Party in Fashion
We know that fashion is important. Why else would it be such a successful industry? We love to look pretty/handsome. We thrive off of authenticity in a world full of monotony, and we embrace art and beauty. Our bodies are simply dynamic canvases and our clothes are the paint we use to create a new look every day. Fashion is fun! And a fashion party is one of the best ways to live it up.
While there are a couple of different focuses you could take when hosting a fashion party (as you’ll find below), the main idea is that everyone dresses in their favourite style and apparel to get together and celebrate in fashion. Inspiration, appreciation, and having a hella good time is what a fashion party’s all about! Let’s start planning.
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How to Throw a Fashion Party
1. Create the Scene with Stylish Decorations
The world is your oyster when it comes to decorating for a fashion party. You could opt for sleek, modern décor that invokes an urban art museum vibe, or you could cover your space in colours and flowers and everything delightfully flamboyant. Just as there are endless styles in fashion, there is no one-size-fits-all for your décor scheme. Just go with your favourite colours and decorating materials. Make your space your canvas and paint it whichever way you want. While it can get pricy depending on how elaborate you get, you can usually find inexpensive party supplies if you know where to look.
Here are some fun supplies to get you started:
- Paper streamers
- Tinsel fringe curtain
- Gold glitter bunting
- Iridescent silver tinsel fringe chandelier
- Clear plastic cups with gold or silver stripes
- Paper plates
2. Prepare Light Party Refreshments
A fashion party is not one to go heavy on the foods, so refrain from serving messy dishes or something splattery like (God forbid) spaghetti or salad dressed in oil and balsamic vinegar. Serve foods that are the least likely to stain or cause a mess. Everyone will appreciate this, especially when dressed to impress! Easy finger foods like deviled eggs or ants on a log (or their savory cousin, cucumber ants on a log) are easy and tasty party snacks. So are small bites stuck with a toothpick that people can easily pop in their mouth, such as meatballs. And you’ll never wrong with classic basics like a cheese board and a veggie tray. For drinks, offer sparkling wine (no reds – the fewer stainable culprits, the better) and plenty of delicious mocktails and cocktails, such as cosmos. Tea, whether hot or cold, is also a good staple.
It’s easy to spend a lot on food. If you want to keep it thrifty, the key is to prepare your own dishes rather than buy pre-made party platters. This means you need to plan your menu and set aside time to cook/prepare food in advance (included in your time block to-do list below). While that takes a little more effort and preparation on your part, it also gives you more freedom over specific ingredients you provide. This is important, say, if someone is gluten free. Of course, you can always budget by inviting guests to BYOB and/or bring edible items to share. Most people are happy to contribute. Just be aware of any invited guests’ dietary restrictions and provide at least one or two decent food/drink options they can enjoy.
3. Set the Ambience with the Perfect Playlist and Evocative Scents
Music at a fashion party is upbeat, catchy, and sometimes trancey. Really, though, you could play whatever style music you like – as long as it’s fun! If you want to encourage dancing, amp up a killer playlist. If you want people to be able to easily hear each other while chatting, keep the volume a little lower. There is no one-size-fits-all – your choice of beats depends on your taste. Just make sure you plan your fun fashion playlist with some thought!
Here are just a few fashion-friendly beats to help set the mood:
- Paris is Burning and other Ladyhawke songs
- Sex and the City soundtrack
- Fashion show music
- Paris fashion week playlist
In addition to music, scented candles are another great way to create an inviting atmosphere. Cocktail candles add a yummy and playful touch, and floral scents are pleasant as well. Enticing fragrances work on a subconscious level to make an environment that much more appealing.
4. Plan Fashion Party Activities
A fashion party is a lot of fun for friends who love dressing up and who appreciate seeing what everyone else is wearing. It’s a great way to celebrate the artistry of style. That alone can be great fun, but there are a couple of fashion-specific activities that can amp it up even more.
Fashion Exchange
If you and your friends enjoy getting pre-owned clothes for free, I strongly recommend making your fashion party a fashion exchange! A fashion exchange, also known as a clothing swap, is where you invite everyone to bring clothing, jewelry, shoes, and fashion accessories they no longer want anymore. Everybody sets up a spot (or imaginary ‘booth’) at your space to showcase their giveaways. Then, once everything’s set up, everyone goes around to take whatever they want of other people’s stuff. It’s a beautiful way to get a whole new wardrobe without spending a cent or contributing to the dirty fast fashion industry.
Don’t think a fashion exchange only involves clothes. You and your guests can be all different sizes/shapes/builds and still swap jewelry, shoes, scarves, sunglasses, and any other fashionable item that isn’t body-size specific!
To make your fashion party a fashion exchange, too, tell everyone to bring two large bags: one full of things they want to donate, and one for what they find to take home. Clear as much space as you possibly can in your home. Restrict snacks, drinks and serveware to the kitchen counter so people can display things on your table. Maybe even use your bedroom so people can lay things on your bed. If you have extra space (and hangers) to actually hang clothes, that’s always ideal! Your home need not look like a perfectly organized boutique; so long as there’s space for everyone to display and check out fashion goods, no matter how chaotically strewn about, it will be a hit.
