Styling pieces from my first clothing swap
One person's trash is indeed another's treasure
You may remember me mentioning my excitement that in September I was invited to my first clothing swap hosted by one of my friends. She was so excited to invite me because she knew about my no buy challenge. I have to say my friend did a sterling job at putting together such a fun event and we all raised some money for a great cause. I’d heard of people doing clothing swaps before but didn’t really know what to expect, so I thought in today’s post, i’d share how you too can do your own clothing swap, share what I picked up from the swap, and how i’ve been integrating my new to me pieces into my wardrobe.
How does a clothing swap work?
Everyone was asked to bring some lightly worn/good condition clothing items they no longer wanted, and a friend (who also brings the same). My friend had chosen to do this to raise some money for a great cause, so we all paid a suggested donation of $20 each, but it goes without saying you could do one just because you fancy a catch up with friends that’s a little different to the usual lunch or drinks. Anything that doesn’t get swapped is then donated to charity by the host.
She put up three to four clothing rails in her back garden, and we all hung up our unwanted treasures so that everyone could easily rumage the rails. I think there was probably ten to twelve of us in total, all different body shapes and sizes. Initially I was worried i’d be the only one bringing stuff, as I did bring two giant tote bags with me, but i’m pleased to say everyone came with bags bursting at the seams. One thing to note is I recommend making sure you have enough hangers, as we ran out of those pretty quickly, and as such had to drape jeans and dresses over her garden furniture, but it worked!
She made a very cute little table with a jug of mimosas, mocktails and some snacks, and we used her home office as our changing room. I met some wonderful women, had great conversation and I did indeed come home with a few treasures I’m excited to share with you. I so enjoyed the comadary of being around other women trying on clothes and celebrating each other’s beauty. ‘That looks amazing on you’, ‘wow, you should definitely take that’, it was so fun cheering each other on, and everyone was fascinated by my no buy challenge, especially seeing my Indyx app as I was so excited to share my experience (and the data) with them.
Not going to lie, I was giddy, because this did feel like shopping, and while I didn’t go with any expectation, I quickly had to have a chat with myself to remind myself I don’t need to take everything home lol. There were definitely pieces I tried on but put back on the rail once I remembered I want to wear my clothes, and if i’m not sure it’s probably a no.
Styling my new to me treasures
The first thing that came home with me was this gorgeous Cos knitted tee. I’ve always loved green, especially a forest green and I love the length of the sleeves. What drew me to this top was the white piping detail along the neckline and at the top of the sleeves. I was so excited to style this with a pair of slightly slouchy black trousers, a simple belt and flip flops. This look lived up to my expectation.
The second piece I picked up at the swap with this knitted waistcoat from Mango. I really loved pairing this with my vintage YSL mens blazer and a pair of jeans for a movie date night. The look felt a little seventies, a little Daisy Jones and the Six and I have to say… I was feeling it!
Next up was this incredible tux style shirt which was originally from Madewell. I loved the cuffs on this, and when I first put it with my black trousers it felt like something was missing. Once I added my Toteme silk scarf as belt I really loved this look.
One brand I had always wanted to try was Universal Standard, so when I saw this cardigan hanging up and the tag confirmed it was 100% merino wool, it’s safe to say, I pounced on it! I love the drape and how the cardigan offers something a little different to everything else in my wardrobe, plus it’s incredibly soft. What a find!
If there’s one thing I keep saving in my Real Real favorites it’s cuff bracelets. Someone had bought this little gem and i’m so pleased to say it’s really been adding something to my everyday uniforms. I’m looking forward to wearing these over the top of sweaters once it’s cool enough too. I also kind of love the fact that the metal looks worn, it reads a little dull vs super shiny.
It’s fair to say i’m having a thing for cardigans atm. This is an old Everlane cardigan, which has a really nice weight to it. The khaki color pairs so well with all the pieces in my wardrobe and given that most the cardigans I already own and love are also from Everlane, I couldn’t leave it behind. I tend to wear cardigans more as a top and I liked styling this with the minimal amount of buttons done up.
Last but not least was this cotton shirt from Banana Republic. For it’s first outing I wore it as a light layer in place of a blazer. It has some structure to it, and i’m excited to pair this with my jeans and my good old Aritzia black trousers with a half tuck.
So there we have it, my first clothing swap. One person’s trash truly is another person’s treasure! I loved it so much and I can’t recommend it enough. Let me know which look/piece is your favorite and if you’ll be trying a clothing swap anytime soon.
Thanks for reading
Harry x
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Amazing swaps! The tux shirt is very like one from With Nothing Underneath that I've been dreaming about.
Oh wow! So many great pieces. Love the BR button down and how you styled it.