Swap in the Name Of Fashion -- And Frugality

I swear I will never again stand in front of my closet and complain that I have nothing to wear.

That's because I spent the weekend combing through my clothes and pulling out items in perfectly good condition that I rarely wear. I felt a pang of guilt as I recalled how much I paid for each article that came out. Ouch.

But the purge was all for a good cause. My good friend Angel Stone, who runs Eshe Body Center, held a "fashion swap party" this weekend, and I had a whole bag of clothes to exchange.

Swap parties have become all the rage among recessionistas. This weekend was my first time on the bandwagon. I brought three skirts and about half a dozen tops to swap, including a prized Juicy Couture sweater that never hung quite right on me. I had held on to it simply because it had cost me a pretty penny.

About a dozen girls gathered at Angel's apartment for cocktails and snacks before the swapping began. At first we were friendly and ladylike. We browsed the merchandise in an orderly fashion. We politely remarked on color, cut and size.

Then Angel allowed us to choose our first item, and the frenzy began.

I tried on dresses, pants, shirts, skirts and sunglasses. Our piles of clothes grew so large that more than once we picked up a cute top only to hear someone say, "Hey, I wore that here!"

Not only did I get a thrill from finding new clothes (Ann Taylor dress, Betsey Johnson skirt, Calvin Klein shoes), but my Juicy sweater found a new home with another stylish girl.

Anything that wasn't swapped will be donated to a local nonprofit, So Others Might Eat. Angel reports that they will be receiving five bags of clothing!

-- Ylan Q. Mui

muiy@washpost.com

Online today: Frugal tips for zapping zits.