Fashion Show
If you and your friends love to model fun finds, why not make your fashion party a fashion show! This is where you pump up that incredible fashion party playlist to accompany wicked runway saunters down your hallway (or wherever makes sense for each guest to present themselves). Your bedroom can be the changing room for everyone to get into their absolute favourite outfit before debuting it to the group in your main living space. You can even include a comedic set and have people bring their wildest and most insane getups – just for fun! Whatever the slant, it’s bound to be plenty of fun – and can make for some great photo ops.
Designer Debut
If you or any of your friends sew original designs, your fashion party is the perfect opportunity for them to show off their creations! You can have a fashion show specifically for those pieces – and other guests can model them. This is just like the fashion show concept above except instead of friends’ favourite outfits, the outfits would be those original designs! It’s a perfect way to gain exposure, network, and possibly even make a sale or partnership.
5. Establish Guest Participation
Guest participation involves how you’d like your guests to participate or contribute to your party. You could ask each guest to bring a party snack to share. You could make it BYOB. If you’ll have a fashion exchange, tell guests to bring any clothing, shoes, jewelry, or accessories they no longer want in a large back as well as another empty large bag for their own finds. If you’ll have a fashion show, tell everyone to dress in their favourite and most incredible outfit, or to bring it (and maybe more!) to change into specifically for the show.
Of course, always choose your guests mindfully and with their interests in mind. Prioritize friends who most enjoy fashion. But don’t shy away from others who may not be into it as much. You never know, you just may spark someone’s interest!
Checklist of Items You Need
Now that we’ve covered what you’ll need to do for a fashion party, here is a list of the items to acquire for it:
- Fashion party decorations
- Refreshments
- Fashion party music
- Scented candles
- Fashion items you want to give away (if hosting a fashion exchange)
Preparation Checklist for Your Fashion Party
Most of these steps for party preparation apply to any type of party you host. So while we covered fashion-specific details and ideas above, below are basic party planning guidelines to neatly order each step of the process (you can find more thorough details in the Best Party Practices posts):
1. First, confirm that people can come on any chosen date
- Choose party date/time, and preferably alternative date(s) as well
- Choose guest list and establish minimum number of guests you’d like (to make it worth your effort)
- Six weeks out, confirm guests’ interest in the party and availability on chosen party date(s). The only details you’ll need to share at this time include what type of party it will be (fashion exchange, fashion show, or simply a fashion-themed party); any relevant participation requests; party date and general time of day; and where (your address, or other location if applicable)
- This first step is just to get people to confirm that, barring unforeseen circumstances, they are able and willing to attend and will save the date to do so. If your preferred minimum number of guests confirm interest and availability, have them secure the calendar date for your awesome fashion party!
2. Then, proceed with the fun planning
Once you have your fashion party date established, you first need to get out your calendar and map out when you plan to do every step of preparation. This means you schedule time for each preparation activity that you’ll need to do. If you don’t schedule time on your calendar early enough, you may find yourself overwhelmed and unprepared the day of the party. Don’t do that to yourself! Check out the How to Be a Good Party Host post for more clarification on exactly what you can do to be confident, prepared, and ahead of the game. Party planning isn’t rocket science, but it naturally requires some thought and effort (which people do notice). Here’s a general overview of what you can expect to do leading up to the party:
- First, sit down and schedule time on your calendar for each step of party prep as listed below
- Create invitations with all the details and send them out 4 weeks before the party
- Order any party supplies and decorations 3 weeks out (so they arrive in time to set up)
- Shop for any party supplies/decorations you don’t order online, as well as non-perishable food/drinks
- Acquire perishable food/drinks early enough in advance to prepare in time
- Set up decorations
- Prepare food/drinks (depending on how long things keep)
3. Day of Party
It’s very important to get as much party prep done far enough in advance that you have some time to yourself to relax come party day, especially if you’ve been busy. So be sure to plan your day-of-party preparations early enough to have that time and space to yourself as well. Within those amply planned/set-aside time slots, you can expect to do these preparations during the day of your party:
- Complete any last-minute food/drink prep that are too fresh to do any earlier
- Set up any quick/easy last-minute supplies and decorations (if not up already)
- Prepare ambience (music, candles)
- Get dressed with plenty of time in your most fashionable party outfit
- Once everything’s ready, take the time to meditate or do whatever self-care activities you prefer so that you’re in a good headspace come party time. This is in your own and everybody else’s best interest (they’ll pick up on your contagiously good vibe)! You want to be a relaxed, energized, and happy host 😊
All Set to Host a Fantastic Fashion Party
Every part of the party planning process is meant to be enjoyable. The way to be a good host is to put thought and care into party preparation while also keeping a flexible approach that allows grace for unexpected surprises. At the end of the day, the goal is for you and your guests to have a fashionably good time – even if that looks different than you envisioned. So enjoy the process and have fun!