What you may or may not know about me – Nicole Longstreath, wardrobe strategist – is that I am a thrift store junkie. Specifically, Goodwill of Orange County.
A few years back, when I had a cushy corporate job, I received a very large holiday bonus. A nice, fat 4-figures – even after taxes. I was so elated to have all this extra cash that I was determined to finally make over my lackluster wardrobe once and for all.
What I didn’t know upon receiving said bonus, was that a particularly nasty car repair bill was lurking just around the corner. Thankfully (for the car), I was able to use most of my bonus money to pay for this very expensive repair. Sadly, I was left with only the small sum of about $300.
It was a pretty big blow to my aspirations of the *new* person I would instantly be upon adding this new wardrobe to my closet. Ever-determined, I searched for alternate ways to build up my wardrobe. I had done plenty of secondhand shopping and fast-fashion shopping, but – for what I wanted to accomplish – I needed to be buying at some seriously deep discounts.
Fast-forward to present day and I have the wardrobe I always wanted. Although this may not be feasible in all parts of the country, building a very good quality wardrobe from Goodwill is my not-so-secret strategy. However, there is an unexpected bi-product of almost-weekly shopping at $6 a garment …
Lots of leftover clothing.
It’s all in excellent condition; this is Orange County, people donate nice stuff. But, for a reason unique to each garment, I’m just not wearing it anymore.
I realize not everyone has this exact scenario happening in their closet – but I do know that many of us have a small cache of unwanted, but still very good quality clothing we need to get rid of. We may have paid a good deal of money, or we may have some sentimental attachment. Either way, we want it to go to a good home, but also want some kind of return.
Enter: the clothing swap.
On March 27th, I’m hosting Orange County’s first official “designer clothing swap” with the lovely Lauren Clymer of online fashion consignor the Runway Junkie. Although we say “designer,” we’re not expecting Chanel or Prada. Instead, we want your gently-used, fairly-new mid-range brands such as Banana Republic, J. Crew and BCBG. There’s an entire list of brands and garment types we’re accepting on our event page, along with do’s and don’ts of a clothing swap.
Basically, here’s how it works:
- You bring at least 5 items from your closet which are in great condition, but you no longer wear
- Drop them off with us when you check in and your items will be sent to the “swap room” (more on that in a bit)
- While waiting for the swap to start, you hang out in our “swappers’ lounge” and get your hair styled, get some makeup tips, maybe a massage and enjoy a cocktail or glass of wine
- When the swap room opens, find for yourself an equal amount of clothing or accessories you brought with you
Tickets start at $20 for general admission. It’s a fantastic and fun way to add to your wardrobe without spending a lot of money.
Again, the date of the swap is March 27th, and it’s being held in Newport Beach. For more information and to RSVP, please visit http://designerswap.eventbrite.com/
