How to Hostess a Clothes Swap

It was a pleasurable evening of wine sipping, clothes swapping and laughing. Liz (http://lizfranco.com) and Sarah (http://sjoystudios.com) flew in from the West and East Coasts, respectively, and together we greeted our guests as they started coming in. The event lasted about two and a half hours and we had about twenty-five women join us.

Your Co-Hostesses @sarahjbray @srslyliz @gwenbell, originally uploaded by gwen bell.

Liz Waits for Guests, originally uploaded by gwen bell.

Thank you for joining us!, originally uploaded by gwen bell.

Sorting, finding, originally uploaded by gwen bell.

@4580 hosted the swap, originally uploaded by gwen bell.

Clothes Line, originally uploaded by academichic.

We’ve written frequently on this blog about the power of clothes to change moods and alter one’s self-perception and self-presentation. This past Saturday, I was privileged to be a part of offering that opportunity — and much more — to women in my city.

For the past few months, I have been helping to organize a one-day event that provided a free “shopping” experience for women in need from the area. We gathered donations of new and gently used clothing and accessories, set up a mini “store” in my church’s basement (complete with changing areas, spot-lit accessory walls, and garments arranged by size and color), and provided refreshments and “personal shoppers” for the women who came.

Many of our guests were refugees, and many spoke little or no English. But, cliche as it may seem, language is really superfluous when it comes to two women — an American volunteer and a Ethiopian refugee — celebrating the perfect fit of a pair of jeans.

When we began organizing donations for the event, I was a little worried that we would be drowning in piles of bad puff paint sweatshirts, elastic-waisted pastel pants, and shapeless floral dresses. And while, indeed, we had our fair share of Cosby sweaters and denim jumpers, we also had some donations of beautiful clothes and accessories: designer bags, terrific jeans, well-tailored suits, classic dresses. People gave generously, and it was delightful to see a small Somalian grandmother, wrapped in a bright scarf and carrying a tan Dooney & Bourke purse that she chose because she loved it, not because she knew what the D&B stood for. Even some of the donated items that made me scratch my head found good homes. A teenage refugee girl latched onto the fire engine red feather boa, preening in front of the mirror and showing it off to her friends. She went home with it still wrapped around her neck, and every time one of the volunteers would compliment her, she glowed even more brightly.

In the end, we had over one hundred women come through our “store,” each leaving with a large, stuffed shopping bag. Frankly, it was an exhausting endeavor in both preparation and execution. But this was so much more than cleaning out our closets or simply giving away clothes. It was our hope that by transforming piles of clothes into an event — taking women individually through a “store” created just for them, finding a dress that fit them beautifully or a handbag that they thought was pretty — would dignify them, enabling these women to walk away with clothes that not only satisfied basic needs, but looked fantastic on them too.