Thinking About 2013

Have you started thinking about your New Year's resolutions? I have. A lot. Between much-needed weight loss and our recent move to a colder climate, I had to do some significant wardrobe shopping this past fall. I took it as the perfect opportunity to reevaluate my style. After five years of fulltime Mom-on-the-go status, I'm sorry to say that my clothes were just a bit tired, ill fitting and flat out worn out. So I started looking at blogs for inspiration for honing my style for the next phase in life.

Well, I fell down a rabbit hole, so to speak. I happened upon a fabulous  blog called The Vivienne Files which advocates having a smaller but more functional wardrobe based on a core of neutral colors and silhouettes with a splash of accent colors. The simplicity of such a wardrobe really appealed to me as did the polished aspirations of the final look. I also appreciated that, unlike several other fashion blogs I perused, it didn't focus on trends but on developing your own personal style.

Through that site and others, I found recommendations for two books: Overdressed: the High Cost of Cheap Fashion and Deluxe. Each book deserves at least a post of their own...which I intend to do later. But my take away from each was that:

1. The quality of ready-to-wear, even those on the higher end of the price scale, has declined significantly. Most clothes are throw-away quality these days.
2. The appetite for newer, trendier, cheaper clothes has led to significant degradation of the condition of those who make our clothes--people.
3. Knock offs are worse than "disposable clothes." They fund all sorts of atrocities and terrorism and are merely signifiers to an era of luxury that no longer exists.

So after much thought and consideration, I've decided to take on a new challenge for 2013: I am going to stop buying clothing altogether AND make my own clothing as needed. I may make a few exceptions for things that would truly be difficult for me to make: socks, shoes and tights come to mind. But I'm committed to even complex items like lingerie, swimwear, and outerwear. 

What do I hope to gain from this project? Several things. Better sewing skills for sure. I need to master the full bust adjustment (FBA) and would love to learn to draft my own patterns. But also solidarity with those craftspeople who manufacture my clothing: perhaps with a renewed acceptance to pay more for fair trade and quality projects. I want to jump off the ever rapidly spinning trend cycle that seems to produce more dissatisfaction and waste. I'd like to have pride in my own work, and the freedom to make clothes that truly fit my body. I'd like to delight in fashion without becoming a slave to it. Is that even possible I wonder? Most of all, I'm interested to see what unexpected things come out of such a project. 

Will I make it? I don't know. Will it be fun to try? Absolutely! Will it be fun to read about? You tell me!