Thrifty Fun: A Clothing Exchange Extravaganza

A couple weekends ago, my friend Emily organized a clothing exchange among a bunch of her girlfriends. She hosted it at Oreana Winery, which she and her husband Christian run here in Santa Barbara, which was great because it meant there was tons of space and plenty of wine. I loved the Chardonnay that Oreana was serving that night, and it felt so cool and special to be in there after it had closed to the public! I had so much fun meeting Emily's other friends, trying on clothes, snacking on all the delicious food the women brought, and of course, drinking the Oreana wine! I took some snaps of the outfits I made with my new clothes each day I wore them, but I'm not much of a model and I am definitely still learning how to take pictures. I had so much fun at the clothing exchange, and felt like I had a whole new wardrobe for free afterward. I really recommend organizing a clothing exchange to any group of friends and acquaintances. It was a great way to meet new people, too.
This was one of my finds: a lovely,  swingy black skirt that is full and flattering and just the right length -- a hard combo for someone barely 5'2" to find! I wore it with dark purple tights and a t-shirt from threadless that I adore

I've been wearing all my finds over the last couple weeks and am totally giddy over all the new shirts, skirts, and shoes I found among the large piles. I put a lot of my clothes up for offer that I was always reluctant to just give to Goodwill (even though I hadn't worn them in five years) because it made me a little happier to give them to friends who clearly really liked the shirts, pants, and shoes that I liked but no longer wore. It was also kind of cool to see just how many different body types there are: shirts that would look great on one person would look unflattering on another, or a pair of strappy sandals that slipped off my heels were perfect on another woman with differently-shaped feet.

More pics after the jump!

If wishes were horses....

If I could just pull it together and look more put together more often, I'd like to think I could at least try to pull these looks off. Thanks to The Sartorialist for the inspiration.


I love the nipped-in waist, the cloche, the oxfords, and the RED.


and

I blame my mom for my love of slim, high-waisted, '70s looks. When I was little and in high school, her closet still featured lots of the gorgeous stuff she wore when she was in college and grad school. I purloined some of them, but damn it, was her waist tiny. That flat hair is never going to happen, though.



I love a full skirt, '50s style. And that hair looks like something mine would do if left out in a windstorm. Love it.


Ohhh, my leather jacket! This reminds me of a ridiculously awesome leather jacket I inherited/borrowed/stole from my mom in high school. I had it through college and through the second year of grad school. And then I left it in a classroom and someone took it. I have never been able to find a jacket quite as perfect as the one I lost.... but this one might do as a temporary substitute.

...And lastly...



PDK is already quite dapper, but I would love to see him in try out this sharp, man-about-town-70-years-ago look. He would look so good in a fedora!