A few weeks ago I went to a clothes swap hosted by a lovely old friend from secondary school. Sally is just about to make a long term move to Japan with her husband and so organised a clothes swap as a way of catching up with friends whilst also getting rid of excess clothing.
It was a lovely afternoon- although it ended too shortly (my bad) as I not only got to spend quality time catching up on 10 years worth of shenanigans in an hour’s conversation but it was nice to meet new people and explore some of the wonderful clothes on offer.
I didn’t come well prepared at all but that didn’t matter as my friend and her friends brought plenty of clothes. In the end, I didn’t come away with anything but this was not for want of quality, stylish clothing- quite the contrary. Just check out this marvellous tartan cape modelled by my friend’s friend (she didn’t mind!) for example.
And this beautiful navy and purple patterned scarf below:
My friend is a great artist and has been for as long as I can remember. Her home was full of sumptuous creative, hand crafted things. One of my favourite things was a web of mini tree-shaped cushions hanging in the corridor. The trees were all the same size but each was unique- with no two bearing the same pattern. Intrigued by this I asked Sally the story behind this and it turns out this was something that my friend and her husband put together for their wedding. Each tree comes from a family or friend, representing their unique identity but is stitched together leaving heart-shaped gaps–which to me symbolised the wider love, unity and support network they have. However they chose trees simply because they love nature and got married outdoors in beautiful mountainous surroundings!
Visiting my friend just reminded me that organising a clothes swap doesn’t have to be complicated. You could easily organise a small scale one in your home and invite over a few friends and get them to invite a few of their friends to. It’s a great way to spice up your wardrobe at no extra cost, spend time with friends and potentially make new ones. So what are you waiting for?
THE THRIFTY AFROPOLITAN 