2021 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all,
Welcome @prepareathome, nice to meet you
Thanks all for your thoughts, slowly getting myself together again. Once again you lovely people have helped me regain my sanity just by being you
@Laura_Elsewhere, you made me smile with your wool shop, you obviously "needed" that wool rofl and I can't wait to see what you make with it
@Cherryfudge, what a lovely story. I must admit I love my bamboo crochet hooks, about 12 years old now and still going strong.
I have a spend to declare, bought for a birthday present for a friend 1 pair of leggings 2 coupons and 1 top 5 coupons I think. It might sound extravagant but this friend is tiny and wears age 11 - 12 so total coupons spent 35.5 leaving 30.5 for the year, but I will be making a trip to black sw soon to get some wool for Christmas presents. 
I have been reviewing my coupon spends for the year and I have realised apart from a pair of slippers which I really needed and the fat quarters that I really"needed" I have spent all my coupons on things for gifts. This has really brought it home to me how many clothes I have and how little I need to buy clothes atm. It has been an interesting process as I have found I almost begrudge spending coupons for myself, when I see something I would have previously just bought without thinking I am now saying, nope don't think that is worth the coupons. However I don't feel a bit like that when I am getting a gift for someone else or for materials to make a gift. This seems like a way forward for me, to be able to satisfy my need to make things without having to fit another garment into my over full wardrobe. The next step will be reusing the clothes I only wear rarely into something I would wear more. A challenge for the future
Take care everyone

Laura_Elsewhere

@Liverpool_Anne glad it made you smile...

"but this friend is tiny and wears age 11 - 12" - and it was fewer coupons for children's sizes, if you look at the original on p.1 of this thread, so you have spent fewer coupons than you think!

Cherryfudge

 This has really brought it home to me how many clothes I have and how little I need to buy clothes atm. It has been an interesting process as I have found I almost begrudge spending coupons for myself, when I see something I would have previously just bought without thinking I am now saying, nope don't think that is worth the coupons. However I don't feel a bit like that when I am getting a gift for someone else or for materials to make a gift. This seems like a way forward for me, to be able to satisfy my need to make things without having to fit another garment into my over full wardrobe. The next step will be reusing the clothes I only wear rarely into something I would wear more. A challenge for the future  

Take care everyone

@Liverpool_Anne, I was thinking through the suggestions people have kindly made about me doing the 100 Day challenge (wear the same item such as a dress/jeans/skirt every day for 100 days) and have come to a similar conclusion to you. I have too much clothing and I need to deal with this before I spend coupons unnecessarily.

I started dealing with the clothing excess a few years ago when I decided not to buy new underwear or socks till I had worn out some of the ones I already had. By the end of the year I still didn’t need more. When you have a lot it’s harder to wear things out as they get used less. I’m tackling that by using from the front of the drawer and replacing laundered items to the front too, so the same ones get used most.

A while later I ‘Kon Marie’d socks and knickers so the ones that were lasting forever because I loathed them were put in textile recycling. That cleared a mental block so I now have things I am happy to wear, and gradually some are wearing out.

Lockdown has shown me I have things I probably won’t wear again, at least not happily: some shirts and scarves are going to charity because I have other items that are more ‘me’.

Instead of 100 days of wearing one item, I’m working on using what I already have and not adding to landfill unless absolutely necessary. Reading up on the clothes industry’s contribution to climate problems has convinced me… I’m hoping that eventually I really will have worn things to the point I can replace them with a good conscience.

PollyWollyDoodle

Exactly how I’m thinking @Cherryfudge, I’m trying to use what I have got and if I don’t wear something there’s usually a reason (too scratchy/tight/don’t really love it) so it can go off to charity or textile recycling. 

I am aiming for less consumption and less waste and for me buying secondhand is the way to go. The fact that no coupons are needed is a big incentive! 

florianatwobob

It’s similar for me @Cherryfudge and @PollyWollyDoodle. I’m now getting to the point where I (almost) have a little happy dance when I’m able to finally consign things to the rag bag for recycling. Secondhand often means I can buy better for cheaper and they last longer. 

It’s also rather liberating when you remove yourself from the fashion/fast fashion/consumer  rat race. 

Liverpool_Anne

@Cherryfudge, I have this year done a very similar thing with socks and knickers. After sorting out a bag of odd socks I found 23 pairs of socks, too many to actually fit in the sock draw so I had a good sort out and put any really worn ones into the duster box, the old but still wearable back in the draw to get worn out and the hardly worn but nice in the bag. As you say if you have a lot it takes longer to wear them out. Since I did this I have managed to wear holes in 2 pairs, they must have been over 20 years old. They have gone to the duster box . Like you my aim now is to wear out my clothes before I buy new . Knickers I have done exactly what you have done, put the older ones at the front and wash and wear them. I have managed to wear a few pairs into the duster box . The duster box is a very useful resource now as they are used for everything that I would have used a cloth for so I no longer buy those jcloth type things and they just get thrown in the wash with the tea towels and put back in the duster box. I am slowly working my way through sorting my other clothes, some I haven't worn a lot because they are seasonal, some because they are dressy and I haven't had an occasion to wear them for ages and some because they were at the back of the wardrobe and I never got to them but after the moth attack they are being looked at critically and will be dealt with. I am just loath to get rid of them if they are comfortable to wear and I still like them, I just have too many . I think I will instigate a similar system to the socks and knickers and see how many I can wear out
@Laura_Elsewhere, thanks for the tip about children's clothes, I will check the post and adjust if I need to. 
Take care everyone

Laura_Elsewhere

@Liverpool_Anne - a friend of mine noticed she was never wearing her dressier clothes in lockdown so she and a couple of friends instigated Frock Friday, and set a time where they all met up on Zoom dressed to the nines, full make-up, hair done, jewellery, he lot, and their finest outfits, and enjoyed a cocktail together before saying "bye til next week!" and going back to their normal lives in lockdown! 
I greatly enjoyed the photos she sent each week of her outfit!

Cherryfudge

That sounds like fun, @Laura_Elsewhere! I wonder if they wore pyjama bottoms with their posh frocks?  

Liverpool_Anne

@Laura_Elsewhere, yes that does sound like fun. I have checked the post re coupons and looking at the girls section I think the leggings would be 1 coupon and the top 3 coupons but I will await the decision by Pip before I adjust my total, my friend is after all nearly 60 lol. She is just very lucky being able to wear children's vat free clothes. I remember her being very pleased with herself when she announced she was now in aged 12 going up from aged 10 I would be ecstatic if I could get anywhere near a size 12 . 
@Cherryfudge, pj bottoms with posh frocks

Laura_Elsewhere

Cherryfudge said:

That sounds like fun, @Laura_Elsewhere! I wonder if they wore pyjama bottoms with their posh frocks?  

Oh no, the photos she sent were full-length, high heels and sheer tights - absolutely the full properly dressed-up look, from head to foot!

@Liverpool_Anne, your friend may be nearly 60 but during the war very petite women were very much envied because their coupons went further as they could get shoes and clothes in children's sizes!