Looking to refresh your wardrobe but can't spare the cash? Get a few of your good friends together for an afternoon or evening of fun, fashion and makeovers, and host a clothing swap party!
Party Planning Basics
Pick an afternoon or evening and clear it with your friends and their parents. Instruct each friend to pick five to 10 pieces they don't wear anymore. Make sure the clothes are in good shape, not ripped or stained, and have everyone check with their parents to make sure the clothes they're bringing are okay to swap.
When picking your swaps to share, select clothes that don't fit, don't fit your style, or that you know you won't wear again. You can also bring accessories like scarves, belts, hats, sunglasses or costume (fake) jewelry. If you or your guests are shy or modest about changing in front of each other, wear a bathing suit or body suit underneath your clothes.
Set Up
Set up your party space like it's a store or dressing room. You'll need a full-length mirror, a place to display all the clothes and accessories, a camera to capture all the great styles, snacks and good lighting. Keep the snacks clean -- pretzels, popcorn and clear liquids -- so the clothes don't get covered with Cheeto dust, Oreo crumbs or orange soda!
Party Time
As guests arrive, put their items on display and let everyone wander around and check out the merchandise. Try everything on and mix and match outfits together. Take pictures of each look and help each other create styles that work. Once everyone has had a chance to see what they like, in the order that they arrived, each girl can pick one item. Go around the room in turn, picking one item at a time, until all items have been selected. To be fair, each girl can only pick the number of items they brought.
Create a slide show of all the photos or print them out so everyone can recreate their best looks at home.
If any items are left over after the swap, set them aside to donate to a local charity.
Have Your Say
Have you ever swapped clothing with a friend? Planning a party of your own? Tell us about it in the comments section below.
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