secondhandwardrobe.com » Secondhand Wardrobe Style and Fashion

Secondhand Wardrobe Week, Day 3: Smash the Stigma about Buying and Wearing Used Clothing

Cheryl — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:56:25 +0000

February 28, 2012: A stigma about buying and wearing previously worn clothing persists even in these tough economic times. The clothing industry has a lot to gain if we continue to believe that thrift stores are nasty places that sell terrible clothing.

Secondhand Wardrobe Week, Day 2: Want to Dress More Creatively? Shop the Thrifts!

Cheryl — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:55:15 +0000

February 27, 2012: Thrift stores sell such a broad mix of quality and style that shoppers are challenged to combine items in unique, interesting ways.

Girly Shoes

Cheryl — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:23:47 +0000

These heels, made by Miracle Tread of Craddock Terry Shoe Corporation, are 50 years old and still gorgeous!

I’d never owned a pair of heels until last week, when I visited my favorite vintage store and found the perfect pair. They’re skinny, just like my feet. If you haven’t noticed, narrow sizes have all but disappeared from the shoe racks. Were I to get an invitation to some fancy event, say a wedding, I could spend half a year just looking for shoes that fit me, and since there are very few companies that still make them, the prices are more than I want to pay. So I nabbed the skinny heels for $20 and will pack them away until the next invitation comes.

Green Hair is Fine

Cheryl — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:34:38 +0000

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.

Sniping Season

Cheryl — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:10:31 +0000

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.