Apparently one in ten of us have atleast six unworn items hanging in our wardrobes. And with the Credit Crunch constantly on our conscience, it is becoming harder to not feel guilty about these ‘still with tags attached’ items hanging in our wardrobes – along with other ensembles you know you will never wear again.
The answer: Why not host an ingenious, girls-only shopping soirée known as a ‘Swap-Shop’. It’s a great way to acquire coveted clothes, get together with your friends, and leave the purses at home for the night. Style will save us all: money, the environment and wardrobe failure!

Planning: Make a night of it by inviting all of your girlfriends to attend. Send out invites asking them to clean out their wardrobes and bring all their unwanted clothes to the party. Remind them to check the quality of each garment to ensure there are no holes or stains etc.
The best dates for these kinds of events are at the end of a season when you switch your closets around and wardrobe cleanouts are necessary.
On the night: Set the mood of the night with some cocktails and tapas for your guests. Try to create a virtual-store atmosphere. Make sure there are rooms for people to try on and place some full-length mirrors in your entertaining area. If possible, have the clothing on hangers so that it is easy to view for all of the guests, clothing racks can be purchased for a reasonable price at stores such as Ikea. If you are unable to hang the clothes simply place all the clothing into a central pile, making it easy to rummage through. 
To avoid catfights, have each guest pick a number out of a hat giving first choice to the person with the lowest number. Alternatively, the owner of each item of clothing could hold up each piece allowing everyone to view the item. The people who want the clothing raise their hands. If there is only one hand raised, that person gets the treasure. If there is more than one hand raised, play a fashion themed trivia game to settle who gets the clothing. Then simply continue to eat, drink, and trade merrily.
Aftermath: After hanging up the clothes (and your hangover), donate any leftover clothing to charity organisations or op shops. No doubt you will also start to plan next season’s Swap-Shop!
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