Urban Ninja
Ok, so how do you plan a Clothing Swap Party? If you missed the first post, you can read about the Summer Swap Party that I throw with my friend Autumn every year, right here.
I think one of the most important ingredients to a successful swap party is LOCATION. You want to find a central location that all your friends can gather in without feeling cramped. Send any boys away and make sure you have plenty of mirrors. We affectionately refer to our party as the “naked lady party” because everyone strips down to their chonies and turns the living room into one big communal dressing room.
Last year, we were super lucky that my friends Danny & Aubrey let us throw our party at Studio DNA on Beverly in Los Angeles. It was the perfect location because
a. it was gorgeous
b. there were tons of mirrors and
c. there were fabulous stylists around who were able to finish off your look
with a bit of make-up or a trim.
Check our their services and Facebook Page because they have super fun events like Thursday night Blow Dry Classes with food trucks.
See if a local salon will let you throw a party there or just set up at your house, which is what we did this year.
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Autumn loves themes. It also makes it easier to plan food, color schemes and décor. This year our theme was make lemonade, so we had a built in color with lemons (aka yellow) and I liked how turquoise played with that color, so we decided on turquoise and lemon yellow. This gave us our color palate so that we could have these great signs that I designed (which you can download here): Download Summer Swap Graphics.
In these troubled times, when you find yourself thinking twice about ordering that 1/2 cap 1 pump soy latte because you think you might need that money for gas in your car… first of all, why do you have such a complicated Starbucks order anyway, and secondly, why not think of a thrifty way to save money, give to charity AND get a new wardrobe. Crazy-talk you say? Well, maybe those ideas may seem paradoxical to you, but I am feeling cocky today and I think I can prove you wrong.
Enter the annual Summer Swap Party. Thanks to our friend Briana Lane and Style Haul, this years event is immortalized on the world wide web:
http://youtu.be/y5WW1wTTaJ0
It looks crazy right? But I promise you can pull one off on a smaller scale. Our party looks insane because my friend Autumn and I have been throwing Swap Parties for years – and we have gotten really good at it. What began with just a handful of girls with 4 or 5 random pieces of clothing, telling war stories of how ‘I bought this outfit from Charlotte Russe with my saved up allowance,’ has morphed into an annual event that our girlfriends look forward to every year.
Since we’ve been throwing the party for so long, every girl we know saves up all the things they were going to give to the Salvation Army (or going to pawn off on their younger sister) and we “shop” in each others closets for a day and then give the rest to charity.
Over the next few posts, I’ll give you a few ninja tips on throwing a SWAP PARTY of your own. We love throwing this party and hopefully you’ll enjoy throwing one of your own!
I feel like everyone I know is looking for that ONE GREAT FIND. There is something primal about “the hunt.” That elated feeling when you find that amazing vintage brooch that completes your look or that mid-century Eames lounge in perfect condition is part of our DNA. I mean, obviously that is the same feeling that people have when they finish a marathon (not that I would know what that is like, since I am allergic to running). Leave it to me to equate shopping with running a marathon.
My friend Autumn and I took a trip there last month (she took all these gorgeous pictures) and we made this little video to share with you.
Rather than trolling all the thrift stores from Goodwill to St Vincent, which by the way is not very eco-friendly in your gas guzzling SUV which is the only vehicle that you own that can shlep the perfect dining room table and chairs when you find it, why don’t you make it one stop shopping and just go to the Rose Bowl Flea Market?!
It’s this coming Sunday, so maybe we’ll see you there!
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