Secondhand finds
Yesterday five dollars and thirty-one cents bought me two mugs, a pair of Harvé Barnard dress pants, workout shorts and the late, great George Carlin’s book, Brain Droppings. The store was especially crowded, as it always is a few days before Halloween. The holiday crowd makes me wonder why used clothing is considered OK on Halloween, but is looked down upon every other day of the year.
My last blog entry was about ready-to-wear clothing that doesn’t fit properly. Just so you know that you’re not the only one who has trouble in this area, today I’m sharing some of my own fitting challenges:
Just think of me the next time your pants threaten to hit the ground. And if you just don’t want to alter your waistband, wear a belt!
Today I have an assignment for everyone who has ever felt that clothing doesn’t fit properly. I want you to go someplace where there are a lot of people and unobtrusively check out how everybody is shaped. If you’re paying attention, you’ll see that we come in all sorts of packages. It’s an example of nature doing that thing of creating infinite variety.
Now consider this—how are manufacturers supposed to make ready-to-wear clothing that will fit all of our body types well? The answer is that it’s not possible. Some manufacturers make regular, petite and tall versions in every size from extra-small to extra-extra-large, but many, many people still have trouble finding clothing that fits well.
So if you’re tired of garments that sag here and are too tight there, what are you supposed to do? Here’s the plan—1) remember that we aren’t all meant to be alike and that it’s the clothing that needs altering, not you and 2) learn how to do alterations or find somebody else who can do them for you. If you don’t have either the skill to do it yourself or the cash to pay somebody else, I’ve got a great book for you, Jan Saunders’ Wardrobe Quick-Fixes. She offers both sewing and non-sewing solutions for common fit problems. Sadly, the book has been out of print for some time, but you can still find it on Amazon.
(Please note that I have been on the lookout for a newer book on the same topic for years and haven’t found anything that comes close. Suggestions for other publications would be greatly welcomed!)
Manufacturers often put their names, slogans and logos on clothing, but this time Tommy Hilfiger really went overboard. I was sniffing around one of my favorite secondhand stores when I found a tee shirt with the following printed on the chest:
Tom-my Hil-fig-er 1.: American 2: quality tailored clothing, sportswear, jeans and athletic apparel for men, women and children adj. 3: fun, free, spirited, a desirable addition to your wardrobe 4: a group of people who demand distinctive style ＜~ customers have an eye for details ＞ v. 5:to twist tradition, to reinvent the classics to create FASHION FREEDOM 6: to chuck convention, but with panache syn see Duke and Dutchess of Windsor 7: Whoever you are, whatever you wear, TOMMY HILFIGER is you.
This whole issue of logos/slogans/names of companies prominently displayed on garments raises an interesting question for me. I understand that the companies benefit when people wear this stuff, but why do consumers go along with it?
