Fashionable Clutter

The hunt.  It involves dreaming of the catch.  How will you find out?  Where will it be?  If you manage to get your hands on it, will someone else come along and snatch it from you?  Will you have to beg, borrow, and steal to acquire it?  Will it be made of buttery leather that you can smell from outside your closet door?  Will the cashmere caress your body as you move through your daily cubicle maze?  What am I talking about?  Fashion.  Here we go!

I have a friend named Sue, and she is addicted to fashion.  If there is anything you need fashion wise, Sue has it.  Need a genuine Chinese dress to attend a formal Chinese tea?  Sue has that.  Have to have a pair of Stuart Weitzman pumps to do the white man's overbite in at your partner's company Christmas party?  Sue has those.  Are you into vintage furs?  Sue has a selection.  With all of these wonderful fashion confections in Sue's closet, I was starting to think she was a trust fund baby.  Nope.  One word, folks.  Goodwill.  Sue is the Goodwill Queen and King.  Hell!  Let's just call her Goodwill Royalty.  

I was perusing Sue's closet one day in search of who knows what.  I may have just been admiring.  She admitted to me that she had well over 100 dresses.  I don't think she had counted the shoes, but I had just watched her trip over a pair of fur-lined Calvin Klein boots, which were divine.  What's Goodwill Royalty to do with all of this fashionable clutter?  It can't go back to Goodwill because it was too good to be there to begin with.  Sue didn't really want the hassle of selling it on Ebay.  Wouldn't it be great to find wonderful homes for these fashions?  Sue yelled out as she tripped over a pair of Dolce and Gabanna sequined sling backs, "Swap party!"

It was on.  Sue was going to host a swap party for her friends.  The rules were simple.  Do you have fashionable clutter, which you love but do not want to send to Goodwill or bother selling?  Bring it to the party and swap it for something "new."  There were strict directions involved.  For example, Sue stated, "Don't bring a stained shirt from Walmart and think you are going home with Prada pumps."  I was nervous for Sue on the night of the party.  What if someone brought crap?  What if the one thing I really wanted was taken before it was my turn?  The horror!

The party began with fabulous food and drink because royalty was throwing it, after all.  The ladies noshed and sipped their way through all of the fabulous clothes, shoes, jewelry, and other accessories.  It was time.  Sue stumbled over a pair of plum colored espadrilles as she made her way to the center of the room.  She announced, "You will pull a number from this hat.  This number indicates your position in the swap.  When we get to your number, you may make one selection.  No one can take your selection away from you.  I hate those stupid Christmas parties where people can take away the stuff you want.  We will keep doing this until we run out of items or until you have made all of the selections you would like.  Whatever is left will be donated to a local women's charity."  Excellent! One lady was a bit disappointed that she couldn't steal.  She said, "I once took a beautiful Christmas ornament from a blind lady at a book club party."  Girlfriend don't play, so I was glad we had strict rules.  

The swapping began.  The chatter was happy, the wine was flowing, and the ladies were shopping!  I watched with amazement.  One lady slid her elegant hand into a suede Banana Republic blazer.  It fit her like a fabulous glove.  Another lady held an Ann Taylor dress up to her body and you would have thought she won the lottery.  A woman, who had a healthy obsession with all things animal print, was clutching a Kate Spade leopard print bag.  She looked like she was holding her first born.  

The night wore down, and we began to gather our new fashion and head home.  On the drive home, I realized what Sue had pulled off.  She Marched Fourth through her fashionable clutter and brought joy to so many people.  She brought joy to herself because she loves a good party.  She brought joy to the ladies attending because they got to trade some of their fashionable clutter for some brand new items.  She brought joy to the ladies at the women's charity because these were not your standard items that were left behind.  These ladies were going to get to paw through fabulous fashion just like we did.  In a sense, they would have their own swap party.  

Something as simple as having too much crap shoved in a closet had ended up bringing fun and fellowship to so many people.  It had a ripple effect!  I left the party with a smile on my face and two fabulous dresses.  I had brought 15 items, so I had "downsized," as well.  When we think of problems or issues which we have Marched Fourth through, we often think of great, life-changing events.  Sometimes the simple and fun things in life are just as important and bring just as much satisfaction to us.  Remember this lesson and keep marching...