I will confess that I didn’t have as much time to plan my annual clothes swap this year as in years past. Proof? I didn’t realize until about a week beforehand that it’s actually my tenth annual swap. Talk about a milestone … and a missed opportunity to go REALLY big. As it was, the theme this time around was on the vague and pulled-together-at-the-last-minute side: Springtime. Well, duh. Still, I would like to think that everything came together nicely in the end.

pastel overload
pastel overload
party snacks
party snacks
nosh station
nosh station
pretty tulips
pretty tulips

My decorations consisted of some IKEA party supplies and flowers from Costco — not exactly the stuff of Pinterest dreams. I did put my growing collection of hobnail/milk glass pieces to good use, which was nice. However, the reality is that a clothing swap is not really about the decor or food … it’s about the clothes, of course. For my part, I traded two extra large bags …

bags o' clothes to go ...
bags o’ clothes to go …

… for a bunch of neat new-to-me pieces. Check it:

Zara peplum blazer
Zara peplum blazer

One of the things I swapped was my navy Talula blazer, and as fate would have it, managed to replace it with an awesome peplum version which fits like a dream.

Milly for Banana Republic dress
Milly for Banana Republic dress

I also got this Milly for BR dress, which had me really excited; I don’t have any plain black dresses (that fit) and this one looked promising. Afterwards, I realized that it’s actually navy, not black. But! It’s still a super cute dress that I’m sure will see a lot of wear.

Nanette Lepore dress
Nanette Lepore dress

This was a dress I thrifted over a year ago, when it was far too small for me. I liked it too much to leave it behind in the store, and ended up passing it on to my friend, Cassie. Well, it came back to me! And now it fits! There’s an old adage about that, I think …

Nine West & Ferragamo shoes
Nine West & Ferragamo shoes

I also got two pairs of shoes. I’m excited to see how these cut-out Nine West pumps will work out — they’re a still I wouldn’t have tried on my own. Cassie decided to pass on her thrifted Ferragamos (!!!) and while they sadly don’t fit me (I tried, repeatedly), they are perfect for my mom. Spread the love, I say.

Last but not least, I picked up a vintage wool cape (with matching skirt that’s impossibly small, sadly) which is quite outside my style comfort zone, but too amazing to pass up. I’ll be wearing it to see the Sherlock Holmes exhibit at the Telus World of Science in a few weeks, and I can’t think of a better occasion to take it out for a spin. Stay tuned for pics.

You can check out past clothing swaps here, here, here, and here.

6 Comments on Clothes Swap 2016

  1. Can you believe I actually managed to fit into that pencil skirt at one point in time?? I hope you can figure out how to work that cape with your wardrobe. I hope your mom likes the Ferragamo wedges!

    • Wow! it’s a very tiny skirt — my hips salute yours 😉

      Mom said she loved the wedges. Thanks again for coming and sharing the bounty 😉

      Also, sorry, I meant to include a link in the post but I was in a rush this morning. Will do it tonight when I’m back on the laptop!

  2. I have a collection of Fenton hobnail milk glass. It’s a mix of inherited and thrifted pieces that I mix with white IKEA pieces for get-togethers. I like how you used your pieces.