Fashion on the Homestead

alejandro_jodorowsky

It’s about time I addressed, on this home economics/DIY/gardening blog, the importance of the way we dress. I’ve been bothered of late by my rumpled appearance. Like most Americans I wear in public what in an earlier era would have been considered pajamas. And I’m approaching fifty. The people I’ve met who have aged gracefully generally seem to dress well though not ostentatiously.

Knowing what to wear and finding that wardrobe on a budget is incredibly confusing in our schizophrenic consumer culture. I found some good advice recently from an unexpected source, the Chilean avant guarde filmmaker and mystic Alejandro Jodorowsky. He says,

Clothing used without consciousness is a mere disguise. Holy men and women do not dress in order to appear, but in order to be. Clothes possess a form of life. When they correspond to your essence, they give you energy and become allies. When they correspond to your distorted personality, they drain your vital forces. And even when they are your allies, if you do not care for them and respect them, they will retaliate by disturbing your mind. Now do you understand why we fold our garments so carefully, as we might fold a flag or a sacred vestment?

Jodorwsky is 85 and, from the photos I’ve seen of him he always seems to be wearing a simple black jacket and a black sweatshirt or dress shirt (except recently when he introduced a new film in the nude–one of the many NSFW moments in his long life). He also, almost always, has a smile on his face and a cat nearby.

Now I can’t cop Jodorowsky’s style. While Jodorowsky is reading tarot cards at a Parisian cafe I’m cleaning out a chicken coop. But the point of what he’s saying is that something of your true self must express itself sincerely through your clothes. Know thyself, in other words, and what to wear will be obvious. Does that mean a chicken coop casual Fridays?

And for part two of this post I need to cajole Kelly into blogging about her outré homesteading uniform idea. In the meantime, how do you approach the way you dress?

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24 Comments

  1. Nice thoughts, thanks for addressing clothing!

    I combine my efforts: my clothing choices are one part ethical choices, one part mainstream-inspired selection.

    I never buy anything new if it’s possibly avoidable – the world is full of usable clothing for little or no money, and there are high environmental and social justice costs to clothing production. When possible I get clothing from swaps (share with your neighbors!), and then I move to secondhand stores if I need a specialty item. There are a few items I buy new because I have no other viable option, and then I buy quality, made in USA if possible, and take care of them so they last a long time.

    I do utilize the mainstream information to navigate which items I choose. My latest revelation is that having a color scheme really hones your wardrobe. If everything is one of five colors, all of which go together, you spend a lot less effort working to coordinate outfits, and you need less because your items are more versatile. I have chosen black, navy, grey, blue, and green.

    There are a lot of great blogs out there about dressing simply, such as Project 333, The Vivienne Files, and many others.

    And yes, clothing does matter. My graduate research project was about what assumptions we make on people based on their clothing. Like it or not, we judge people on appearance, and with clothing you can direct that judgement where you want it to go. I’m very fond of the quote from Coco Chanel: “Dress shabbily, they notice the dress, dress impeccably, they notice the woman.”

    To summarize, you can live sustainably AND dress nicely. You do NOT have to wear the same green t-shirt every day until it belongs in the compost pile.

  2. As a former English teacher ties were the order of the day, but the rest of the clothes could be bought second hand. On weekends my pants tended to look like early Neil Young with patches holding together “work” clothes. Then I realized my pants always wore out near the bottom pf my front pockets. I over stuffed the pockets. Moving out of the classroom coincided with the discovery of double front pants. Pants last longer and virtually any second-hand plaid shirt goes with Carhartt Brown or blue jeans, or a dress shirt if needed.

  3. I tend to wear jeans and a tee shirt or a golf shirt when I go out or for work. I simply refuse to wear sweatpants or jamies in public. If I’m dressing up or need business casual for work, I have a selection of dressier pants, and a few shirts that button up. For schlepping around the house and yard, I do wear sweat pants or shorts, and t-shirts. My jammies are jammies, for sleeping in only.

  4. I have tried to never fall into the fashion trap. My current obsession is wearing linen year round. I only buy it at thrift stores because I can get barely worn items for about $5 instead of paying $50 to $100. People give away perfectly wonderful clothes, probably to make room in their closet for the latest fashion trend. If the color is not to my liking, I simply overdye it, usually with gray, which takes bright colors down a few notches to my prefered muted palette. I pair my linen tops with thrifted Levi’s. Next year you might see me in all indigo dyed items because I am now collecting white clothes to use with the indigo plants I am growing this summer.

