No more "disposable" fashion...

Midge

Midge

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Staff member
I have been toying with this idea for a bit, but really there's actually question about it - should be easy to do! Others are doing it too! hello kitty emoti
With all the discussions about cheap, fast and pretty much disposable fashion around (and where it ends up when it is being thrown away or donated to certain organisations), I have decided to do what others area already doing. At least for a year, for a start. I will from today on try not buy any new-new clothes for a year. What I'll allow myself are vintage and second hand clothes, and I will exclude undies, as well as the pleasure of shopping at Marimekko in Helsinki next month. But then, Marimekko is non-cheap fashion made in Europe, and their clothes are made to last (yes, I'm a Marimekko-addict...).
Basically, my closet is at least half full with things that are either vintage or that I bought in a secondhand shop. I rarely walk out of the Caritas shop without buying anything - and just did so again today. It even works for business... I just did six days of trade shows, business wear required during the day, the occasional party or cocktail dress in the evening - and for all of this, I wore either all vintage/secondhand or at least the better part of what I was wearing was that. Even my best business suit comes from the Caritas shop.
I will keep you updated on how it's going - or when I hit a wall :BAGUSE: - and I will be posting about it on the Willy-nillies FB page too.
 
Good for you!!
It's rare that I buy anything new, these days.
I think the last new clothes item I bought was shoes - I have a hard time finding vintage shoes - and with my bad knees, I can't wear heels anymore. I don't seem to find much in the way of used size 9.5 flats. Every now and then, I'll find a pair of new Target brand ones at Goodwill -- but other than that, not much luck.
BUT -- 75% of my wardrobe is vintage... another 20% is second hand.
We're doing OUR part!!
 
Kristine, you're already where I'd like to be! Great!
Hmm... yes, shoes might be tricky. My shoe closet is pretty big though at the moment, and for winter I'm all set up with numerous pairs mostly vintage boots. Late 70s Italian high-heeled boots are my weakness, and I almost always buy them when I see them, especially NOS, which I have found quite a few. And they last forever with a bit of care.
I will be posting about this on Facebook with the tag #nodisposablefashion , if anyone wants to follow that.
 
I have only bought "new" clothing because of my weight loss. I didn't want to spend much on jeans and tops. So I get the JR size at a local inexpensive dept store.
The only problem is that clothing in my size is geared for 12 - 16 year olds. Which I am Not.
Even most of my smaller vintage is too large. sigh.
I do have some nice legging and tops from a local store which sells only Made in America new clothing. I feel good about that at least.
So well made!
 
Have not been buying anything new for quite some time...just undies, t-shirts and shoes or boots..the rest is vintage or 2nd hand. There is so much to choose from and such great quality, that's why it's still around!

Let us know how it goes for you, Karin!
 
I have been doing this for decades.
My first vintage purchases were in high school in the 60s, my Mother took me to second hand shops & we found awesome stuff.
One of my prom dresses was a gorgeous 50s chiffon full skirt number. And my favorite bathing suit was a new-with-tags two-piece from a consignment shop. I also sewed most of my other clothes. I did not want to look like everyone else.
I do buy new undies. And shoes (although I have a lot of vintage ones), I like new wedgies with rubber or cork platforms.
Also pants & jeans, I am so short I have to have the petites, which I find at Sears.
 
Oh Linda...I know that reaction first hand. What I usually say is that if you go try something new on in a store, the item has often been worn by someone else who tried it on, and not as carefully as many vintage pieces. What I THINK is "wearing vintage is as close to a social life as you may get!" :hysterical:

Vintage and 2nd-hand all the way for me. I don't think I have more than a couple new items, but I don't have a regular day job. I do wear vintage for performing with the symphony. Good for you Karin, and let us know how it goes!
 
Thank you - I'll let you know how I get. Really don't know why I didn't think of this earlier - I haven't been buying much new stuff lately either.

