Girly post!
Jan. 24th, 2009 08:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crankyoldmanI clearly need to do one of these once in a while. XD Skip everything else if you need to, but check it out, Jay McCarroll is making fabrics!. I'm not into the whole 60s and 70s thing overmuch, but even I think some of those are darling and perfect for the etsy crowd and I would make something for my mom out of said fabric.
In the middle of a wardrobe organization overhaul. This is fancy talk for "I keep wearing the same shit so I need to rearrange it all". One of the major things I've realized over the course of Getting My Life Back in Order is that if I can't see something or find it easily, it doesn't exist. This is why I use tray organizer thingies in my supplies drawer and own lots of little snappy container things that I can see through. My sister is the opposite, she prefers to hide everything, but label it.
So in the course of this, I've change my closet hangup scheme. This may sound silly, but I think I finally figured out my problem. In an attempt to be less messy, I arranged everything by color. Thing is? I'm a jackets and buttonups and cardigans type of person. And I nearly always get those things in neutrals and the like. Not that I hate color, I typically relegate color to t-shirts and tank tops and hats and crazy jewelry and scarves. XD So I rearranged everything by type (i.e. jackets and buttonups and cardigans) and lo and hehold, things that had gotten shoved to the side because they were color are now in the middle, highly visible.
Now to tackle the tiny wardrobe and my under the bed containers. I own too many clothes. XD
While going through my fitted t-shirts and tank top drawers, I was once again reminded of how terrible t-shirts are these days (and how ironically, the type of fabric has gone back to the 70s, as I have a nifty t-shirt of my mom's from that era). Is it just me, or has it all gotten REALLY thin? When it's cold I like to use tanks and tees as an under layer to keep warm, but the tees especially I have to wonder if they'll do anything? Of course, I have another place for my non-fitted athletic tees, because ah, I've always had a lot of those (from Track, from being in every damn club for a while, from my mom always bringing me back a tee two sizes too large from trips). I actually got rid of a lot a while ago.
But I makes me want to take some of the more interesting ones and sew them fitted.t_shirt_surgery has some pretty nifty ideas. I guess it's being the twiggy gangly kid that keeps me from wearing too many oversized t-shirts in public, it reminds me of well, awkward times. XD Yes I know, 'cry cry thin girl'. Everyone has issues, I suppose. Funny thing is, with the exception of like, two things, t-shirts are nearly always bought for me. Huh.
I think this is why, other than you know, the typical economy thing, that I've been pretty picky while shopping. I just happen to be able to be picky rather quickly, as I'm at a point in my life where I can pretty much discount certain styles as looking groovy on me, and have had enough experiences with "bargain" buys that turned out being just crap. Real bargains are the ones that have endured in my closet since junior high (seriously, there's an oversized lavendar button-up I've had since 7th grade that STILL serves me well which I bought for $2). I can tell a decent enough fabric by touch now (this skill has been useful since I have started sewing) and I remember tricks like "you can tell by the buttonholes if it's sewn well" and the like. This is also why I am patient and wait for the Vera Wang stuff to go on sale at Kohl's because lord if some of that isn't well made. Even from thin (but durable) fabrics!
But since I got that blue dress of awesome in the mail and fully inspected it (the color is as bright as in the picture, and the cotton is NICE cotton and once I took the shoulder pads out it fit nicely... I hate shoulderpads, I have big enough shoulders XD) I've been thinking about the cheapification of mass goods and the like. I have no doubt that dress was from a department store or something similar, but it's just... better cotton, better stitching. What's the different of only a few years (because it was obviously made in the 80s, even if the style is clearly a homage to the 30s)? Why the difference?
It seems more sense to me that in times of recession you'd want to spend a decent amount on something that'll last as opposed to something you need to throw away. Maybe it's GG talking, or my mom's old answer if I wanted something that I could just make it myself. Have we as a people been dumbed out of certain sensibilities? It always strikes me that if you want people to buy things, you don't want to sell them cheap stuff, you want to sell them moderately priced GOOD stuff.
Maybe I'm just thinking a little backwoods. XD
So one of the blogs I occasionally read, because sometimes I sort of roll my eyes at her, but Style Tribe recently (as in, a while ago) did a little entry about categorizing her personal style. While I kind of think the categories are, well, sort of bland (there's a lot to menswear, for instance), I figured I would get a few kicks while reorganizing my closet by pulling out the main categories of my own style collection.
Nerdpunk
Steampunk, Cyberpunk, I-Want-To-Be-A-Punk-Rocker-But-I-Like-Rockets, Things from Cons worn in Everyday Life
Crazy Art Teacher
Slouchy, Drapey, Ornamented
Hip Grandma/pa
Dapper, Old Lady, Gentleman
So yeah, it's creepy that nearly everything I own can be boiled down into that.
In the middle of a wardrobe organization overhaul. This is fancy talk for "I keep wearing the same shit so I need to rearrange it all". One of the major things I've realized over the course of Getting My Life Back in Order is that if I can't see something or find it easily, it doesn't exist. This is why I use tray organizer thingies in my supplies drawer and own lots of little snappy container things that I can see through. My sister is the opposite, she prefers to hide everything, but label it.
