Boston Fashion Week Sip and Swap

Picture from Betsy

Last Thursday, my friend Betsy and I attended Boston Fashion Week Sip and Swap hosted by the Swapaholics. We met before the event to grab a snack at Meadhall before heading over to the Microsoft NERD center for the event. The weather that day was tricky. Much like fall in New England, it was predicted to be warm(ish), rainy during the late afternoon, and then either humid, or cold afterwards. Planning the outfit and where to eat was a task. As I walked to Meadhall, it was bright. When we left, it was raining. Then, it was pouring. We had umbrellas, but thanks to the wind...we were soaked. The NERD center was filling with fashionistas soaked to the bone. You would have thought the drowned rat look was "in".  We dropped off our swap items, registered and headed for the bathroom to try to save the hair.

 

Slight improvement.

 Then we went right to the bar! The event was being sponsored by Magners, along with other local women-run businesses (Open Runway, Spreedia, and a few others).

Hard Cider Saves. (or causes you to forget the hair woes)

 After some chatting, and a few hard ciders, the crowd started to flock towards the clothes. Having previously been to a swap, I knew what to expect, although this crowd was much larger. There was still about 10 minutes until we were let loose, and this is the crowd we were behind.

Lots of ladies ready to book it.

 From previous experience, I knew to avoid shoes, dresses, and jewelry/accessories. Clothes were flying off hangers, and minimal elbows were thrown. In comparison, this is a slightly mild version of the running of the brides. I say slightly, because these ladies probably didn't have a bridezilla factor working with them. As the crowds broke up to check out their stash and start trying to trade, Betsy made a last ditch effort to find an item that's near the top of her Fall shopping wish list.

Any tweets with #bfwswap made it to a board, so cool and techy.

She still had no luck. If you have a blazer you're looking to get rid of for 3 pennies, be sure to hit her up on her blog. She'll appreciate it.

As for the outfits, Betsy and I have very similar items in our closets so we decided we'd share what we were wearing with each other beforehand. They sounded (and looked) very different, but when I share the deets...well...you'll see why we're such good friends.

From the Swapaholics Facebook

On me (the left, obvi) Sam Edelman Caper flats, Gap Skinnies, Anthro top, JCrew Jackie Cardigan, Petal &  Pink necklace and earrings, glasses no-name brand from the eye doctor (yes, my glasses serve an optometric(is that a word?) purpose).

On Betsy (the right, duh) Tory Burch Reva flats, Gap Skinnies, JCrew Camisole, Anthro Cardigan, Petal & Pink earrings and bracelets. 

I managed to get some pretty good items from the swap. I knew that if it looked interesting to just throw it in my bag and worry later about size/condition. I think my best finds were a DVF top and a striped sweater from the now defunct Martin & Osa. I also got a few tops that are brands from Target, but in awesome condition and will be great. I'd share pictures of my loot but to be honest, they're still sitting in the trunk of my car waiting to get done with my laundry.  

After my first swap, I'd said I wouldn't do one again, but I'm glad I came to this one. It was much better than the one I went to over the summer, I met some great people and have some new items to add (and most likely keep for a while) to my closet.