Mi la ropa es su la ropa!

Occasionally I feel the need to entertain:

1. It forces me to clean the house.
2. I can restock my supply of wine from bottles the guests bring.
3. It allows me to remain a Leo in good standing.

Last Friday night I had a few Freakin' Angels over for a party with a purpose. The name of the game was "Clothing Swap." If you and your friends have never held a clothing swap party, I highly recommend it. Clothing swaps have all the fun of those Silpada, Jockey, and Pampered Chef parties with none of the expense.

A clothing swap is just what the name suggests. Your friends come over with clothing they no longer wear and you basically shop through each others hand me downs. When hosting the swap party, there are just a few guidelines you'll want to follow if you want to personally hit the mother load:

• Invite mostly women who wear the same size you do
• Invite those with more expensive taste than you
• Invite women who have a tendency to purchase clothing they never wear...and never return (you know who you are, Emily)
• Invite at least one Imelda Marcos who wears the same size shoe as you
• Invite the woman with the best jewelry collection
• Tell women with the least "good stuff" to bring no more than five items.
• Tell women with the most "good stuff" to bring a minimum of ten items.

The above guidelines trump inviting friends or people whose company you truly enjoy. This is about scoring good stuff for nothing. Remember to keep your priorities in order.

Now you may have concerns that women thrown together in a relatively small space (a home versus a shopping mall) with lots of clothing, shoes, and jewelry could result in a melee of epic proportions. And you would be correct. That is why it is important to have a plan in place for the shopping process. I have found that drawing numbers and shopping in order is a simple and generally successful approach. You do this for as many rounds as the particularly good stuff lasts. Three rounds seems to be the average. After that, a mad grab is acceptable. You can keep the free-for-all  part of the evening somewhat under control if you have been plying the women with alcoholic beverages from the start, as it tends to dull the senses and slow reaction time. Should you sense that the women you've invited are a high strung, highly competitive bunch, you may want to hire a hunky security guard with taser who's prepared to stun those who get out of line. Tasers are all the rage these days anyway.

When the party is over and everyone has filled their shopping bags, you may find yourself with a house full of leftovers. I encourage keeping the wine and baked goods, and donating the clothes to charity. Unclaimed jewelry should be carefully evaluated to determine possible worth. You know gold and silver prices are at an all-time high, right?

If you've had your own clothing swap party and want to compare notes, or can recommend an equally fabulous idea for getting the girls (or guys!) together, let's hear it!