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Do you ever feel like you just have too many clothes? You know who you are. Your shirts are always wrinkled despite the fact that they’re neatly hanging in your closet because they’re so crammed together.

Swapping easy on wallet and planet

You’ve lost items when they’ve fallen  behind your overstuffed drawers. 
     Your rush to find the right pair of shoes in the morning frequently leaves you holding one shoe short of a pair.
     The problem is not that you have too many clothes, it’s that you have too many clothes that you just don’t wear anymore. According to what is called the Pareto principle, or the 80-20 rule, most of us only wear 20 percent of our clothes 80 percent of the time. This means that our closets are filled with clothes that we no longer wear, because we opt instead for the newest items we have.
   Yet, we still want more. We stare longingly at the glossy pages of fashion magazines, watch Gossip Girl to see what Serena, Jenny and Blair are wearing this week and our eyes go wide when we see that stylish person sitting across from us in lecture.
    We want more stylish clothes despite those overstuffed drawers and infrequently worn outfits sitting at home. Our rampant consumerism aside, is it even possible to attain a chic wardrobe on a budget? For the most part, our student debt and minimum wage jobs prevent us from attaining Serena van der Woodsen’s ample closet. So what’s a frugal fashionista
to do?
   Enter the clothes swap phenomenon.
    The concept is quite simple. You gather a few friends and each of you brings several gently used items that are still vogue but which you haven’t worn in ages. Leave the faded black sweaters and jackets with shoulder pads at home, please. Or, maybe not: I hear the ’80s are back.
    The items are sorted into categories – such as tops, pants, skirts/dresses, shoes and accessories – that swappers can pick from. Think of the old adage, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Clothing left over after the swap is usually donated to local charities.
    I attended York University’s Clothing Swap for the United Way on Nov. 12. For a $5 donation to the United Way, participants could bring a minimum of three previously loved items and, in exchange, they could swap to their hearts’ content. I dropped off my items early in the morning and returned later in the day to “shop.”
    The items I donated included a printed tunic (a gift from a well-meaning relative that just wasn’t my style), a beautiful grey pencil skirt that wasn’t getting enough wear in my closet and a black scoop-neck sweater that I have simply gotten bored of.
   When I returned to the swap at noon, there were already a number of women excitedly waiting in line. The atmosphere was that of an exclusive sample sale but, instead of credit cards ready for the swiping, they held tote bags ready for the filling.
   We entered to find tables neatly piled with jeans, dress pants, blouses and skirts. There were racks with dresses, coats and suits and even a few men’s and children’s tables.       Another table displayed necklaces, belts and purses, while yet another held boots and shoes. This was a shopaholic’s heaven: help yourself to any of the fashionable items without a single penny changing hands!
     Event organizers circulated, telling swappers that they could use the washrooms in the back to try things on. Otherwise, shoppers relied on their friends’ yays or nays for their decision-making.
Admittedly, it is tricky to repress your initial desire to grab everything
in sight. One has to remind oneself that greed is not the point of these swapping events. We were all there to exchange items that hadn’t been getting the love they deserved
in our own closets for items that would become part of our hottest
new outfits.

Clothes swaps are becoming more popular at a time when people are pinching pennies and have their minds on more eco-friendly ways of living

At the end of the day, I walked away with a couple of adorable new skirts, a few pretty tops, a t-shirt and a cute sweater. Having removed some of the little-worn items from the corners of my closet, I actually had space to give my new finds a home. All I had to pay was $5 – and it went to a good cause! What more could a girl ask for?
Clothes swaps are becoming more popular at a time when people are pinching pennies and have their minds on more eco-friendly ways of living. After all, swapping instead of shopping reduces the amount of new things we buy, making swapping easy on the wallet and easy on the planet.
     If you’re hesitant to swap with strangers, how about organizing a clothes swap among your friends? Gather them for drinks and snacks and assemble yourselves new outfits for a fun evening all around.
    Having friends who are all different sizes is not a problem, either. There’s always the option of swapping accessories. Shoes can also be more versatile in terms of size. It’s a satisfying feeling seeing a friend breathe new life into one of your old favourite- but-forgotten items.
    Cllothes swaps are also a great idea for people who need a new wardrobe but don’t have the cash to completely revamp their existing one. For example, mommies seeking
current style options that fit their post-baby body, people making the transition into an office job seeking more work-appropriate outfits, or people who have recently lost or gained weight and need clothes to fit their new bodies. Even if you just want to switch up your style but can’t afford to spend a couple months’ pay on that new leather jacket and pair 

of Dr. Martens, attending a clothing swap is a great idea.
   There’s no guarantee that you’ll find a specific item that you really need, but you may discover great items that you would not have spent money on if you’d seen them in
a store.
    Some of my most coveted swap finds over the years include a leather jacket, practically new Pumas, an uber-stylish A-line skirt and a pair of purple suede boots.
   So whether you’re a frugal fashionista looking to expand your wardrobe or someone seeking an eco-friendly shopping alternative, why not consider participating in, or hosting your own, clothes swap?
    Look for clothes swaps in your neighbourhood or on campus. You can check out the Facebook group “Swap – Don’t Shop,” which hosts bi-monthly swaps, or the environmental
group Regenesis on campus which hosts swaps every Thursday from 12:30 to 2 p.m. at the Health Nursing and Environmental Student lounge. All clothing left over from those swaps is donated to Yellow Brick House, a women’s shelter in York Region.
Happy swapping!