Summer Swapping...
Over the weekend, my friend Jenn Wong & I hosted our annual clothing swap, an eco-friendly event for our girlfriends to clean out their closets, swap the contents with friends, help out a worthy charity, and just spend time together.
I think swap parties are fantastic, especially in the current recession, because you get to have a fresh start to your closet, and come home feeling like you went shopping—without having to spend anything at all! This year’s swap benefitted Solutions, a nonprofit that helps college-bound girls, many of whom are the first in their family to attend a university. These smart ladies have worked hard to make it to college, and they’re often on scholarship & unable to afford weather- or event-appropriate clothing. We donated over 15 bags of amazing clothes, shoes, purses, and other accessories to the girls involved with this organization!
Sadie wanted to participate, too. Unfortunately, none of the shoes were in her size.
We always try to pick some sort of theme to help us decide on flowers, colors, and other decor. This year the idea was ‘Make Lemonade,’ which lent itself to a full batch of minty lemonade, cheery yellow sunflowers, and bowls of bright lemons everywhere.
Of course, the clothes are the center of the event, so you don’t actually need much decorating. The event was covered by Briana Lane of StyleHaul —check back here next week to see the How-To event video we created for you!
We threw the event on a lazy Sunday afternoon during “Carmageddon,” which despite all the doom & gloom hype, actually ended up being the best driving day of the year. Whatevs. We provided a light brunch, including homemade granola by Jenn, fresh fruit and yogurt, croissants, a strata by me, and a lemon cake by Leslie Sarna. Although I’m a terrible baker, I can actually manage impromptu cooking quite well. I did a take on this Vegetable and Cheese Strata by substituting vegetables and cheese that already happened to be in my fridge (zucchini & bell peppers, and smoked cheese from Trader Joe’s).
It was a huge hit, and for some reason it smelled like bacon while it was cooking… mmm, that’s what I should add to it next time… Leslie Sarna’s secret-recipe lemon cake was outstanding!
Try a version of it here.
Gatsby, you’re a boy! Hide your eyes!
Finn, you too! Oh, never mind, you’re just too cute.
Some of our lovely attendees, including Ashley Fauset of CocoRoseEvents, Leslie Sarna, Jenn Wong, Briana Lane, Sylvia Hendershott, and Virginia Williams of Fairly Legal. My dress is DKNY and Finn is in a onesie from The Little Seed.
For my own haul, I took home a pinstriped mid-sleeve shirtdress with a nautical vibe to it. It used to belong to Leslie & she informed me that the designer crafted it out of vintage men’s shirting material from Paris—love! I’ll blog it when I finally wear it out—it’s neat and clean and absolutely summer-chic.
Anyone else have any recession-friendly party tips? xoxo
