Shoestring Events: Red, White & Blues Swap

Besides apple pie, there are few things more American than a pair of blue jeans. From James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause and Jack Nicholson in Easy Rider to Olivia Newton John in Grease, we're a nation obsessed with our Levi's and our Calvin's and our Joe's, Hudsons, Papers, and Paiges. It's like we basically keep the entire cast of The Outsiders AND American Graffiti in our personal closets, and no wardrobe feels complete without at least a few pairs of jeans in various cuts and washes. We love having different pairs for different moods, some worn with heels, some with ballet flats, and some with — my personal favorite — Chucks.

But forget the anxiety of trying on hundreds of styles just to score the perfect pair: these days, between the sticker shock and the eco-impact of buying new (3,000 gallons of water per pair of jeans produced, with 23.8 billion pounds of clothing ending up in the landfill after a few wears), it's totally overwhelming buying new jeans. Secondhand is key, but unless you're willing to put in the dedicating thrift hunting time, most thrift stores are picked over of all but mom jeans.

Enter: a denim swap.

Next week, with The Swapaholics, I'll be cleaning out my denim drawer, ridding my wardrobe and my self-esteem of too-tight (or too-loose) jeans, chambray, and other denim fashion, and trading it with my favorite Boston clotheshounds in our first-ever swap dedicated solely to denim.

We'll swap styles and stories over reds & whites from local winery 90+ Cellars in the beautiful courtyard at 40Berkeley in the South End, and make a super-cool surprise DIY project using upcycled jeans. Best of all, not a single dollar will be spent nor a single precious resource wasted.

Get 50% off tickets with code SHOESTRING at DenimSwap.Eventbrite.com for a chance to score big — including my personal swap donations (from my friends James and Earnest, among others):

Or host your own! Have you ever hosted a denim-only swap with friends before? I'd love to hear about it.

Story: Copyright 2012, Shoestring LLC.
Photos: Shutterstock.com (lead; Melissa Massello (detail).