  5. One summer I worked with an Ethiopian immigrant doing windshield surveys all over Ontario. We spent the entire day together, ten hours in the car and sleeping in the same motel room. One thing that I remember was him asking me “Bill, why do North Americans all dress like slobs? Blue jeans can be very expensive. It doesn’t cost anymore to dress well than it does to dress like a bum. Why do people do it?”

    This was a revelation to me. I decided henceforth to give up the default “grunge” look and put some thought into my appearance. I see clothing as evidence of your inner aesthetic. I still don’t dress in a suit and tie, but I do have my own “look” which I cultivate.

    I’m reminded of the wonderful line from James Howard Kunstler’s delightful novel, _A World Made by Hand_: “they were too poor to be able to afford anything that was ugly”. I agree. Dressing like slobs as a unconscious choice is one more thing that has come from our reliance on cheap energy. Someone who dresses with simple elegance probably has a very small closet—.

  6. I struggle with this enormously. I have three or so wardrobes. I have one for gardening. Nylon sunshirts, nylon insect pants, big hats. I have two or three of each as sometimes things get mighty dirty before I have time to wash.

    Then I have “work clothes” number one wardrobe which is overalls, paint spattered yoga pants, old teeshirts, old sweatshirts. I use this for painting, demo work, construction work on the house.

    Then I have “work clothes” number two and three wardrobes which is what I wear to meetings, actual work, business functions etc. This is mostly linen and mostly acquired at the thrift store. Part two and three are split between -20 degrees to 78 degree clothing and part three is 70 degrees to 108 degree clothing. My work transitions me to places with both very warm and very cold weather where I need to be business-like.

    I struggle to have a “capsule” wardrobe and every single time I see one of those wardrobes I think to myself “this is not a person who has ever done demo work, this is not a person who has ever cleaned their own chimney, this is not a person who travels for work, this is not a person who digs out their own compost bin, moves it, resculpts their yard with a new retaining wall, this is not a person who has ever helped a friend remove buckthorn, etc. etc.”

    And yes, some of those clothes could do double duty but realistically once the one set is covered in plaster dust I am not putting it on to weed in the garden around damp plants. I may not wash it right away either because I will be putting it back on in a day or three to continue on that project. So I have separate wardrobes for the very disparate areas of my life. I do not know how others manage it with so few clothes.

    • There isn’t a magic way to avoid needing specialty clothes. You could try to have fewer of each kind but it sounds like you have already streamlined your wardrobe down to the bones.

    • I definitely relate to this when seeing many examples of pared down wardrobes. No taking into account (dirty) dogs and children who may, at any moment, present you with their “projects” or a sticky-pawed “hello” 😉 ie – those wardrobes I so often see in magazines work for apartment life/office jobs/concrete only – type playgrounds etc. I have kids who play old-school style and (regularly) get muddy!

      So here’s what works for me (SAHM) and my DH (desk job):

      Me: Almost no clothing that needs to be ironed or drycleaned (save for a very few select “special occasion”/dress clothing items). Try to have clothing that hides stains well (either due to the coloring or the texture of fabric etc – though there is a tradeoff in comfort/chemical issues if you have to go synthetic. Synthetics get stinkier quicker if the layer next to the body and just don’t breathe like wool/silk/cotton do, so I find the latter to be better for all-season wear). Things that look well straight out of the dryer and/or hung to dry – clothes that look like they are *supposed* to be wrinkly in texture helps a lot! Things with more simple and/or classic design/not a lot of bells & whistles or logos etc (easier to repeat wearing things more often when they don’t stand out as much). Jazz things up with a few simple accessories (scarves, a few statement necklaces etc). Lots of clothing that does double duty from casual to fancier. Separates tend to work better to get more mileage out of a wardrobe – with the exception of one or two really great house dresses etc. Keeping within a range of colors that are easy to mix and match, as someone else mentioned. In my case, black, brown, indigo, natural flax color/tan. I save the brighter stuff for accessories and usually do not wear white as an outermost layer (read: one that is likelier to feel the brunt of kid/dog/yard interface).

