Category — Secondhand Wardrobe Style and Fashion

It Ain't Beautiful, But It Does Work!

I wanted an efficient system that would keep all of it clean and would allow me a clear view of my choices. My earrings went into plastic bead boxes which are divided into uniform compartments. My bracelets, pins and necklaces went into tackle boxes. They are the same shape and size as the bead boxes, but come with tabs to customize the interior space, perfect for the bracelets, pins and necklaces. Since much of my jewelry is sterling, I bought tarnish inhibiting fabric and lined the boxes with it.

I then retrieved a desktop paper sorter that was destined for our next yard sale and stacked the bead and tackle boxes on it. It is the most efficient way I’ve found to store my avalanche of treasures.

Having trouble locating the perfect late 60’s/early 70’s garb at your local thrift store? I’ve got a book for you. The Illustrated Hassle-Free Make Your Own Clothes Book by Bordow and Rosenberg, originally published in 1972 has been reissued. Those of you with modest sewing skills or an interest in learning can use this book to give secondhand finds a vintage feel, although most of the book is devoted to from-scratch patterns for items such as caftans and ponchos.

I can tell you that those of us who were young in 1970, when the book was first published, actually did want to look like “…pirates and Native Americans…. We longed to be fairy princesses…”, as one of the authors notes in the 2008 introduction. The designs are definitely representative of what we wore then, but I can’t vouch for the patterns, because I haven’t made any of them. Although I enjoyed dressing like a fairy princess when I was a teenager, my taste in clothing has definitely changed since then.  By the way, check out this shot of the original cover. Now that’s what I call groovy!

My daughter loves her new prom dress

My daughter found her prom dress last Saturday. It cost five dollars at a local thrift store and is in perfect condition. Garments that are only worn for special occasions often are in wonderful shape because they usually only get worn a few times. Except for a minor alteration to the shoulder straps, the dress fits her like a dream, looks nothing like what everybody else will be wearing, and according to my quickie internet search, comparable dresses by the same manufacturer run around $150. And although she loves this dress, since prom is months away, my daughter has time to continue to snoop around the thrifts, just in case there’s something out there that she likes even more. I can afford to spring for another five bucks, or even ten, if it’ll make her happy.

I’ve had plenty of arguments with my teenaged children, but never about clothing. That’s because I have only one clothing rule for them—well, actually it only applies to my daughter, not my son. The purpose of the rule is to keep her safe and it is this—she cannot wear anything that I decide is too skimpy.

Having only one rule means that a) I can never be accused of being overly restrictive (at least in this arena), and b) my kids get to learn what styles they like and dislike. I do offer my opinion about quality and fit, but my kids are entitled to ignore me if they want to.

I’m relaxed about their clothing choices partly because the majority of what they wear comes from thrift stores and costs next to nothing, but also because there are so many other battles that are so much more important. They pick out something made out of cheap material? The price is three dollars, so who cares? They’ll learn something about fabric when it develops pills after they wear it two times. They want to wear only black? Gee, so do a majority of women who work in the fashion industry. They’re drawn to a pair of pants that I think is unflattering? Why is this my business?

Teens need to make good choices about things that matter like sex and drugs. They won’t learn how to best decide the important stuff if they aren’t allowed to choose the inconsequential stuff. The clothes just don’t matter.

Award season is here and so are the shows featuring fashion editors who critique celebrity outfits. So-and-so’s hair looked shellacked, somebody else’s shoes were so last year, and (I love this the best) that celebrity always plays it safe and needs to try something more daring. Of course she’s playing it safe, I say to myself, she wants to blend in so that you don’t pick at her.

I believe that this institutionalized sniping is a kind of bullying that creates a general fear of taking chances when we get dressed. If celebrities get criticized for their clothing choices even though they have teams of people helping them to look so fantastic, the rest of us must be getting it wrong all the time. Better to just blend in and never try anything new. When the fashion industry tells us to wear purple this season, better to just wear it. This is great for the industry, but very bad when it comes to our personal style because style is fearless. It means going out on a limb with your clothing, and taking your own counsel when it comes to what looks good on you instead of just dressing like everybody else.

Those of us who joyfully wear a secondhand wardrobe are less willing to follow fashion dictates. You have to rely on your own creativity when the items in your closet come from various sources and time periods. 

I often tape awards shows and watch them in fast-forward to see the pretty dresses. And I also sometimes watch the sniping shows that follow. They give me the chance to see the dresses all over again and then yell at the TV when I think the commentators are getting mean.