11.3.2006
remix’n it. new (or really, new to ME!) plus way old.
-beige vintage 80s calvin klein shirtdress: thrifted yesterday at thrift town, SF. it’s very roomy and comfortable.
-black 60s beads: goodwill, SF.
-black leather vintage corset belt: thrifted in jacksonville, florida.
-super skinny jeans: miss sixty (yes i wear these far too much)
-black ankle boots, folded down: thrfted yesterday at thrift town, SF. (see here for them unfolded and close-up: www.flickr.com/photos/pintuck/288058574/)
-gold vintage earrings: thrift town, SF.
***
thoughts (such as they are):
i find that i can actually do the roomy/oversized thing, but it has to be calculated and careful, with due attention paid to my big old chest…
which means that i *must* employ ways of defining my waist, or i look like a giant rectangle from the bust down.
it’s almost as if i think:
“i really am under there and of reasonable size everywhere else! i swear!”
there are so many things i must eschew, then, to fit my personal needs, and subsequently, most trends must be damned.
this outfit was rather comfortable, i must say, and that’s the way i like it.
i love it when jeans are so skinny they become leggings, which is the case with these jeans. i wear them as such under dresses like that constantly, and have done so for years (my W_R set proves this, haha!). it’s kind of sick, an probably sad to some, but i’d rather wear the same thing over and over if it’s good and suits me…
as i’ve said about a million times before, i could spend lots of money on the latest trends, but i really don’t often do so. i suppose i get more satisfaction out of going to thrift stores and uncovering the same look or looks, often from the era they were first spawned, for pennies.
it’s such a waste, in my mind, to spend lots of money on throwaway clothes from places like H&M and such…while it looks great, and certainly is affordable, i just ABHOR the idea of something falling apart after such a short time. and i literally shudder at the cheapness of the fabrications they use. it may *look* like the latest thing at first glance, but that’s all it is, because it often feels and looks cheap upon close examination. it can’t and won’t last. in my mind’s eye, it’s like taking one’s money, and throwing it in the trash. maybe not right away…but eventually. if i am going to spend money, it better be worth it and it better last more than one season or several.
and really, that’s not even getting into the fact that the cheapness of the clothes from many mass market retailers and manufacturers speaks to the cheapness of their labor, and the ethical ramifications of that relationship…
and anyway:
fashion silhouettes are cyclical. oversized/exaggerated? try the 80s, the 60s, the 50s (balenciaga, hello!!??). shoot, any recent era or decade was typically so varied within itself (especially the 70s, 80s and 90s), that one can find something that will work and be relevant today, if you look hard enough…
November 4 2006 | Posted in i thrifted this., wardrobe_remix
November 4 2006 at 2:29 pm
Ericawell chosen comments. i agree with you about finding items that stand or have stood the test of time; it makes more sense when you get right down to it. i will admit that i find myself buying an item here and there from a mass marketer, but i understand from the get-go that it likely won’t be worth wearing two years from now. i also know that not all vintage is created equal, and cheap items from the past do find their way to the thrift store, just for me to buy them and have them crumble after one or two wears!
November 4 2006 at 2:48 pm
triciaerica: i agree…there are definately cheap, OLD things in thrifts, but the cash outlay isn’t anywhere near what mass-markets charge for things in most cases, much less prices for the designer stuff.
the thing is…i try to look for the best quality when thrifting, OR new. it just makes sense to me, personally. i do buy from some mass market places on rare occasions, but i try to keep it to a minimum.
i think the biggest thing is being *conscious* of what we are buying and being told to buy, and being aware enough of our world and ourselves to make conscientious decisions about what we put on our backs.
all this, i think, leads to *making trends* rather than following them…
November 4 2006 at 5:01 pm
Caseybut i’d rather wear the same thing over and over if it’s good and suits me…
Hehe. That’s me too!! I find when I like how an outfit suits me, I will wear it constantly. I’m sure people get bored of seeing me in the same thing over and over and over… lol. That’s when I pull out all my thrifted accessories though.
I agree with your point about the volume balanced by a cinched waist. I find that although I love the 1920s-esque lines of a loose dress or top, but they all require some sort of waist definition. I really like how you did that here. I actually saw a dress very similar to the one you’re wearing a few weeks ago at a rummage sale. I thought my mom bought it, but she can’t find it anywhere! :p *sigh* Because I wanted it before, now seeing something similar on someone else (and how you mixed the different elements) makes me want it all the more!!
The points you made about mass garments chains (H&M, and the like) is an interesting one. I’ve lately been thinking over the whole ethics issue with companies like this. On one hand, I find the idea of sweatshop labor abhorant. On the other, places like H&M are a great thing for my tiny budget. That being said, I have made a concerted effort over the last month to purchase the bulk of my clothing secondhand in a move to try to relenquish my dependence on large retailers that carry “trendy” items at bargain basement prices. I think it also has to do with becoming more comfortable with my individual, thrifted style. Thanks to people like you who really rock the vintage/secondhand look!
I really think that the majority of people are scared to try to develop original looks or styles. Most people just follow the herd. As much as I love analyzing trend and following with whats the latest and greatest, I find I hardly ever adopt them in my own wardrobe. I’m too attached to the “out of date” clothes that I’ve collected over the years (though I don’t believe anything is ever really too passe to wear; as long as its done with some flair!).
Wow. I rambled! :p Hopefully I made sense; I’ve spent the past hour coding CSS by hand, so my brain is a little fried!
hehe.
November 4 2006 at 6:14 pm
Liisa-Maria (vasiliisa)Interesting topc, mass chains and such. I tend to think the same way about them; but for some people, H&M just seems to be a better option than thrifting for example. Thrifting takes some stamina, willingness to go through loads of things (most of which are not for you anyway) and to do that quite regularly. You can’t go to a thrift store and just grab the things you needed. For people like us it’s obviously part of the fun, but some others apparently want to go somewhere where they can expect to find something wearable quick&easy. But also, for some people clothes are more like for covering up and not a hobby
. That is understandable too.
On the ethical side, I really don’t know how ethical my excessive shopping is, even when a lot of it is second hand. But at least the things I get are re-recyclable. It makes me sad to see some mass chain things in flea markets, relatively new but already in such a lousy condition. That is ultimately the thing that keeps me from getting them (or much of them). Even when they’re brand new, in my mind’s eye I can see what they will soon look like.
November 5 2006 at 1:02 am
stephanie sHear, hear, sister! All my items from Forever21 and other cheapie stores wind up looking tres horrible after just a few washings–ack! It took me a while to learn better (and like you I buy primarily thrifted/vintage now), but I’m also realizing that if you buy new clothes, you have to actually spend good money to get good quality items. Makes sense, eh? But it’s a hard one to let sink in, and I’m slowly learning
November 5 2006 at 6:20 pm
RileyIt’s also enviro friendly to reuse clothing.