Friends Over (and Under) 50 and the great biannual clothing swap

A few years ago, I thought it would be a superb idea to have a clothing swap with my friends.

We all have stuff in our closets we haven't worn in years, so why not purge and share?

I decided to do the swap the night before our subdivision garage sale. That way, all the leftovers could go straight into my garage the next morning. 

That was about five swaps ago. The latest one was last night.  

We start at 6 on a Friday night, and most people come a bit early or on time. If you come late, you may only be able to watch as someone scoops up that really cute skirt and ushers it into her take-home pile.

The spring 2016 swap

We each claim a corner of my living/dining room so we can pile up the things we want to keep. The things we bring, we lay out on the couch, chairs and floor. 

And then there is the food. Cheese. Hummus. Salsa and guacamole and chips. Gluten-free cake. Peanuts. Goat cheese with apricot jam. Cheesecake. Blackberries, raspberries and melon. Veggies and ranch dip. Cabbage rolls and pita bread. And all manner of drinks. Everyone brings what they like and enough to share.

It's a spectacle to behold. Clothing strewn everywhere; ladies in varying degrees of dress and undress; one woman asking another for a zip or a tuck or an opinion. 58 pairs of black dress pants and 43 black skirts. Yes, we are a group of working women, and I realized during the first swap that we are ALL always in search of that perfect black skirt or pair of black trousers. 

The autumn 2014 swap

We drift in and out of the kitchen, grabbing a chip and dip and a bite of conversation. Sometimes we pull up a chair and have a deep one-on-one conversation with another woman. Sometimes we all try to talk over one another. 

By the end of the evening, most of us are in the kitchen picking at fruit and sweets, talking and laughing. By 8 p.m. several have left for other parties. By 10 p.m., a couple more leave to see a favorite band at a favorite establishment. By 11 p.m., four or five of us are still sitting in the kitchen.
Every once in awhile, we will wonder where so-and-so went, and will find her "shopping" one last time in the living room.

We are all so different -- some of us are WAY under 50, but all of us are younger than 60. We are librarians, fundraisers, marketers, designers, attorneys and artists. The older women "school" the younger ones in the ways of life and love.

We end the evening with an embrace and I watch the women run out into the rain with their boxes and bags of treasures. In my new dress and hat.

:)