Naked Lady Parties

My daughter-in-law, Katie, goes to naked lady parties.

What that means is that Katie and her friends get together for clothing exchanges. This practice leads to posts on Facebook like the one I saw recently: “Oh you look so cute in that picture… I love that top on you. And I sure enjoy wearing it now!” If I hadn’t known about naked lady parties, I might scratch my head about a post like that.

Katie and her friends had clothing exchanges long before they heard of the term “naked lady party.” However, if you go on the Internet, you’ll find lots of information about these gatherings. I was hesitant to look on the Web because I figured I’d get on some porn list, but a string of legit sites about naked lady clothing exchanges popped up. (I may still get on a porn list, but oh well.)

Here’s how it works for Katie and her friends:

Katie’s friend Sarah sends out an Evite for a naked ladies’ party. Maybe eight or ten women show up, bringing nice wearable clothing (tops, pants, skirts, dresses, maybe bras) that they no longer want, also sometimes the miscellaneous pair of shoes, a book, or a kitchen item.

They sit in a circle and each in turn shows what she brought. She’ll mention the size of the item and maybe tell why she doesn’t want it anymore. At that point, another woman may claim the item. If more than one person claims it, the item goes into a “want” pile. If no one claims it, it goes into a “donate” pile for St. Vincent de Paul.

When each woman has shown her items, they all draw for numbers. Then, in turn by number, each participant gets to choose one item from the “want” pile. Katie said you might have the last number but still wind up with your first choice of clothing. I asked Katie if it gets confusing with a big pile of stuff on the floor. She said sometimes it does get confusing, but usually you remember the thing you want most.

So where does the “naked” part come in? Well, the women try on the clothes to make sure they fit (especially if more than one person wants an item), and most of them change right there in the room.

Katie said she often goes home with a whole brown paper grocery bag full of “new” clothing. She said some women are more picky and might only go home with one or two outfits. She said the women are not all the same sizes, but the exchange works out anyway.

Because it’s women, there’s a lot of talking. And fun.