Spring Cleaning, Part One: Swaps!

Time to watch an episode or two of Hoarders for motivation, roll up my sleeves and clean house.



This month, I'm starting with my closets. I'd like to refresh my wardrobe but I don't have the money to fling at every cute outfit I see when I window shop -- and frankly, I've got way too many items that I never wear.

My solution? Swaps! Who knew that you could swap your clean, gently used/not broken stuff -- including housewares and whatnot -- all over Gotham for free? (I didn't!) 

Here's a short list to get you started.

• Stop 'N Swap! Sponsored by grownyc.com, you can show up with that blender you never use -- or come empty-handed and take whatever you need.  (Sounds like hippies to me...!)
• Fashion Swap and Meet is wunderbar -- their last swap featured fashion bloggers.
• Although meetup.com features over a dozen swaps in the New York area (including one for single parents with small kids), Five Boroughs Clothing Swap looks promising. It's members only -- hopefully with others who are as thrifty and fashion-conscious as you are -- it happens six times a year and it's free.
• There's lots of shops that swap, like Thrift Disco and The Frock Shop...
• ...and yep, you can do this online via Swapdom, Swap! and Thread Up.

My solution? A few times a year, there's an extremely private swap amongst maybe a dozen friends that involves a lavish meal, lots of wine and clothes galore.  Whatever gets picked over is donated to a great cause, like a women's shelter.  (My favorite donation spot: The Bottomless Closet.)  And because I know which girlfriend has that pencil skirt I used to love, I can always get it back if I miss it too much.  That's the beauty of swapping with a closed circle of friends: we're all up in some small part of each other's closets.

There's also another seasonal swap amongst friends -- a tea party! with cocktails! and delicious tea cakes and whatnot! wheeeee! -- that's strictly vintage.  All this with regular donations to the Salvation Army means that my closets are actually in pretty good shape these days. And here's a happy bonus: losing this pesky winter weight means that I get to wear all the clothes in my closet, not just the stuff that fits me this week. 

Next month: Zen and The Art of Clearing My Junk Room...!

Spring Essentials

Letting go is difficult. My junk room is a mess and both my closets are filled with stuff I hardly wear. I'm editing my closets the Tim Gunn way this month -- systematically getting rid of clothing that I've emotionally outgrown, worn out or don't wear. Although I'll be making donations to The Bottomless Closet every week, all the vintage stuff will be sold to the highest bidder.

My wardrobe needs a few basics.  My basics. Style over fashion, folks. Here's my top five.

1. Kiehl's Original Musk Oil I have a friend that loves to say, if you aren't wearing perfume, you aren't fully dressed. This is the concentrated fragrance that makes you smell like you. Wonderful stuff.  If I could, I'd bathe in it.  

2. Midi pencil skirts I can't believe this is a trend. I've been wearing them like crazy since forever. All this means is that what I really want won't be that hard to find.  The downside is that I'll have to see it on everybody else.

3. Tea length dresses  This trend means that I can update my vintage versions with their modern counterparts. I love a dress because it's a complete outfit -- no need to look for the just right top or bottom -- just accessorize and go.  The rule is that the hemline is below midcalf, which is fine by me as long as it's not an a-line situation.

4. Metallic pumps  Silver and gold is one thing but metallic is something else.  This would pop profusely with a white dress. 

5. TWA Gear  My Daddy worked for TWA for over 35 years as a ramp serviceman/mechanic.  I didn't mean to start yet another collection -- trust me, I have enough stuff as it is -- but I needed luggage tags and when I found a set of red TWA vintage vinyl ones, I fell down that rabbit hole with a quickness.  Next came a heavy winter jacket and a mechanic's shirt -- the kind he'd wear to work every day when I was a kid. 

I know exactly how all of it will look on me.  After all, I am my father's daughter. 

progress: fitness, clothes, life

“Fashion can be bought. Style one must possess.” — Edna Woolman Chase

good news, sports fans: i'm getting my body back.

every season, i fight for it all over again -- the size 4 body i had when i came to new york city a million years ago. i don't fight for it out of vanity, either. sure, it's a job requirement. pulling this off certainly feels like a full time job. and yes -- after years of living hand to mouth with absolutely no insurance whatsoever, i consider maintaining a lean, strong, healthy body with exercise, clean food and vitamins to be preventative medicine. the real reason is that i'm simply too cheap and/or broke to buy new clothes.  i love my vintage dresses, pencil skirts and what little designer items i have too much to throw them away.  i'm not trendy enough to keep up with what's hip.  wearing the latest fashions takes a lot of money. most of that stuff looks pretty tacky on me, anyway.

why, it's almost as though i'm about to get a new wardrobe because i'll be able to wear all these clothes i haven't been able to fit into in ages.  more on that some other time.

what's my big secret? i stopped eating garbage and got my butt to the gym everyday. i try to make it happen in the morning because although i love the way exercise makes my backside look, i really don't like doing it. and no, i'm not a morning person.

here's an interesting little clip about how little exercise it takes to change your life.

Source: youtube.com via Queen on Pinterest