A Night of Fashion and Friends

With the New Year right around the corner, I find that right after the Holiday's is the best time to start cleaning out the closet. During the gift giving season, many of us may be receiving a few new items to add to the wardrobe. If your closet is anything like mine, I am not sure that I can manage to squeeze in another pair of jeans or bulky sweater.
My rule of thumb for purging the closet is simple. If I have not worn the item in 12-18 months, it's time to let go and move on. I am not one to hang on to things, and I have been told that the task of purging is not an easy feat for those who keep everything from grade school report cards to love notes from the guy who kissed you in geometry class back in 88'. Come on, do you really need to hang on to those jeans that fit you before the baby came. It's always nice to dream that they will fit again someday, but maybe a new, and more stylish pair will be the motivation you are really looking for. This party theme is a great way to motivate your friends who find elimination the worst possible task next to writing Christmas cards or thank you notes.

I thought it would be fun to get the girls together for an afternoon of Fashion and Fun. Instruct your friends to go through their closet and pull the items which they no longer fit into or have simply tired of. This purge can also include shoes, scarves, belts and fashion jewelry. Invite everyone over for a Fashion show with "freebies" to share and take home. Lay out some tables with note cards to label categories such as jeans, sweaters, blouses, belts, etc. When the girls arrive with the garb have everyone place their items in the appropriate category. You may even want to supply a make-shift hanging system for fancy party dresses and things that belong on a rack. You can even include a table or section for baby and children's clothes.

Offer tea, coffee and cookies to munch on while the girls mingle and review the items brought by everyone else. I recently attended a "fashion party" like this and the host created a fun "changing area" for everyone to try on the items that they liked. I scored a fabulous little black dress that my friend Lisa has worn a thousand times and was afraid that people would begin to wonder if she owned anything else. The dress is classic in style, and is still a current item, especially when I worked in a big white belt that I also scored that night. Encourage everyone to mix and match items brought by different people. The possibilities are endless for new outfits that you and your friends can create from other peoples closets.

When the party begins to wind down, collect all of the unclaimed items into a bag and bring them to a local homeless shelter or Salvation Army. This way, you are taking things a step further and helping out the community at the same time.