Mettre en lumière des femmes d\'exception aux horizons différents, afin d\'inspirer et de donner de l\'espoir au reste de la Communauté des Femmes

Let’s make it clear from the start, men are not involved here. On the contrary, I usually tell mine to ‘hit the road’ for the afternoon. He will go bond with one of the other non-involved men, and although they might be having fantasies of us having pillow fights – yes, it’s the official joke going around – and we’re definitely having a good time, it is not what we do when we swap … or shwop! Twice a year my (lady) friends and I get together for a clothes swap party, usually on a (Sunday) afternoon for a few hours, we bring and swap clothes and accessories, drink wine and soda, eat tapas and nibbles … and chat! The way it works: clothes that are still in good condition, clothes that you still like (or don’t) but honestly, you have not worn them for a year or two now (or you never did!) …. and honestly, you probably won’t wear them again (I know, the honesty bit is difficult…) – but one of your friends (or their friends) might definitely go for it -, gather it all! Think about: pants, jeans, skirts, tops/T-shirts, dresses, sweaters, winter/summer coats, jackets, hats and scarves but also bags, shoes, belts, make-up and perfume (almost full to full) and jewellery; bracelets, necklaces, earrings, etc. Sometimes women even bring a book or a CD, if somebody thinks it’s a must-read/hear for another woman – but try to limit these items, as they can not be deposited in a charity box, where the remainder of the clothes and shoes will go! If you manage to get at least a large plastic bag full, you are getting into the right direction … more bags and items will always be welcome of course. For each swap party I try to re-arrange our living in such a way that it allows for the display of as much clothes as possible; this work much better than piling them all up. If you have a portable clothes rack, or a hall/hat stand, you might want to use this. The remainder of the clothes is displayed in small and similar piles on the table. Everyone unpacks his own clothes and displays them in the ‘sh(w)op’. When all are there, we usually check for about 10-15 minutes what’s available, and then we do a quick show-and-tell game to open the swap; everyone has to present her worst item brought along and tell how they got it. There is a quick vote on whose item is the worst and that lady gets to pick the first item from the shwop. Then the swap is open and we just try the clothes on (close the curtains and provide a big mirror!), and everyone takes clothes and accessories to their liking…. and we drink & chat…. There are of course variations possible to it; you can roll dices or pull cards to take turns in selecting items, and offer the possibility to object to somebody’s selection, but when you have 8 to 12 ladies attending and you don’t want to continue till midnight, you might want to speed things up a little… Roughly a third of the invitees will be able to squeeze the particular (Sunday) afternoon in their schedules, so don’t be careful with sending out invites if you plan to fill up the room. A nice minimum for a clothes swap party is 7 women, to allow enough ‘input’ and along with that, a happy ‘output’ … you need to get enough clothes and accessories into the party to get enough out of the party for everyone, as not everybody has the same size, and you can invite as many as you think might fit into your living room! The remainder of the clothes will go to charity and be deposited in clothes containers. Sometimes I keep items for a next swap, and if somebody brought in an item which she would like back in case nobody takes it, she can. Tip; ask some of your lady friends to grab at least one bag on their way out and drop it off at the charity box, less work for you! Alternatively, you can ask your friends to co-host this social event and rotate the location of the swap between your friends’ houses, or ask some of your friends to bring drinks, or help you out with the preparations of the room, or the tapas. In any case, a swap is a perfect excuse to have a good time and catch up with your lady friends, clean out your wardrobe, and add some ‘new’ items. So aim to bring more in than you take home – feel free to do it the other way around, it’s just not sustainable in the long run! Happy shwopping!! Femke PILKES