Thinking about the changing price of clothes: Sure, it's Vogue, but as per the BLS Inflation Calculator, that cashmere camisole costs $329 in today's dollars.
This is such an informative piece with a lot of food for thought! It's given me a desire to learn more about the history of getting dressed, and also ask my grandma about how she has gotten dressed throughout the years?
These stats are amazing. I think what we saw with the outpouring of support for LA fire victims (which was lovely), was that most people have so much stuff that they were able to donate basically an entire wardrobe without missing any of it. I have culled so much over the years and shopped very mindfully (trying my best to make most of it secondhand) that I actually have a list of things I need. I have exactly one pair of pants that aren't jeans! And one skirt! But having the list is key so that when I go thrifting or get emails from Poshmark and ThredUp I know what I need. That said, I have a gift certificate to a fave local shop and plan to buy...jeans. Lol.
Yes!!!! So much of this is the reason I started Future Reference. We get so caught up in the consumerism cycle that we forget what we've purchased and the amount we are pouring into our closets without necessarily getting equal value (personal and somewhat monetary) out. My hope is that if people can get transparency and visibility into their wardrobes they may shift how and what they buy (more secondhand, higher quality first hand) and at what point we give a second life to the things that are no longer serving us. <3
It is so easy to get caught up. We need to be more intentional, as a collective. Words like these need to be shared more often, so we can begin to become self aware of our own habits. Thanks for your writing.
So interesting! Another thing that blows my mind is that most of those clothing items were made by the wearer! It gave people lots of control over the fit, the fabric, and also the knowledge to alter their clothes if their bodies changed. If I had to make all my own clothes, I’d probably only have 9 outfits, too!
Loving this conversation. I have found myself thinking so much along these lines the past couple years, and thought I was mostly alone. Even if my ego takes a hit realizing this idea has been presented to me subtly and was not my own creation - who cares. Giddy to see these conversations propelled forward and to receive guidance from the many friends who find, along with me, that less actually could be more!
This piece got me thinking, so I added it up and realised I bought 25 items last year. 68 items would be scarily easy, it’s just 5ish things per month, and I can see how the urge to replace a tired looking piece or hop on a trend could add up to that. But I’m really keen to cultivate a clearer sense of personal style and shop with intention, so thinking more about what we buy and how it relates to the rest of our wardrobes is crucial.
Years ago my first house was a traditional Baltimore city row home. These row homes were built in the 1800, when there were no bathrooms. Outhouse in the backyard. Closets were also not built into the structures either. When they incorporated closets into the house the depth of the closet was only about 6 inches. You had your everyday dress, and Sunday best. The street in front of my house was really wide, fire engines, and big trucks loved our street because of the maneuverability, and parking was parallel. In its day it was considered the moneyed end of town, because two horse drawn carriages could go down the street side by side. What I am trying to say is that how we consume has changed drastically. The scaling back and thrifting is in part due to clothing not made well anymore and everything, even crap clothing is expensive.
The hardest part for me is dressing for the climate I live in. During the winter it can be fifties one day seventies, even 80s the next day.
I think about clothing waste a lot, lol, but it’s something that most of us are disconnected from because fashion companies have marketed us into believing clothes are disposable, or can just be donated. We’re seeing the effects of this in LA; people dropping off stuff they don’t want anymore, the excess overwhelming volunteers.
Our donations then get offloaded to other countries like Ghana, where the largest secondhand market in the world exists. There at Kantamanto, they recirculate an astounding amount of our clothes, but there’s just too much stuff. The leftovers pollute their land and water. It’s devastating.
Fortunately, like you said, the antidote of intentionality not only helps with this problem, but it helps you develop your personal style.
Thinking about the changing price of clothes: Sure, it's Vogue, but as per the BLS Inflation Calculator, that cashmere camisole costs $329 in today's dollars.
wow
This is such an informative piece with a lot of food for thought! It's given me a desire to learn more about the history of getting dressed, and also ask my grandma about how she has gotten dressed throughout the years?
