Swanky Swap Meet

Every now and then a gal might beg, borrow or steal from a friend or family member's closet. It is amazing how much women appreciate and envy what's in another's clothes, especially those who grew up wearing nothing but hand-me-downs.

Many children who remember wearing their older siblings' clothes hated that they were forced to wear the unwanted items passed down from relatives or friends. But when a girl hits her teens, wearing a friend or sibling's clothing becomes fun and a welcomed extension to her own closet. Sharing clothes changes a girl's fashion world entirely.

At some point, women depart from the giving and taking from one another's closets. This usually happens after college, with a gal sharing her wardrobe and borrowing from her roommates and dorm mates.

The behavior might even extend into a woman's early 20s if she has a roommate or two; but eventually the bartering stops. Borrowers that lose items, fail to return clothes or damage shared goods lose the luxury by losing the lender's trust.

Maybe the share system folds when women move into their own home or start a family. Also, body shapes and sizes change dramatically in the 20s and become much more varied. Swapping clothing is no longer a viable option.

Instead, we come to a time when the only closet we peruse is our own. If we want a new top, we go buy it. If we like a friend's dress, we ask where she bought it.

Finders Takers

Gone are the days of the closet swap.

Or are they? An upcoming event in Tulsa takes us back to a time when another person's wardrobe was as accessible as the shopping mall. The Junior League of Tulsa created a new philanthropic event, Diva Day High-Fashion Swap, on March 7, and activities include everything a gal would love to do on a Saturday: eating, pampering and finding new garments, courtesy of a "friend's" closet.

More than 200 women will rummage through their closets, choosing six or more items of new or gently-used clothing, shoes and accessories to bring to the event.

As Junior League volunteers sort the clothing by size, ladies will enjoy hors d'oeuvres, sample sweets from a chocolate fondue fountain, sip on coffee and receive a spa treatment. After the clothing has been sorted and everyone's feeling relaxed, the swap begins.

The swap won't necessarily be an insane mad-dash. Well, possibly.

But to curb the potential insanity, tickets are sold in numerical order with the first 50 ticket buyers swapping 15 minutes earlier than everyone else. After those 15 minutes, everybody enters; and it's every woman for herself.

Ladies can take up to six items from the swap. Those who buy a carte blanche ticket can return after the rummaging has ceased and take home as many items as they can carry.

The event gives participants a chance to clean out their wardrobes of things they aren't wearing and come home with new items.

Girl-i-fied

First, attendees need to find clothing to bring. Six items of clothing and accessories (excluding jewelry) is the minimum, but attendees are encouraged to bring even more. Any remaining clothing will be donated to Resonance Center for Women and Domestic Violence Intervention Services.

Additionally, those who are not able to attend can bring donated items (on a hanger if possible) to the Junior League of Tulsa headquarters, 3633 S. Yale.

The donated clothing will meet the tastes of women of all ages and sizes, noted Stacy Rippy, Diva Day Chair. Clothing options include: petite sizes, plus sizes and even maternity wear.

If you're not sure what to bring, Rippy suggested selecting items one no longer or rarely wears, like a favorite skirt that no longer fits, or a great buy you never actually wore, or a pair of pants you're hoping to fit into.

The dry cleaning sponsors, Park Plaza and Brookside Cleaners, will offer discounted services for donated clothing.

Diva Day also has couture sponsors. St. John and Abaete are sending items from their New York City stores; and Tulsa's own Purse-a-nality is donating items for the swap. "Many Junior League members are specifically selecting the highest-end brands from their closet to make the swap more exciting. Expect to see Ralph Lauren, Spiegel, Jones New York, Ellen Tracy, DKNY, as well as Banana Republic, Ann Taylor and Talbots," said Rippy.

While all of the donated items are being organized by size for the swap, the pampering begins. "We want women and their friends to feel pampered while we prepare the treasures in the swap room," Rippy said.

Participants can expect to find "professional aestheticians, hair dressers, manicurists, and chair massagers" from Salon Milan and EP Waxing Studio. A jeweler will be cleaning and setting rings.

Ulta stylist Crystal Gordon will perform complimentary services: eyebrow waxing, hand, neck, shoulder and back massages; demos on applying smoky eye makeup, daytime eye makeup and eye makeup application; skin consultations, hairstyle consultations and bang trims; toe nail painting, henna tattoos and body art.

Swap attendees can partake in as many of the spa services they can before the swap begins. There will also be door prizes, including a gift certificate from Emerge Day Spa and the opportunity for one woman to have a personal stylist from Isabella's on Brookside assist her in finding the right items during the swap.

Even though it's a fun event, Diva Day is a fundraiser (the 85th anniversary) for the Junior League of Tulsa, an organization founded in 1923. The JLT is "a non-profit organization of nearly 1,000 women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the action and leadership of trained volunteers. The JLT's purpose is exclusively educational and charitable with a focus on serving women and children in transition."

This event specifically goes to support the Junior League's projects, to name a few: the Children's Hospital at St. Francis Resource Center, the Laura Dester Children's Shelter, Child Abuse Network (CAN), Resonance Center for Women and Global Gardens. To find out more information about the Junior League of Tulsa, its community programs and other events they host, you can visit its Web site at www.jltulsa.org.

The event starts at 10am, Sat., March 7, at the Junior League of Tulsa headquarters, 3633 S. Yale. The swap itself will last for nearly two hours. Tickets are sold in numerical order and regular admission is $40; the first 50 ticket holders will receive the early swap admission as well as a Sephora goody bag. There is also the carte blanche ticket for $65 that gives those ticket holders the chance to take home as much as they can carry (i.e. more than just six items). To find out more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.jltulsa.org or call 663-6100.