I had secondhand clothes as a kid - not a lot, but I did have some - it never bothered me, seemed perfectly normal to do that. And if I needed anything "nice", my mom often made me something. And from my early teens on I had mostly my own ideas of style, never followed anything completely. I bought my first vintage clothes in my late teens - more "dress up" stuff, but once I went thrifting with my friend in Vienna, I also started to buy vintage day wear and wore that to work occasionally. But for the first years, the evening wear racks always held the biggest fascination for me - hey, every girl wants to be a princess :drinking2:. I don't need "business wear" for work - we're pretty casual, unless there's a special occasion or visitor. And for the trade shows - I've sometimes even worn 40s suits to them.
 
I think the last time I bought anything new, it may have been 5-6 years ago, I got some tops at one of the discount box stores. They pretty much fell apart after a few washings, and I do think it was the last time for "new" clothes. Oh, wait, I bought a new cotton t-shirt at a diner last month (it says "hot, fast and cheap," with a 50s waitress on it, lol! Had to have it.) All my tops and jeans are either from the thrift store or online purchases used or from rummage sales, etc. Damn, I just bought myself a nice "new" bra at the thrift store the other day. My shoes and boots are new because I wear size 10 wide and they must be comfy, so vintage shoes won't cut it for my big feet.
Jen
 
I find it amazing of how many deadstock or NOS with tags are available if one looks in "2nd" hand shops.
Coming from a large family of Depression Era parents it is ingrained in me to at least mix and match.
 
Almost all my clothes are secondhand (other than underwear and hosiery). For me, it makes more economic sense, as well as being more ethical and giving me more choices. If I buy the cheapest brand new clothes I can find, I can expect them to fall apart after a few wears, but I can spend the same money on something decent quality from a charity shop that may have been only worn a few times and will last much better. It's also often easier to find what I want, because sometimes the new-clothes shops are full of similar examples of whatever happens to be in fashion at the time (e.g. the 3/4 length sleeves that were on almost everything for a while, which do not suit me unless they're from the very limited petite ranges because they look as if they're trying to be long sleeves but not quite making it on me). I've been buying vintage and sometimes dressing eccentrically since I was a kid.
I got annoyed by a fashion slot on a daytime TV show which would almost invariably show expensive clothes and describe outfits costing more than a week's pay for people like me as "affordable". One time, I saw them actually featuring cheap summer holiday type clothes (e.g. about £10 GBP), but then the presenter spoiled it by saying that at that price, we could just throw them away - take them on holiday, wear them once and don't bring them back! Sometimes I wonder if these people inhabit the same planet as me.
 
@Sartorial Eloquence, you are so right! I have many, many nice higher end items form the second hand shop here. A couture suit from within the last 20 years, my Armani business suit... I'd never be able to afford these at new prices, but the Armani is truly worth it's weight in gold. It's a lovely, light wool - light to pack, doesn't need much space, and still looks good after 2 weeks in a suitcase. Hang it up for a night and it will be fine. That is worth a great deal to me - sometimes I travel for quite a bit before I get to go to the actual trade show, and can't hang things up every night. Occasionally I find a vintage gem in that shop, and I've always got my eyes peeled for those, but I'm just as much on the outlook for good quality/high end brands - hoping for quality items - and for materials like silk, cashmere or wool, no matter what the label. In winter I wear mostly cashmere sweaters - most of which I bought second hand. The new ones that I can afford, at the lower end of the price range, are also the worst quality cashmere and it shows after a lot of washing. But my second hand ones are Etro, Genny and other such brands, and they hold up beautifully, winter after winter.
 
I too appreciate clothes that travel well, as does my son, who likes nice clothes but rarely has the time or inclination to trawl the charity shops so I sometimes find things for him.
I find sometimes even with the same brands, earlier items are better quality. I look for St Michael (vintage Marks & Spencer) in charity shops since I find them generally superior to modern M&S. Back in the day the quality, fit and ease of care were much more reliable. More recently their sizing is as inconsistent as many other high street shops, durability can be pot luck and machine washable items are usually "wash dark colours separately" whereas in the old days they used colourfast fabrics.
 
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