I love this homework
These stats are amazing. I think what we saw with the outpouring of support for LA fire victims (which was lovely), was that most people have so much stuff that they were able to donate basically an entire wardrobe without missing any of it. I have culled so much over the years and shopped very mindfully (trying my best to make most of it secondhand) that I actually have a list of things I need. I have exactly one pair of pants that aren't jeans! And one skirt! But having the list is key so that when I go thrifting or get emails from Poshmark and ThredUp I know what I need. That said, I have a gift certificate to a fave local shop and plan to buy...jeans. Lol.
Yes!!!! So much of this is the reason I started Future Reference. We get so caught up in the consumerism cycle that we forget what we've purchased and the amount we are pouring into our closets without necessarily getting equal value (personal and somewhat monetary) out. My hope is that if people can get transparency and visibility into their wardrobes they may shift how and what they buy (more secondhand, higher quality first hand) and at what point we give a second life to the things that are no longer serving us. <3
💗💗
It is so easy to get caught up. We need to be more intentional, as a collective. Words like these need to be shared more often, so we can begin to become self aware of our own habits. Thanks for your writing.
So interesting! Another thing that blows my mind is that most of those clothing items were made by the wearer! It gave people lots of control over the fit, the fabric, and also the knowledge to alter their clothes if their bodies changed. If I had to make all my own clothes, I’d probably only have 9 outfits, too!
Fascinating! A girl I follow on TT shared she’s referencing Josef Albers color theory to reimagine her closet. Think I’ll try that this month!!
"we’re casually dating our clothes" is sooo spot on
Thanks for the inspiration! I've been meaning to start "The Cull".
Same!
Loving this conversation. I have found myself thinking so much along these lines the past couple years, and thought I was mostly alone. Even if my ego takes a hit realizing this idea has been presented to me subtly and was not my own creation - who cares. Giddy to see these conversations propelled forward and to receive guidance from the many friends who find, along with me, that less actually could be more!
less is moreeeeeee <3 here on the journey together
This piece got me thinking, so I added it up and realised I bought 25 items last year. 68 items would be scarily easy, it’s just 5ish things per month, and I can see how the urge to replace a tired looking piece or hop on a trend could add up to that. But I’m really keen to cultivate a clearer sense of personal style and shop with intention, so thinking more about what we buy and how it relates to the rest of our wardrobes is crucial.
Years ago my first house was a traditional Baltimore city row home. These row homes were built in the 1800, when there were no bathrooms. Outhouse in the backyard. Closets were also not built into the structures either. When they incorporated closets into the house the depth of the closet was only about 6 inches. You had your everyday dress, and Sunday best. The street in front of my house was really wide, fire engines, and big trucks loved our street because of the maneuverability, and parking was parallel. In its day it was considered the moneyed end of town, because two horse drawn carriages could go down the street side by side. What I am trying to say is that how we consume has changed drastically. The scaling back and thrifting is in part due to clothing not made well anymore and everything, even crap clothing is expensive.
The hardest part for me is dressing for the climate I live in. During the winter it can be fifties one day seventies, even 80s the next day.
Thank you for writing this!
I think about clothing waste a lot, lol, but it’s something that most of us are disconnected from because fashion companies have marketed us into believing clothes are disposable, or can just be donated. We’re seeing the effects of this in LA; people dropping off stuff they don’t want anymore, the excess overwhelming volunteers.
Our donations then get offloaded to other countries like Ghana, where the largest secondhand market in the world exists. There at Kantamanto, they recirculate an astounding amount of our clothes, but there’s just too much stuff. The leftovers pollute their land and water. It’s devastating.
Fortunately, like you said, the antidote of intentionality not only helps with this problem, but it helps you develop your personal style.
Total win win.
Thank you for this. It's top of mind as I move through my life.