Bitch ‘n Swap, Logan Square, Chicago

On Sunday Jess hosted a bitch ‘n swap at her house. This was my first one. Basically, everyone who attends the party goes through their closets ahead of time and brings any clothing, jewelry, accessories or handbags that they no longer use for whatever reason. At the party each person goes through their stuff, holding up each item and saying why they’re getting rid of it or telling a story about how they got it or who they think it would look good on. Some of my clothing stories – “I wore this slutty shirt on my 30th birthday when I wanted to feel like I was 21 and I haven’t worn it since.” and “doesn’t fit” and “took a wrong turn and was headed to suburban mom-ville when I got this, good thing I realized it.”

Some bitch ‘n swap parties are strict about swapping an item for an item, but the way we did it was that anyone could take anything they liked. At the end people tried on the different clothes to see if they looked good and fit. Whatever was leftover, and there was a LOT, was loaded into the car and donated to charity.

Jess made finger sandwiches and everyone brought something else to eat. I made Laura’s Cranberry Bars and they seemed to be a hit. Of course, there were bellinis and bloody marys. I thought if we drank enough I could see a fight over a popular castoff, but no such luck. Bitch ‘n swap was a fun and productive way to spend a Sunday afternoon. And now I can go shopping, since I got rid of a lot of spring and summer clothes that I knew I wouldn’t be wearing.