be made at an even ratio, so everyone ends up with a similar number of items at the end
3. There will be no negative judging of clothing
3.5 Clothes must be tried on and viewed by others, who may comment on how well it fits (or doesn't). Honesty is strongly recommended.
4. There will be a contest at the end to see who can come up with the most outrageous outfit created out of the items that everyone has brought. I will work on a prize for this.
5. Leftovers that are not exchanged may be given away (see rule #2) but everything must go to charity, which is not exchanged or given away. No throwing away any items of clothing will be permitted!
6. There will be gossiping. We will require full disclosure.
The best perks? Free clothes that have been reused, giving clothes a second chance, seeing the delight on friends' faces when they try on a flattering piece, and the gossip and good times that accompany the swapping.
Oh yes, and the "craziest outfit" included a beret, a sparkly black top with a cut-out back, a teal knee-length skirt with a flower print, and cowboy boots. Unfortunately the words don't do the outfit justice, but I hope to get a picture up eventually.
The best perks? Free clothes that have been reused, giving clothes a second chance, seeing the delight on friends' faces when they try on a flattering piece, and the gossip and good times that accompany the swapping.
Oh yes, and the "craziest outfit" included a beret, a sparkly black top with a cut-out back, a teal knee-length skirt with a flower print, and cowboy boots. Unfortunately the words don't do the outfit justice, but I hope to get a picture up eventually.
No comments:
Post a Comment