I believe in Goodwill

On the subject of reduce/reuse/recycle shopping I do encourage you to go to Goodwill where both what you buy and donate support a very good cause. Goodwill helps people rehabilitate their lives from injury and other issues. Here is a great site that lets you know the power of your donation.

http://donate.goodwill.org/

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These clothes smell funny.

One of the most often voiced criticisms of vintage shopping is the clothes and stores seem to have an odor that takes hold in one’s mind, forever associated with vintage or used clothing. Don’t buy these items – the smells that can be associated with old clothes can be extremely difficult to get out even through repeated washing and dry cleaning.  Mold can grow in fabrics not visible or sniffed out by the average shopper – if the item seems to have been cleaned that cleaning aroma may be more present than the mold but if the item gets slightly damp or warmed up from being worn the mold smell will be more present and become noticeable to you and others.  This is one of the bad hazards of used clothing. Be extremely careful when buying vintage or any used clothing – buy only from reliable merchants who have experience with the issues concerning textiles and their storage. Ask if the item turns out to have any unwanted odors can you return it? See what the answer is and why. Some vintage dealers take pride in presenting highly desirable pieces in fantastic condition and are happy to tell you why their items can be worn with confidence.

Vintage love vs old

You can love vintage fashion….and I do. It is possible to find fantastic pieces to mix in with your wardrobe. However it requires dedication and time to find great items that don’t make you look like you are wearing a folk costume or participated in a revolution.  Great personal style can exist at any age – but it works when it fits the person and doesn’t look like a reinactor’s costume. I set a guideline for myself that I can only wear one piece at a time and it has to mix in with a good overall look in a way that doesn’t make me look like a fashion from 30 or more years ago. It has to be in great shape, perfect seams, not worn looking and fit perfectly. Does this limit choices? Yes, but in a good way. Don’t shop for vintage with anyone who has less than the most critical eye. If you hear “oh no one will notice”rest assured they will or worse you will and think about it all day. It is better for everyone to comment; think you bought it new and were ahead of the trend, mix it with that in mind. It’s true some people can wear anything, they are usually young; if older they possess a rare quality have a highly developed critical eye and don’t wear it if looks anything less than photo worthy.

Signs of the times

Along with eco-fashion and consciousness of the planet, people are reinventing themselves with new jobs, careers and directions. Some of this inventiveness comes from long held dreams and some from necessity. Fresh jobs and occupations often require a different wardrobe or style of presentation and a larger percentage of available finance is directed to making these changes; I’m going to write the next couple of posts on consignment, vintage, recycling and thrift fashion.  Fashion pitfalls, the great bargain that really isn’t and avoiding thrift store fever.

The shaping of you

I am not perfect; I don’t claim to be and I am not the fashion police.

But I should have issued a citation yesterday.

I was walking past a mall store and saw way to much sloppy flesh in a decent dress with boots that made it too short. If you are over forty and really dishing it out on the loose flesh please wear a shaper in a knit dress.  You can be bigger and very sexy but firm (or faux firm) should be a rule .

Longchamp

If you buy one it will last.

Get the best bag you can in this line – it is worth the money to splurge up a little on something not to trendy that you can see yourself carrying eight years. You will put in the closet in it’s dustbag and pull it out to use again because this bag simply doesn’t fall apart.

I have two and would buy another in minute if I could get one of them to wear out.

Check out the Kate Moss collection.

Longchamp Kate Moss Collection

 

About size

Something none of you know.  I have gotten larger – I had back surgery last year to resolve a badly herniated disk.  The medication and the inactivity before the surgery caused me to put on forty pounds faster than pregnancy ever did.  I have been trying for 5 months now to lose this and am living with the yoyo dieting  and exercise weight gain. Here is what I have learned, I do get bigger if I exercise and that does concern me  – but I have to do it to feel better. I am buying bigger pants but dieting without exercise results in flippy flab and makes me feel ugly, thinner but ugly. I also am not comfortable with hunger, call it an issue but I would rather be bigger than starving for fashion; and for now tailored suits and maxi skirt lengths look great on me.