      DH: He has three main categories of stuff – the usual office monkey suit + Friday Casual wear, casual wear, and yard wear/workout wear. There’s lots more laundry from the yard/workout wear category because it means every day is double the underwear and socks, at a minimum, but there’s no getting out of that because he does need the workouts to balance out sitting at a desk all day otherwise.
      *** Office monkey suit attire for men can be simplified as follows – three main suits, plus one sport blazer, but fancy it up by changing ties and having slightly different shirts (but ones that go with all of the pants). Buy two pairs of matching suit pants for every suit coat you have. The suit coats wear out VERY slowly – it’s the pants that get the wear and tear. Reduce the wear and tear/need for more than your three main suits by not drycleaning the suits as often. Wool pants really don’t need it after each wearing, just need to be hung to air out plus infrequent pressing to freshen up. They only need the drycleaner if truly soiled. Don’t get fancy with your socks. Buy one kind of sock you like and buy it in bulk. Saves LOADS of time on sorting/folding the wash, and you never have to toss a sock because the mate goes missing or springs a hole.
      * Workout wear/casual wear also benefits from the don’t-get-fancy-with-your-socks credo. Newer socks are for casual wear, older ones for workout. Wool socks are better for all-season wear for hiking/mountain biking than cotton. The latter can be really pricey, but if you look for the huge sales on discontinued colors/styles at REI, you can at least get them MUCH cheaper, and a few pairs really goes a long way if you care for them properly.
      Lastly – something that I find really makes a HUGE difference in a person’s appearance no matter what they are wearing otherwise – polish/maintain your shoes! While you can maintain a minimal shoe wardrobe – both for the longterm maintenance of the shoe, as well as the health of your foot – have enough pairs so that you don’t have to wear the same pair all day/day in/day out. Shoes need a chance to “breathe”/air out in between wearings – especially if you are in an “on your feet” job all/most of the day. And sorry vegan shoe people – but fake leather/plastic makes feet STINK and just doesn’t wear/repair as well as real leather uppers do. If you gotta wear synthetic material shoes, at least wear breathable/natural fabric socks (cotton, hemp or wool). For anyone who knits – there’s a lady who has a DVD showing how to make socks with replaceable soles, and icelandic people made traditional knitted shoe liners. One can also do the latter with felted wool.

      Oh, and nylons, we will not speak of thee LOL. At my last desk job many moons ago, I ditched that nonsense along with any and all high heels. Both too impractical, nylons too much of a PITA to wash (properly) all the time and . Slacks with trouser socks. Skirts – when they must be worn in a more office-y way – I’d do with footless tights and boots. Not as runway fabulous, but easier in enough other ways to make the trade off worth it, and much more comfortable! 😉

  7. I have a yearly toss or keep day. Anything that doesn’t fit or isn’t to my taste any longer goes to goodwill. We decided after seeing an entire family dressed in lounge pants, slippers, and raging bedhead in the local grocery store, no sloppy public appearances. We buy most of our clothes second hand, make an effort to donate and reuse, and since I like to knit, I make hats, scarves etc. Clean and well put together doesn’t have to be expensive.

  8. Oh – and if you’re curious about a perspective from the old time homesteaders (ie the 1800’s version) – here’s a suggested list from the 1859 “The Prairie Traveler” by Randolph Marcy:

    “A suitable dress for prairie traveling is of great import to health and comfort. Cotton or linen fabrics do not sufficiently protect the body against the direct rays of the sun at midday, nor against rains or sudden changes of temperature. Wool, being a non-conductor, is the best material for this mode of locomotion, and should always be adopted for the plains. The coat should be short and stout, the shirt of red or blue flannel…this, in warm weather, answers for an outside garment. The pants should be of thick and soft woolen material, and it is well to ahve them re-enforced on the inside, where they come in contact with the saddle, with soft buckskin, which makes them more durable and comfortable.
    Woolen socks and stout boots, coming up well at the knees and made large, so as to admit the pants, will be found the best for horsemen, and they guard against rattlesnake bites.
    In traveling through deep snow during very cold weather in winter, moccasins are preferable to boots or shoes, as being more pliable, and allowing a freer circulation of the blood. In crossing the Rocky Mountains in the winter, the weather being intensely cold, I wore two pairs of woolen socks, and a square piece of thick blanket sufficient to cover the feet and ankles, over which were drawn a pair of thick buckskin moccasins, and the whole enveloped in a pair of buffalo-skin boots with the hair inside, made open in the front and tied with buckskin strings.
    In the summer season shoes are much better for footmen than boots, as they are lighter, and do not cramp the ankles; the soles should be broad, so as to allow a square, firm tread, without distorting or pinching the feet.
    The following list of articles is deemed a sufficient outfit of one man upon a three months expedition….:
    2 blue or red flannel overshirts, open in front, with buttons
    2 woolen undershirts
    2 pairs thick cotton drawers
    4 pair woolen socks
    2 pairs cotton socks
    4 colored silk handkerchiefs
    2 pair stout shoes, for footmen
    1 pair boots, for horsemen
    3 towels
    1 gutta percha poncho
    1 broad-brimmed hat of soft felt
    1 comb and brush
    2 tooth-brushes
    1 pound Castile soap
    3 pounds bar soap for washing clothes
    1 belt-knife and small whet stone
    Stout linen thread, large needles, a bit of beeswax, a few buttons, a paper of pins, and a thimble, all contained in a small buckskin or stout cloth bag.
    The foregoing articles, with the coat and overcoat, complete the wardrobe.”
    🙂

