What is a clothing swap party, and how do you plan one? Did you ever swap clothes with your friends when you were a teenager? Wasn’t it fun? Having something different to wear without even having to ask your parents! Well, your parents don’t buy your clothes anymore and now you’re the one footing the bill. That means that getting new clothes is even more painful than just asking mom and dad. Not to worry though, instead of heading out shopping and spending money, you can have a clothing swap party! All the fun of new clothes, plus you get to have a great time with your friends and you don’t even have to get your wallet out! A clothing swap party is an absolutely awesome way to switch up your wardrobe.
What is a Clothing Swap Party?
A clothing swap party is just what it sounds like. A group of friends gather to swap out clothes worth one another, visit and have a great time. With a clothing swap party, you can include whatever you want. Be it outerwear, clothing, shoes and accessories or, if you wish, you can specify what people bring if you want to stick to just clothes or just shoes, etc.
Everyone will bring their clothing and place them on a table or shelf space dedicated for this party (hopefully you have dedicated spaces for each type of clothing). One person at a time will go in and pick out the clothing that they take (taking the same number of pieces as they brought with them). By the end of the night everyone will have some new to them clothing that they can mix up their wardrobe with.
The Benefits of a Clothing Swap – Swap Not Shop
You may be wondering why you should have or participate in a clothing swap. Clothing (this can include dress, business and casual wear, shoes, purses, jewelry and more) swaps can help you change up your wardrobe, get rid of clothing items that are no longer your size or style; but they are also great for saving your budget! No money is exchanged during the clothing swap parties.
How to Plan a Clothing Swap Party
If you are intrigued by the idea of a clothing swap party and you think you would like to host one, here are a few of my favorite tips on how to plan one.
First Pick a Date for Your Party
Let’s start by deciding what date you will be having your party. Most people get the itch to buy new clothing at the start of a new season, so this is a great time frame to have a clothing swap party! It’s a great way to keep the shopping bug away! Be sure not to plan it on a holiday or other busy date so you can have as many people arrive as possible. Be sure to consider the availability of your friends; would weekends, evenings or mornings work best?
Prepare an Invite with Party Rules Included
You can make a cute Clothing Swap Party invite and mail them out. But to keep costs down you can send an email, text, or use Facebook events to get the word out about your party! Be sure to include your party rules in the invitation. Make sure to answer the following questions:
- What kind of party it is. If it doesn’t say Clothing Swap Party, you may have a guest show up without any clothes to swap!
- What kind of stuff you are swapping. Are you cool with guests bringing clothes, shoes and accessories? Let them know that!
- Can they bring a friend? The more the merrier, right?! If you would like to boost your invite list, let your friends know that they can bring one of their friends to the party too!
- How many items to bring. Make sure your guests know how many items they can bring. I suggest allowing an unlimited amount of clothing to be brought, so that you have more stuff to choose from. To make it fair though, be sure that each person can only take as many items as they brought with them.
Make Your Guest List Big!
The more people you invite, the more clothing you will have to choose from! Additionally, it’s best to invite as many people as you can that are various sizes so that everyone is able to find clothing that fits them. Lastly, people are busy and will cancel so having a large list gives you a better opportunity for a good turn-out.
Plan to Play Some Games to Make the Clothing Swap More Fun
Have you ever played a game simply to see who gets to play the game first? Do this as an icebreaker at your clothing swap party. Even if it is something as simple as drawing straws, picking out pins, putting everyone’s name in a hat, etc. This is a fun and fair way to determine who will get to choose their clothing swap first.
Make Your Clothing Swap a Potluck
A party needs food! If you want to keep your costs down, and save some time as well, you can ask guest to bring food to share. Have your guests bring a dish, or a side or a drink; I find having a theme or a sign up list will keep you from having a lot of the same items.
Other Swapping Parties to Consider
- Decor Swap Party – bring pictures, collectibles, knick knacks and more! Check out Apartment Therapy’s post on throwing a Decor Swap Party.
- Homeschool Curriculum Swap – if you are a homeschooler you know how expensive curriculum can be. Why not host a book and curriculum swap? See Family Fun Finds for more information.
- Kids and Teens Clothing Swap
- Video Game Swap
- Games, puzzles and books swap
- Coffee / Tea mugs swap (ok I just came up with that and NOW I MUST DO THIS)
The ideas for swap parties are really only limited to your imagination.
Have you ever attended a clothing swap party? How did you like it?
