I attended the Boston Fashion Week 2011 Swap event with a huge bag containing about six pairs of jeans and several tops, all of which were too big for me and had served their purpose. After getting rained on and wondering if I should’ve brought a life preserver with me, I was a very drenched but curious participant in this event.
I’ve never attended a swap. Beyond swapping out CDs and DVDs online at swap.com, I haven’t done much with the idea of going to events related to the exchange of items. And frankly, it makes a lot of sense. Why throw something away when you can exchange it for something more useful to you?
Anyhow, I wanted to treat myself for dropping a size–twenty pounds, actually!–and without breaking the bank.
And treat myself I did. I was up in the front of a huge crowd of I don’t know how many people, all salivating at the thought of jumping into the room and grabbing whatever they wanted. I had no idea it worked like that! I figured maybe you got tickets or something with the amount of items, you went to people and swapped…no. You donate the items along with several other people, and it’s a free-for-all.
The entire event was basically a shopping-looting spree. So. Much. FUN. We all made a beeline for the items, some gravitating towards the shoes, some the jeans…I went to the jeans because I wanted to freshen up my wardrobe and hey, isn’t it nice fitting into those smaller sizes?
So, what was it like? In a word, WHEE! I couldn’t tell you how many outfits I had when I came out of there. My fav scores were a gorgeous dress that was in my size, a funky pair of jeans with zippers in the front and back, and a pair of khaki-style jeans with beads and embroidery that really suited my tastes. I am still disappointed that the awesome sneakers that initially caught my eye were a size 5 (I wear a 7 or a 7.5 depending on the shoe), but you can’t win them all! And they fit someone else so beautifully. 
You can find photos and a recap of the event at the Swapaholic’s Facebook page, and yes, I will definitely be at the next event!