    • This is great! My husband and I are going on a 2-week camping trip soon and lists like these are great inspiration.

  9. Please don’t abuse the word “schizophrenic” in this way. Not only does this misuse perpetuate the misconception that schizophrenia is the same disorder as “multiple personalities,” it’s insulting to the 1% of the population living with that terrible illness.

    • yes, but there is a definition of schizophrenic that refers to a mentality or approach that is characterized by inconsistent or contradictory elements. Like the definition of catholic does not simply refer to the religion. I love words used in unique ways. and I have a sister who has has a lifelong (40 plus year) struggle with this terrible illness. I am ok with Eric’s usage of the word.

  10. My clothing ranges from rags to silks in impeccable condition. I have a pair of pants that can only be worn in the backyard because they are so raggedy that too much skin is exposed. I think I will throw those in the rag bag after I cut them up.

    For about 30+ years, I have been unable to wear a waistband with button. For health sake and lack of pain, I must wear elastic waist pants or skirts. I even pulled this off with professional office clothing which I no longer have to wear. Because of my back and injured knees, I can barely stand the knit fabric if it binds at all. Jeans are out!

    I wear identical black pants in the winter and identical gray pants in the summer with the occasional pair of white pants or skirts. As things wear out, they go from town clothes to yard clothes.

    My colors beyond gray and black and for tops only are black, white, red, and hot pink. All but two or three tops are for year round wear. In the spring, I make a rush to buy my short sleeved winter wardrobe because I don’t wear 3/4 or long sleeves. I did buy one lemon yellow top and a peachy top this year. But, it has been years since I bought any color but hot pink or red.

    This year, I bought several new tops in a very pale pink. One day, the exbf who was here to help me with a few things around the house remarked that dark colors rather than pastels looked best on me. Well, GREAT! I knew that but wanted these tops. I will wear them. I really did appreciate his comment because he never expresses any opinion on my clothing when I ask.

    I bought a bag of white cotton socks and a bag of cotton blend in black. Since I only wear socks Nov-Feb, these last forever. There are many days during those months that sandals are necessary.

    The winter calls for a sweater over short sleeves when I go out. I buy black sweaters. About three years ago, I found a clearance on sweatshirts–$1 each. I bought 8 and wear them at home, never when I go out. I wear them for working outdoors, indoors and to sleep in. It is cold in my house. I forgot about the pink silk sweater I bought.

    In 2001, I found expensive silk and cotton sweaters on sale. As the price went down, I bought more. The long red duster is a timeless style, so I will never need to buy another since I bought 8 either in red or black. They are for wearing out and about. Plus, I have short red and black sweaters from that same sale that are great for really dressy occasions.

    Since I hate the look on me of more than two colors, I dress simply. Apparently, my lack of chaos on my body has caused some people to say I am dressed up for occasions when I am not dressed up. I will wear black pants, black sweater, and red top. Or, I will wear black pants and red top and sweater. On more than one occasion, someone will ask me why I only wear red or why I wear so much red or dark pink. (I like it and obviously I look great in red.) I love twin sets, so when I found shells in the silk/cotton sweaters, I added shells for the twin set effect.

    Everything I acquire MUST be washable. I buy nothing trendy. I loved the sweaters with the flared sleeves at the wrists. But, I keep sweaters so long that I knew they would be out of style (they are), same with the current asymmetric hems on sweaters.

