Secrets of Successful Clothing Swaps (aka Make It Work)

Ok, this is just sad. These clothing swaps were clearly awful because the hostess had no idea what she was doing.

Here are tips for a good clothing swap:

1. Carefully compose the guest list. Invite ladies who are a range of sizes, but who have fairly similar taste. This might seem counterintuitive -- your instinct is to invite all your friends who are about the same size. But in reality, clothes fit everyone differently. Plus, often people are giving away clothes they've grown out of (or stuff they've shrunk in the wash), meaning they'll fit a range of body types.

2. Prep your guests. Tell them that if they have an item of clothing that is completely heinous and they wouldn't be caught dead in it, they probably shouldn't bring that item to swap. The clothing swap is a place for stuff that doesn't fit you quite right, or that you're sick of, or that doesn't match the rest of your wardrobe -- but not anything that you'd be embarrassed to wear. (Again, this is why it's important to invite ladies with similar taste.)

3. Provide booze. Hold your swap on a weekend afternoon, and provide copious amounts of bloody marys, mimosas, peach sangria, and the like. Lowered inhibitions mean people will a) feel more comfortable saying no if they really don't want an item, and b) feel more at ease getting nekkid to try on the clothes.

Voila. Wasn't that easy?