So in the course of this, I've change my closet hangup scheme. This may sound silly, but I think I finally figured out my problem. In an attempt to be less messy, I arranged everything by color. Thing is? I'm a jackets and buttonups and cardigans type of person. And I nearly always get those things in neutrals and the like. Not that I hate color, I typically relegate color to t-shirts and tank tops and hats and crazy jewelry and scarves. XD So I rearranged everything by type (i.e. jackets and buttonups and cardigans) and lo and hehold, things that had gotten shoved to the side because they were color are now in the middle, highly visible.
Now to tackle the tiny wardrobe and my under the bed containers. I own too many clothes. XD
While going through my fitted t-shirts and tank top drawers, I was once again reminded of how terrible t-shirts are these days (and how ironically, the type of fabric has gone back to the 70s, as I have a nifty t-shirt of my mom's from that era). Is it just me, or has it all gotten REALLY thin? When it's cold I like to use tanks and tees as an under layer to keep warm, but the tees especially I have to wonder if they'll do anything? Of course, I have another place for my non-fitted athletic tees, because ah, I've always had a lot of those (from Track, from being in every damn club for a while, from my mom always bringing me back a tee two sizes too large from trips). I actually got rid of a lot a while ago.
But I makes me want to take some of the more interesting ones and sew them fitted.
t_shirt_surgery has some pretty nifty ideas. I guess it's being the twiggy gangly kid that keeps me from wearing too many oversized t-shirts in public, it reminds me of well, awkward times. XD Yes I know, 'cry cry thin girl'. Everyone has issues, I suppose. Funny thing is, with the exception of like, two things, t-shirts are nearly always bought for me. Huh.I think this is why, other than you know, the typical economy thing, that I've been pretty picky while shopping. I just happen to be able to be picky rather quickly, as I'm at a point in my life where I can pretty much discount certain styles as looking groovy on me, and have had enough experiences with "bargain" buys that turned out being just crap. Real bargains are the ones that have endured in my closet since junior high (seriously, there's an oversized lavendar button-up I've had since 7th grade that STILL serves me well which I bought for $2). I can tell a decent enough fabric by touch now (this skill has been useful since I have started sewing) and I remember tricks like "you can tell by the buttonholes if it's sewn well" and the like. This is also why I am patient and wait for the Vera Wang stuff to go on sale at Kohl's because lord if some of that isn't well made. Even from thin (but durable) fabrics!
But since I got that blue dress of awesome in the mail and fully inspected it (the color is as bright as in the picture, and the cotton is NICE cotton and once I took the shoulder pads out it fit nicely... I hate shoulderpads, I have big enough shoulders XD) I've been thinking about the cheapification of mass goods and the like. I have no doubt that dress was from a department store or something similar, but it's just... better cotton, better stitching. What's the different of only a few years (because it was obviously made in the 80s, even if the style is clearly a homage to the 30s)? Why the difference?
It seems more sense to me that in times of recession you'd want to spend a decent amount on something that'll last as opposed to something you need to throw away. Maybe it's GG talking, or my mom's old answer if I wanted something that I could just make it myself. Have we as a people been dumbed out of certain sensibilities? It always strikes me that if you want people to buy things, you don't want to sell them cheap stuff, you want to sell them moderately priced GOOD stuff.
Maybe I'm just thinking a little backwoods. XD
So one of the blogs I occasionally read, because sometimes I sort of roll my eyes at her, but Style Tribe recently (as in, a while ago) did a little entry about categorizing her personal style. While I kind of think the categories are, well, sort of bland (there's a lot to menswear, for instance), I figured I would get a few kicks while reorganizing my closet by pulling out the main categories of my own style collection.
Nerdpunk
Steampunk, Cyberpunk, I-Want-To-Be-A-Punk-Rocker-But-I-Like-Rockets, Things from Cons worn in Everyday Life
Crazy Art Teacher
Slouchy, Drapey, Ornamented
Hip Grandma/pa
Dapper, Old Lady, Gentleman
So yeah, it's creepy that nearly everything I own can be boiled down into that.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2009-01-25 01:35 am (UTC)BSG, omg squee (I know you said nothing about it, still...)
And I love the catalog of clothing.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-01-25 02:49 am (UTC)This is why I bought David Coffin's "Shirtmaking" book, and why it takes me a retarded amount of time to sew everything, because I want clothes that look good and represent me, even if other people are wearing them.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-01-25 03:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-01-25 05:11 am (UTC)Eventually I will hook up the cute little lights my mom got me from IKEA to something winglike and have glowy wings of awesome.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-01-25 05:16 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-01-25 01:17 pm (UTC)Wings aren’t impractical to wear? It just seems you would spend most of your time knocking people over.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-01-25 05:51 pm (UTC)Oh, I wouldn't wear them just walking around. XD It's just a part of the aesthetic, really. Or fun and special occasions.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-01-25 07:06 pm (UTC)And I also definitely agree about bargain buys that turned out to be crap. I have so much stuff in my closet that I wish I could have done over. At the same time as I'm almost totally abandoning the junior's section, I'm moving into the school of thought that it's better to spend money on things that are going to last than to get bargains that look like they're going to fall apart. Too bad I don't really have the money to support this philosophy, and my mom (who's willing to buy my clothes when I actually need new ones) doesn't agree with me at all.
Some of the crazy art teacher clothing reminds me of my art teacher. Awesome.
I ought to do this with my stuff.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-01-26 01:45 am (UTC)