2018 Fashion on the Ration challenge

Laura_Elsewhere · 4 January 2018 at 2:43PM

kathrynha wrote: »

I like the idea. Not sure I can stick to it totally, as I am losing weight at the moment, so some of my clothing buys are replacing still okay clothing, but in a smaller size, although I do take in clothes that I am able to.
I think I will attempt the challenge.

If it's a straight smaller-size-replacement, ie you aren't upgrading or treating yourself to fancy extras, then maybe you could count that as half the coupons or something like that?

As for getting stains out once already washed and dried - well, above all try to avoid ever letting a stain dry if possible. I've been known to leave a food-sploshed top in a bucket of cold water for days and days, just adding it to every wash I did and sticking it straight back into the bucket refilled with clean water in between washes... it worked, btw

Laura_Elsewhere · 4 January 2018 at 2:47PM

eandjsmum wrote: »

Can I join please I have tonnes of clothes and also an extra large stash of fabric and wool. I am also overweight so I am trying to loose the extra that I am carrying around. So could be interesting.

We're in the same situation! I am trying to lose some weight, several stone this year I hope, and I also have far too many clothes, and I also have tons of fabric and wool...

I've been playing around with trying to group my clothes together a bit more, depending on season/warmth.
ie my summer clothes are mostly bright strong colours, so although I have pretty pastel tops I never actually wear them. I need to make a decision as to whether I add more pastel things to make pastel outfits (waste of money, no spare storage for lots of new things) or get rid of pastel tops (nooo, they're so pretty!) or add one or two pale neutral things, such as a cream or fawn or black skirt, so I can wear pastel tops (minimal new clothes, maximum pastel-top result).
That sort of thing...

mrsnicewriting · 5 January 2018 at 1:12AM

hi all would like to join in too, have loads of clothes (it seems) and also would like to loose some more weight this year. Will have sort out and hopefully use up some of the stash of material that I have if I decide I need further items.
Good Luck everyone x

Amber_Sunshine · 5 January 2018 at 5:39PM

I'll follow this thread with interest as I find the 'make do and mend' concept really interesting. As Thirzah said, people were very inventive and managed to always look smart in spite of the restrictions. My aim this year is to do more refashioning and sewing to make the garments I want (I usually buy second-hand and find it hard to get new clothes to my taste anyway).

On a similar note, I've been wanting to get the 'Make Do and Mend' book for a while, but am confused as there are several with the same title. Does anyone know if they are different books, or reprints with different covers?

eandjsmum · 5 January 2018 at 7:17PM

Watched a programme on crime in the Blitz last night. There were several film clips showing people going about their business, bearing in mind that there was rationing at the time I thought how smart everyone looked.

eandjsmum · 5 January 2018 at 7:20PM

Laura_Elsewhere wrote: »

We're in the same situation! I am trying to lose some weight, several stone this year I hope, and I also have far too many clothes, and I also have tons of fabric and wool...

I've been playing around with trying to group my clothes together a bit more, depending on season/warmth.
ie my summer clothes are mostly bright strong colours, so although I have pretty pastel tops I never actually wear them. I need to make a decision as to whether I add more pastel things to make pastel outfits (waste of money, no spare storage for lots of new things) or get rid of pastel tops (nooo, they're so pretty!) or add one or two pale neutral things, such as a cream or fawn or black skirt, so I can wear pastel tops (minimal new clothes, maximum pastel-top result).
That sort of thing...

I won't buy anything unless it goes with at least 3 things that I already own. This means that most of my clothes are blue, pink, red colours. I wear black or Navy trousers for work.

PollyWollyDoodle · 6 January 2018 at 8:40PM

My personal rule is 'three things I already own that I can wear with it' and 'three occasions when I could wear it'. Obviously work clothes will get worn more than three times, but anything else has to justify its place.

I've just spent 22 coupons, one-third of this year's allowance! I made the mistake of looking in the JL Clearance sale and ordered two jackets, thinking I'd send one back. I love them both, however. Dilemma - this is more than I spent (in £) on clothes in the whole of last year.

One of them is for work, I couldn't make it myself (it's a tailored style) and I'm unlikely to find anything suitable in a charity shop. Part of my job requires me to look very smart, and my current jacket is looking tired, although it still has life in it. The other one definitely passes the 'rule of three', so I'm going to keep them both. This will focus my mind on spending my remaining 44 coupons very carefully!

PipneyJane · 7 January 2018 at 8:34PM

Amber_Sunshine wrote: »

I'll follow this thread with interest as I find the 'make do and mend' concept really interesting. As Thirzah said, people were very inventive and managed to always look smart in spite of the restrictions. My aim this year is to do more refashioning and sewing to make the garments I want (I usually buy second-hand and find it hard to get new clothes to my taste anyway).

