Vogue and Bazaar may be breathing hopes of spring fashion to style-enthusiasts across the country, but for the still snow-covered USM, sundresses and high-waist shorts may be some time coming.
For the fashion-forward who may be fashion-depressed as they wait out the winter and don their ‘warm puffy coat’ for the 234th day in a row, a quick fix has crossed into main-stream social circles.
The development is simple in nature, and fitting for this in-between season that leaves people feeling like their clothing collection is as dreary as the weather.
Clothing swaps, as they are rightfully called, allow owners to trade the clothes they’re sick of for the next person’s rags, which in turn, become riches.
I attended one last week over lunch and wine, whose word-of-mouth invitations spread through crowds of local ladies (and gentlemen!) and attracted several swappers, each of whom carried a large bag of old clothes, accessories, and jewels.
Swap-goers also brought with them some sampling of potluck delight.
By the time attendance reached capacity at five, our table was flowing with oysters, chocolate-covered almonds, eggplant dip for baked bread, dried papaya, and proscuitto, and the furniture was covered with clothes.
The hostess had emptied our booty onto furniture so that nobody could tell who belonged to what bags.
“Less pressure,” she said.
The 34 year-old host splits her time between Stockholm, Sweden, and Portland, where her husband teaches criminology at USM.
To keep the anticipation (as well as the confidentiality), the pile was covered with blankets.
Following lunch, ladies (no males turned up after all) crowded around the mound, lifting the cover to reveal the prize.
Avoiding politeness, the pile was sifted through, swappers recommending each other choose this or that.
“I see you wearing this,” I’d say (because I had worn it, and was giving it away).
Surprisingly, I scooped up several pieces, an old cardigan, a basic black wrap-around sweater and a topless hat from 1990, which I’ll be able to wear a pony-tail on top of.
Some set aside piles to take to their friends or places of work.
What doesn’t go at clothing swaps is usually rounded up and donated to Goodwill, but in this case, will be donated to a USM student who is gathering clothing to send to a displaced Kenyan friend and his family.
Good for cleaning out your closet and then stocking it with delights as well as giving something to the community – both of which you’ve been meaning to do anyway – clothing swaps are an easy way to bring friends together and to update your wardrobe.