The Great Clothing Swap of 2025

      I hosted my first (and up until this year, only) clothing swap back in 2017, absolutely loved it and was clearly overdue for a repeat. In between then and now I’ve moved closets quite a few time, including an international move (there and back) and had my wardrobe change due to a pregnancy and the new normal of where I am now, sartorially, postpartum. I finally sat down for a serious closet clean-out and realized it would be a perfect time to host a swap. I had about 3 plastic bins full of clothes, ranging in size from xs to xl that were yearning for new homes. It’s easier to part with meaningful, “nice”, or “I-paid-too-much-for-this-to-be-something-that-I-didn’t-wear-but-reselling-will-be-a-lot-of-work-and-probably-not-that-satisfying-monetarily” pieces when they are going to friends or friends of friends.

The skirt is Anthropologie and one of the many finds I got 

    So how was it? It was a blast. Which is great, because I had an actual nightmare a few nights prior that there weren’t going to be enough clothes. That everyone would show up and there would be a measly 5 shirts between us to swap. I need not have worried - every lady took home between 5-15 items, a bag of clothes was taken for Dress for Success (a local non-profit that, among other things, takes donations of professional attire to help unemployed or underemployed women find their next job) and we had a few bins/bags/boxes full of leftover clothes that I took to Goodwill.

Sewing my own $500 Matteau Fisherman Pants

     Not bad right? I am seeing this style of fisherman pants pop-up everywhere. They are seemingly a rip-off (or, charitably, an hommage) of a Thai fisherman pant style of pants and are defined by their easy fit, tie-waist and wide fold-over waistband. The ones I’ve seen most frequently are the Matteau version above, but Banana Republic also has their own in their White Lotus branded collaboration (image below). I thought they looked like a fun pant for summer and was pretty darn sure I could sew my own version.

Where have all the outfit photos gone?

Sweater | Tibi
                                   Skirt | Prada (secondhand)

         My instagram algorithm is hellbent on selling me things I don’t want. I understand why it attempts to do so, and why it’ll persist, but recently I’ve been missing good old outfit inspiration. Images that make me excited about the clothes I already have, because, boy, do I have some clothes. Here are some recent pulls from the Archive (which is how I like to refer to my closet). As per usual, it is a mix of secondhand and new. 

      I’ve been looking for sweaters that make this skirt pop and this is a success, I’d say. The skirt is Prada, from their very chic 2017 show, and I got it for a steal! I’ve continued to look for more pieces from that same collection but haven’t yet found the right piece for the right price.