clothing, like part of your skin

I don't remember where I saw or heard it recently, someone wrote nostalgically about how clothes used to be worn like part of your skin: worn in.

In junior and senior high school in the late '60s and early '70s, I sewed many of my own clothes. Then stores like TJMaxx and Marshall's appeared - maybe that was when sweat shops proliferated - and many of us Susie homemakers stopped sewing. Why bother sewing to save money, when you're probably not going to spend less than those bargains? I kept sewing dresses and doll clothes for Lesley, because I enjoyed it. Along with bargain clothes stores came fuller closets and disposable clothes. It didn't seem to matter so much if you bought something, wore it one season, and gave it to Goodwill.

Things had really changed from earlier in the century. When we lived in a big 1920s Arts & Crafts house before moving to the farm, you could see from the tiny bedroom closets how few garments people had when the house was built. They didn't even have rods for hangers. There were just hooks around the three short closet walls. Maybe for two or three dresses? Or two pairs of pants and a couple of shirts? If you had one good outfit, for Sundays, weddings and funerals, that had to stay pretty nice. If you had one or two everyday outfits, those got worn and transformed into a second skin. It isn't easy to find a bargain and the quality of garment that feels good next to your skin, even before it's worn in. I can sometimes find them at thrift or consignment stores. Sometimes I shop new for something well made and designed if I know I'll wear it a while and it's a staple, like good black pants for work. And then I look for sales. But wanting to be less of a consumer I'm just not shopping for new clothes much, trying to recycle from those second hand stores, and I've slimmed my closet way down, though I sure couldn't fit all my clothes on a few hooks. Also, I am wearing clothes longer and allowing them to get a little softer and fuzzier than I used to. I guess that resembles my first skin too, ha.

my sister Nancy picked up this little vintage linen top for a few dollars at an antique store

Apparently resale stores are surging because of the economic downturn (good for those who want to sell their own and for those who want to spend less on clothes), so last week NPR reported on Encore Resale where you can find a "bargain" for $2000 instead of $3500 (for example), where they sell "Chanel, Hermés, Prada, Gucci, Armani, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, Oscar de La Renta and Judith Leiber as well as many other coveted labels"? I loved hearing one woman say she's not shopping there because she has to save money, but because, well you never know what might happen. I wonder how many people who listened to that report could relate to it.

Lesley, who lives in NYC, told me about Bag, Borrow or Steal, where you can "borrow" - i.e., rent - a designer handbag (and watches, sunglasses, and jewelry too). Are you kidding me? The bargain here is that instead of laying down $1,695 for this leather Prada Cervo Antik Tote, you can "borrow" it for a mere $77/week or $225/month! Now that's some premier, supple skin. Is there another planet people are living on, and no one told me? -

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I'm joining Anet, posting an image of ornaments now till Christmas. Lesley crafted these four 5 1/2" felt doves with vintage buttons. I hung them on Peter's painting "Gurtie" from high school (in the manner of Peter Max).

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