Clothing-exchange parties certainly aren’t anything new, especially among us shopaholics. Everyone brings articles of clothing that they no longer wear to the party. The clothing is laid out for everyone to see and a system is usually established for who gets to have first pick. It’s a great way to get rid of your old clothes, score some new clothes for free, and have some fun all at the same time.

But this whole clothing-exchange party thing got me thinking. What happens if you and your friends don’t all wear the same size? After all, this isn’t a perfect world that we live in. And what if you and your friends have a severe handbag and/or accessory fetish? My idea is to host an Accessory-Exchange Party instead! Just think about it! You could save some money in these tough economic times and still satisfy your urge to acquire some new goodies! Here’s how it would work:

The hostess in charge of the party sets up her living room like a designer boutique. She can arrange the furniture so that there is plenty of room to walk about. Her sofas, chairs, ottomans, coffee tables, or whatever can become “display cases”. Full-length mirrors are set up near each display. Finger foods and refreshments are available to promote mingling.Each person invited to the party brings handbags and accessories that they no longer use (make sure the items are still in good condition, of course). The items can get sorted into groups (handbags, wallets/small leather goods, belts, shoes, scarves, etc.) and displayed nicely within the “boutique”.Everyone is allowed some time to browse and try stuff on in front of the mirrors.The hostess then has everyone draw a number from a hat or bowl. The person that draws #1 gets to choose something first, the person that draws #2 gets to choose something second, and so on. Once everyone has had a turn, the numbers go back in the hat or bowl and they are drawn again. Continue until all the items have been selected or nobody has an interest in anything else.Allow people to offer to trade with one another if they were really wanting something or if they are having second thoughts. The hostess takes the leftovers and donates them to a local charity organization. A battered-women’s shelter is an excellent choice and they are often looking for handbags to be donated.

Additional Tips:

Try to invite at least ten people, preferably those that have a lot of handbags and accessories in their repertoire. You want to make sure you have plenty of items to go around!If you plan on hosting such a party more than once, try inviting some different people to each one. This will help ensure some variety in the selection of items and, hopefully, prevent items featured at a previous party from returning for a second round.If two people are having a dispute over an item, have the group vote on who they think it looks best on. The person with the most votes gets to keep the item.

Have fun! This is a party, after all!

The Chat: Exchange Party!