Top-Selling Wine Brand Teams Up with Former Bachelorette Star

In this challenging economy, there is no reason you still can’t be fun, frugal…and fashionable. Little Black Dress Wines, a favorite among stylish and charitable women everywhere, has created the perfect party idea that can help women maximize their LBDs without breaking the bank.

The popular wine brand has teamed up with Jen Schefft, best known for her stints on ABC’s “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” to offer women simple and easy tips to host a “closet swap” party in their own homes where guests bring accessories (shoes, bags, jewelry, scarves, etc.) that they rarely – if ever – wear to “swap” with their girlfriends. What’s one woman’s forgotten fashion is another woman’s treasure!

“If you’re like me, we all have things in our closets that we thought we’d use or wear more often but instead got tucked away and gathered dust for the past several fashion seasons,” said Schefft. “I love the idea of hosting a fun party at home where each of your friends brings items to swap, so another woman can enjoy and wear them. It’s the most fashionable way to recycle!”

As part of its new “Accessorize Responsibly” campaign, Little Black Dress Wines is continuing its charitable focus by asking “Closet Swap” hosts to add a charitable element to the mix. Un-swapped items from the evening should be donated to a worthy local charity. Additionally, guests can be encouraged to make a monetary donation as part of their ‘admission’ to the event, which would also be donated to the charity.

“Women everywhere now have a great reason to clean out their closets as we enter the winter fashion season,” said Kim Charney, Brand Manager, Little Black Dress Wines. “Our Closet Swap program encourages women to have fun, recycle their favorite clothes and accessories among friends and support worthy causes in their own communities.”

Little Black Dress Wines has created a “Closet Swap” section on its colorful website (www.littleblackdresswines.com), which gives women the following easy steps to host a “Closet Swap” party at home with friends:

Create Your Guest List – Make a list (complete with email addresses) of your favorite gal pals you want to invite to your very own Closet Swap party.
Click, Type and Send Your Invite – Log on to www.littleblackdresswines.com and click on the Little Black Dress Wines Closet Swap invitation which conveniently explains the party concept for guests. Type in your guest list, party date and local charity details (see step 5) and send away! You can also create a fun ‘event’ page for your Facebook friends!
Discover Your Forgotten Treasures - What’s one woman’s forgotten fashion is another woman’s fab find! Before your Closet Swap party, invite your friends to look through their closets with an open mind and pick out a couple items (clothes, shoes, bags, jewelry, scarves, etc.) they rarely, if ever, wear and are willing to part with. Tell them to bag it and bring it!
Encourage the Little Black Dress-code – The always classic little black dress is the perfect closet staple to pair with a variety of accessories to transform your look. Encourage your guests to don their favorite LBD to “try on” and “model” the various Closet Swap items.
Giving Back is Always in Style – The best accessory is a happy heart. Since its introduction in 2006, Little Black Dress Wines (along with its supporters) has helped raise more than $100,000 to charity. Join in their efforts to make a difference and ask your guests to bring five dollars for ‘admission’ into the Closet Swap, which will be donated to a local or favorite charity of your choice.
Create a Stylish Space – Pick a place in your home where you’ll “set up shop” for the Closet Swap. Coordinate an empty area or clear off a table where guests can display their clothing and accessories available for “swapping.” Don’t forget to have a full length mirror on hand for guests to try on and admire their gal pals’ items.
Cheers to the Perfect Accessory For Any Occasion – As the “Official Wine of Award Season,” Little Black Dress Wines is toasted by some of the hottest and most stylish women in Hollywood. Stop by a local retailer (retail availability can be found on www.littleblackdresswines.com) and pick up a couple bottles of Little Black Dress Wines to share. A good rule of thumb for entertaining is one bottle of wine for every two to three guests.
Prepare Some Pizzazz – A fashionable party should be delicious too! Prepare some fun small plates to set out during the party for guests to nibble on. Cheese and veggie trays, hummus, dips and fun finger foods are always easy – and affordable – options.
Swap and Shop in an Orderly Fashion – To easily keep track of the number of clothing and accessories each person donates (and the number they get to take home!), give each guest one poker chip for every item they bring.  Before the swapping begins, draw numbers to determine the order in which guests will make their selection. When it’s time to get “swapping,” guests can select one item during round one and go in order (ie. guest who picked 1 goes first); during the second round, guests should select two items and reverse the order of who picks first; the third round, guests select three items and so on. Any leftover items should be donated to a worthy local charity.

Drum roll, please…Presenting Your Very Own “Closet Swap!” – As guests arrive, welcome them with a glass of Little Black Dress Wine or other beverage of their choice, collect their entry fee (for charity), give them their poker chips and take their swapping items to the designated Closet Swap space. When there’s a lull in the “chitchat,” have them pick numbers and let the swapping begin! Review the ground rules and direct guests (a couple at a time) to enter the closet swapping area, where they have free reign to try on clothing and accessories and take an item. While not shopping and swapping, guests can mix and mingle, toast their friends, and rave about their new fashion finds!

Giving Back is Always in Style
Little Black Dress Wines’ mantra is “Giving Back is Always in Style” and will continue its tradition of auctioning off some the most coveted little black dresses (a.k.a ‘LBDs’) of the red carpet with an upcoming auction from January 11- March 8, 2010 benefiting two great charities that resonate with stylish women – The Clothes Off Our Back Foundation® which hosts charity auctions showcasing today’s hottest celebrity attire, and the international non-profit organization Dress for Success® which promotes career development for disadvantaged women by providing professional attire.

Little Black Dress Wines is currently reaching out to fashionable leading ladies of the big and small screen, asking them to take part and donate an LBD and/or lightly used accessory as part of its upcoming charity auction. Notable women already committed for this year’s efforts include Glenn Close, Elizabeth Mitchell, Carrie Ann Inaba, Ashlee Simpson Wentz and Giuliana Rancic among others.

Since 2007, more than 50 of Hollywood’s most well-known stars have helped raise more than $100,000 for charity by lending their support to Little Black Dress Wines’ LBD charity auctions including Sharon Stone, Tina Fey, America Ferrera, Jenna Fischer, Jaime Pressly, Edie Falco, Felicity Huffman, Julianne Moore, Nicollette Sheridan, Kim Cattrall, Carmen Electra, Nancy O’Dell, Teri Hatcher, Lisa Kudrow, Chloe Sevigny, Angie Harmon, Jane Seymour, Laura Linney and many more.

About Little Black Dress Wines
Introduced in summer 2006, Little Black Dress Wines are available nationwide and are offered in 750ml bottles, with a suggested retail price of $10.99. Whether it’s Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, or Merlot you desire, Little Black Dress Wines is the perfect fit for any occasion. Little Black Dress is produced and marketed by Brown-Forman, a diversified producer and marketer of fine quality consumer products, including Jack Daniel’s, Southern Comfort, Finlandia Vodka, Tequila Herradura, el Jimador Tequila, Canadian Mist; Fetzer, Sonoma-Cutrer, Bonterra, Jekel, and Five Rivers California wines;  and Korbel California Champagnes. For more information about Little Black Dress Wines Celebrity Dress Auction or any of Little Black Dress Wines’ products, please visit www.littleblackdresswines.com.

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Responsible drinking is always in style.
© 2009 LBD Vineyards Hopland, CA