So here is part 2 of my swapping adventure with The SWAP Team. I’m going to share all my sweet finds and give you my 5 tips for a successful swap. If you want to know more about The SWAP Team and the two Calgary Co-Chapter Directors Stacey and Vanessa, check out part 1.

Tip 1: What you wear to the swap is just as important as what you’ll take away. Your outfit should be something that you can easily try clothes over. While there were change rooms I found it was much quicker to just find a clear space and try stuff on. I wore flats, black leggings, a tank top dress, and a long sleeved button up shirt I could easily take on and off. (check out my pic in part 1) I also wore minimal make up. No one wants to find a foundation or lipstick smear across their “new” shirt.

All 3 of these tanks are quite long, I just have them folded. Perfect for layering!

Tip 2: Don’t forget to check out the men’s section! My friend Jolene actually clued me into this. She wasn’t finding any plaid shirts in the women’s section so she went to the men’s and scored a nice red and blue number. While I wasn’t lucky enough to find another plaid shirt I did come across these two raglan sleeved tops and a sequined skier tee from Zara Man.

Tip 3: Be prepared to dig! Even thought clothes are hung up and sorted mainly by style you’ll still have to look through all the racks thoroughly. Heck, we were sitting on the floor pulling t-shirts out of the bin. You never know what you might find at the bottom. I even went through some racks twice. A swap can be very hectic and things can change quickly. Taking time to look might be the difference between you finding that perfect dress or not.

I love the floweyness of this Asos top and a good pair of Nike gym shorts will come in handy.

Tip 4: Try to imagine the possibilities. During your clothing swap search always keep in mind that with a few small tweaks an item can look like it was made for you. If it’s missing a button sewing a new one on is easy. Or you could even change all the buttons for a different look. If a pair of pants fit great but are too long hemming is a quick fix. Taking in a side seam or shortening a skirt is another way to tailor your finds. The Plaid skirt below fits great on the waist but is a tad snug on the hips so I’m going to let out the seam about a 1/2 inch for the perfect fit! If you have lots of those t-shirt DIY’s on your pintrest now would be a good time to find some oversized tees to experiment on.

Tip 5: Be picky! After going through your closet and donating all the clothes you don’t want anymore it would seem foolish to haul home a bunch of stuff that really doesn’t work for you. Try everything on and bring a friend for a second opinion. Make sure to look for wear and tear, open seams, and stains. I always make sure to look under the armpit and down the front. Sometimes these things can be easily fixed but if you don’t have the know how or the time for repairs I’d pass. If you don’t like to dry clean or hand wash your clothes make sure to look at the labels. Just because they have been previously worn doesn’t mean they wont shrink!

I had to fit in one more tip and that’s Treat others like you’d want to be treated. Yes, you need to be speedy to snag that perfect sweater but that’s no reason to elbow and knock all the other sweaters off their hangers! We should all be their to have fun and share in our love of fashion. Happy swapping!