On a similar note, I've been wanting to get the 'Make Do and Mend' book for a while, but am confused as there are several with the same title. Does anyone know if they are different books, or reprints with different covers?

Welcome AmberSunshine.

Take a look at the Imperial War Museum’s shop. They sell facsimiles of the original as well as collections of some of the leaflets (mainly recipes).

PipneyJane · 7 January 2018 at 9:12PM

PollyWollyDoodle wrote: »

My personal rule is 'three things I already own that I can wear with it' and 'three occasions when I could wear it'. Obviously work clothes will get worn more than three times, but anything else has to justify its place.

I've just spent 22 coupons, one-third of this year's allowance! I made the mistake of looking in the JL Clearance sale and ordered two jackets, thinking I'd send one back. I love them both, however. Dilemma - this is more than I spent (in £) on clothes in the whole of last year.

One of them is for work, I couldn't make it myself (it's a tailored style) and I'm unlikely to find anything suitable in a charity shop. Part of my job requires me to look very smart, and my current jacket is looking tired, although it still has life in it. The other one definitely passes the 'rule of three', so I'm going to keep them both. This will focus my mind on spending my remaining 44 coupons very carefully!

Those jackets sound worth every coupon.

You have a really good rule. When I first started making my own clothes, I would buy fabric in beautiful jewel colours and make skirt suits for work. I loved Vogue’s designer patterns. I very rapidly learned that you can’t wear a royal purple designer suit more than once a month - it was too noticible! All that hard work and I couldn’t wear it.

Then I discovered Susie Faulks’ Wardrobe book and became a disciple. Nowadays, I try to build my wardrobe around her “capsule wardrobe” concept, where as many items as possible are interchangeable, so a jacket may go with a skirt, a dress and trousers. I have to be very smartly dressed for work, so every time I buy a suit, I buy all the related components (skirt, dress, trousers, scarf, jumper, etc). I stick to neutrals for my suit and use colour for accents (tee shirt, cardigan, scarf, whatever). I have also travelled a lot for work, which usually means packing the components of as many outfits as possible into a small, carry-on, trolley case, together with casual clothes to wear in the evening. It takes a bit of planning, particularly when you don’t want to look the same every day.

My favourite boutique is a French chain, Un Jour Ailleur, and they will dress you from head to toe with separates. I have learned a lot from my encounters with their saleswomen, even though I only speak 40 words or so of French. They always demonstrate how to style their clothes. Their clothes are classics - I buy a suit about every two years and am still wearing the first one from 2004.

Virtually all the rest of my work wardrobe are charity shop finds. I scored four suits a couple of winters ago and have been variously told that I look very smart in all of them, by people who didn’t know they were secondhand. I believe January is a good hunting time for work clothes because so many people make a New Year’s resolution to clear out their wardrobes. (Also excellent for sporting goods for the same reason.)

- Pip

RicardaRacoon · 8 January 2018 at 8:13PM

Hello everyone

May I join? I planned on doing it on my own anyway, so I might as well do it with others!

I have done it in 2016, giving myself 100 points to allow for a more 21. century style wardrobe where you can't walk around all make do and mended. I have managed with 96 points and that even included 8 points for yarn for a jumper that I never finished...

So 2018 I will try it with 66 points. There is a huge "but" though since I also want to lose weight... In case I will get close to my goal of 3 stones / 20 kilos I will have to replace my entire autumn/winter wardrobe including my coat, which will be more than 66 points, not to mention the fact that I might also have to replace some summer clothes due to them getting too big or just wear and tear...

So my plan is the following; I will have 66 points until the time I have lost one stone. From then on I will get one extra point for each lb I lose, so for example 14 extras should I manage to lose 2 stones this year. Plus I will do what someone suggested and only use half the points when I replace something that gets too big if I don't upgrade. Since I don't have a decent charity shop anywhere near I unfortunatelly can't bulk out my points with second hand clothes, so I just know that I can't stretch 66 points far enough to still be dressed okish...

I know it is a bit like cheeting and I hope you still want me on that tread after that, but I just know that I can't get through this challenge with 66 points if I lose more than a few lbs this year... So I guess this "cheeting" allows me to do both, lose weight and challenge myself to think about what I buy.

LIke some others, my downfall will likly be knitting wool anyways, but I already plan on not knitting any garnments for myself while I try to lose weight (there is something so frustrating about size 16 jumpers...), so I guess besides a few scarfs and socks for which I already have yarn I will mainly knit gifts and things for charity. And should I really come across some yarn I desperately want to knit a garnment out of it once I reach my goal weight I will buy it "off points" and only charge it once I actually start knitting with it.

By the way, does anyone know if cotton is counted as wool? I guess it is, as in wool being anything organic and non-wool any man-made fiber?

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2018 Fashion on the Ration challenge

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