    My yard clothing is not fit to wear out. Clothing for wearing out of the yard is never going out to work in the yard.

    My yard coat came from a free table, but it had never been worn. If it is clean, I will wear it to the store. But, usually I am carrying a hen when I have it on, so it rarely goes to town. My good coats were purchased in 1991–one red and the other a hot pink. Someone stole the black one. They are nylon and one layer. Many scarves, gotten on sale or from a yard sale are necessary in cold weather and change up the looks of the coats.

    Since I never throw away gloves, I have a dozen pair. It seems I keep ripping open the fingers trying to hook my seat belt. Even though I have work gloves, I wear some torn, dressy ones for the hens.

    I had a friend complain that I always looked so “put together” even when we went to yard sales or junking and she wished she looked put together. Very plain clothing works for me. I hate cuffs and collars and buttons and buy nothing with either. She wore many cuffs at one time and several collared items, layered. Church women complained I came to picnics “dressed up” and should dress more appropriately. That hurt because I was wearing a matching cotton knit top and pants I made for about $3.

    Even though I love long, ankle-length skirts, I quit wearing them when I gained weight and also had injuries that made it almost impossible to sew. This spring, I got two new skirts. I even like my older long skirts for the yard but don’t wear them often because I don’t want a bug up my skirt and skirts scare my hens.

    Right now, I am waiting for tshirts to go on sale, particularly the printed ones. A few years ago I bought ugly floral, printed tshirts on sale just for yard wear. Of course, I wear them at home and inside. Prints don’t show grease stains from cooking or where I drop chocolate on me as I recline and type. But, the print tshirts are so offensive to my sensibilities, I would never wear them beyond the yard. The ugly tshirts are pink flowers, so the tops are only offensive in the sense I would never be seen in public in them.

    Plain works for me. On sale is the only way to go unless it is free. I look at myself and think I am dressed very plainly, not the religious use of “plain clothing.” And, I like it.

  11. Our shopping philosophy is to buy everything second-hand except for underwear and food (for the same reason).

    It is a rare event for me to buy new clothes, even rarer to throw clothes away. After a while it either goes back to the thrift store, goes to a neighbor (especially kid’s clothes)or gets promoted to gardening and cleaning duty. When something gets too dilapidated for even the dirty work, it goes in the rag bag, gets cut in strips to tie tomato plants, gets layered and stitched into pot holders, cut up and fashioned into a very rough patchwork for over the dog’s bed or the back seat of the car, etc… Any surviving buttons, snaps and hooks go in the sewing kit, intact denim gets used for patches, and whatever is left ends up in the compost pile.

    As for style, jackets are my go-to. They take up at least half of my 3-foot wide, one-hanger-deep closet and range from a well-worn old-school denim jacket to a beautiful black silk duster with a subtle somewhat Art Nouveau floral motif($7 at Goodwill. What a find!). Most of my shirts and blouses are on the plain side. With few exceptions, my jackets can go equally well with jeans or office/dress pants, with a simple cotton tee, or something dressier. It’s great to come home after work and be ready to go on to the next activity (they are many and varied) by switching just one article of clothing, either dress pants to jeans, or tailored jacket to something quirky, or wooly, or soft and cozy. Flat shoes or no shoes at all. At home it’s all jeans and t-shirts.

    I used to own a few skirts and some high heels. PITA. I don’t need to tie up any mental energy worrying about twisting an ankle, getting a run in the hose, or keeping my knees modestly positioned when seated. I have better things to think and do!

  12. I am also approaching 50 – will arrive there in 6 months. I have an incredibly lazy approach to clothing. I detest shopping, and as I no longer have my youthful figure, it is a completely unpleasant event. So I have a few presentable items which I wear when going out in public. I have my disreputable clothes that I wear around the house, and then I have my workout clothes, which are numerous. I had a job that required ‘dressing up’ daily (torture) and I think my attitude since then is a backlash from that period in my life. I kept my more suitable clothes from that period to have a ‘funeral suit’, an unfortunate necessity as relatives and friends age. If I were more in the public eye I would possibly make more of an effort. I do understand that clothes are important to some extent – I recall how embarrassed I was when a colleague I was flying to a conference with traveled in old cut off shorts. and a friend I vacationed overseas with spent the entire time in ill fitting yoga pants. But for me there is a limit – the woman who does the paperwork at my gym is a bit older than me, and is always dressed to the 9s, and all I can think is wow, how exhausting, and what a waste of money!!

  13. Pingback: » Fashion on the Homestead | Root Simple

  14. I have a mixture of thrift store finds (mostly shirts, as those are the easiest to fit) and quality items (often found on discount sites like sierratradingpost.com or 6pm.com). Shoes are the most important to me when it comes to quality, and because I prefer minimalist/barefoot shoes.

    I’ve always agreed with the idea of putting thought into what you wear. While I’ve never been much of a makeup person (though I’ll indulge in the occasional lipstick/tinted lip balm), crafting a useable closet that expressed my own personal style has always meshed with me.

    When it comes to specific brands, I’ve found that my everyday clothes gravitate towards those outdoorsy/travel brands like Horny Toad, Lole, and Ibex. They are super comfy, often made from natural materials, and allow for lots of movement.

    Then I also have my grungy clothes (lots of T-shirts, for PE shorts, etc), often used for sleeping and around the house (cat hair is a concern, especially with every color of cat hair imaginable) or gardening. Someday I want to get house clothes that can be grungy but don’t look grungy (if that makes sense). Anyone have suggestions for that?

  15. I used to be a complete drudge when it came to clothing. I just didn’t feel it would make a massive difference to how I looked or how I am received. Of course, I was wrong.

    My nan did (hard, old fashioned)housework in smart dresses and did her hair and makeup. My grandad wore always clean and pressed boiler suits or shirt and tie to his skilled manual job. If they managed to do it through world war 2, then I really had no excuse. Now I make an effort. I wear dresses all year round now, partly because I instantly look smarter than when I thrown on jeans; and secondly they are quicker to launder and dry than separates, which saves me time and money. I buy them all from thrift stores or from ebay. I’d like to learn to sew my own too.

    I think aprons need to make a comeback. They should be essential to any household. We’ve got so used to being able to chuck clothes in a machine that we don’t think about preventing soiling.

  16. It has been interesting reading people’s responses to the question, How do you approach how you dress? Loved clothing,either for work (in a public school)or for home/gardening is mended. New clothing, esp. jackets, I try to sew. Linen is my favorite, because it is so durable.
    Clothing in all its aspects really becomes an environmental/political/social issue as it becomes more and more expensive to produce animal and plant fibers. I believe the trend towards people simplifying and shopping thrift stores will continue to increase.
    There is a woman named Rebecca Burgess who came up with the idea of ‘Fibershed’. Her goal was to try and make all of her clothing and to source her supplies within 150 miles from her home. The link to her 11 minute video:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEJmXmTFpMg

  17. I wear what I like, with comfort and ethics foremost in my mind. Mostly thrifted/resale, almost entirely natural fibers and machine washable, and on the rare occasions I buy something new, it will be from a small company or maker based in the US (some absolutely great stuff on Etsy!), the closer to home the better. Cotton, linen, wool, and hemp blends – I love hemp/cotton blends in particular, they break in to be soft and lovely, and wear like iron.

    As a freelance graphic designer and artist, I do have a certain level of freedom in what I wear day to day. I tend towards artful layers, sometimes a bit grungy (I love ratty sweaters). My usual daily outfit is a simple loose cotton knit or linen dress over leggings or bloomers. On the rare occasion that I feel the need to dress it up to be more professional, I’ll put on a pair of nice loose linen trousers, with a cotton knit top (usually with some special detail to make it not just a t-shirt) and a little jacket or wrap. I tend towards darks and soft/muted natural colors. Lots of greens, blues, grays, browns. Lots of texture rather than pattern. Almost everything works together.

    Shoes are all comfortable and made for walking (and not in the Nancy Sinatra sense): European clogs and sandals, and a couple of pairs of boots for winter. One of which are a pair of Uggs – I wore them twenty years before they became such a fad. They are divinely warm and comfortable in winter.

    The idea of not wearing something I like because it’s “not in style” or “would go out of style” is completely baffling to me. Why on earth would I let someone else’s opinion change something so personal as my clothing? I make my own style, and I love it. My clothes are comfortable, durable, easy to wear, and individual.

  18. Thought I’d comment on a book I just found and will be putting on my To-Read list: The Thoughtful Dresser by Linda Grant. Looks like a very interesting read.

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