2021 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

TwibbleDee

borscht said:

Yes! 

The front dresses were great. I bought them in M&S a couple of years ago; a linen mix simple shift dress design. I’ve hardened, stripped furniture, visited friends, hill walked and basically worn them for everything else as well. Im in Scotland and we have had a lovely summer so it’s been quite easy. 

I bought a wool& dress to continue the challenge because linen and cotton aren’t really up to the cold, but when it arrived it was too big so I’ve returned it (free returns) and bought a smaller size. 

If I wear it for 100 days I get €100 off the next one. I know it’s not a cheap dress but having seen it now, the fabric is nice and it looks well made. 

What did @TwibbleDee think? 

And everyone else, of course! 

My sandals were Birkenstocks, so I’m definitely buying for longevity, not fashion. And I’d prefer to have fewer items and better quality than a full wardrobe of short lived items. 

I love the dress, but it wrinkles a bit quickly, especially in the sleeves. I need to find leggings to wear under it this winter. They can even be capri-length leggings for most of it!  I think my next will be a sleeveless dress in a smaller size…

TwibbleDee

Cherryfudge said:

I think the challenge is a great idea: I would probably do it if the items were jeans as I rarely wear dresses and have uniform for work, but I think part of the rationale is about the durability and quality of wool, and I understand jeans can be a problem in terms of water used to grow the crops, dye and possibly other things. I do like to imagine some different ways to style a basic garment, though.

I'll let @TwibbleDee add her own comments: the American Base seems to be the place for smartly turned out people!

I’m not doing the challenge…and I think it’s been noted that I bought FIVE pairs of jeans lately - 2 black, 2 very dark blue, 1 slightly lighter blue.  I wear jeans practically all the time and should probably see if my Wool& dress would look alright over them instead of investing leggings. My work “uniform” is literally the same sleeveless v-neck top in 25 different patterns with jeans and my stringy sandals almost every day. Today I’ll be wearing my cowboy boots as I’ll be going out into a field to treat for ants. 

QueenJess

I changed my wardrobe recently (well overdue), so I only have a few items, but I love and wear everything. Still got a few tweaks to go, but anything I bought in was second hand.

I can’t believe the amount of stuff available second hand. I can literally think of any item in any style and colour and find it second hand from the comfort of my own sofa. It’s incredibly handy, but also incredibly depressing. I dread to think of the waste and amount of fast fashion being consumed 😬.

Cherryfudge

Laura_Elsewhere said:

the photos she sent were full-length, high heels and sheer tights - absolutely the full properly dressed-up look, from head to foot!

Eek - I never manage that in ordinary life, let alone on Zoom!  

Laura_Elsewhere

Cherryfudge said:

Laura_Elsewhere said:

the photos she sent were full-length, high heels and sheer tights - absolutely the full properly dressed-up look, from head to foot!

Eek - I never manage that in ordinary life, let alone on Zoom!  

I think they made an extra effort because it was a fun thing they were doing together - I think more than once they Zoomed whilst getting ready, like when you're a teenager getting dressed up with a mate, and doing your make-up together... 

PipneyJane

Liverpool_Anne said:

@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

@Liverpool_Anne those amounts sound about right for children’s coupons.   Use them.

Your friend reminds me of a story my mum used to tell.  My aunt - her SIL - was tiny. 4’8” if she stood up straight. In the late 1940’s, mum went shopping with auntie, who was heavily pregnant.  They were looking for maternity clothes for auntie.  A very snooty shop assistant told mum to “take your little sister away.  We don’t serve children here!”.  Auntie turned ‘round and the woman nearly had convulsions, she was so busy trying to bite back her words.

- Pip

Liverpool_Anne

@PipneyJane, thanks for that, yes my friend is about 4ft 10in and very petite. Your story did make me laugh as I have a vision of my friend's reaction if that happened to her
I wonder if children had the same number of coupons as adults, does anyone know? Considering the rate some children grow I can imagine like today many outgrew their clothes before they wore them out, hence the hand me downs I suppose. I always feel for the youngest never having something new but I suppose everyone was the same. 
Adjusted coupon count, used 32.5 leaving 33.5

Laura_Elsewhere

@Liverpool_Anne, children had a different number of coupons - an adult had 66 per year, initially, dropping eventually to only 24 (!), and a child had the same number plus ten to allow for growing! 
Expectant mothers had coupons issued for maternity clothing but I can't remember how many, and a new baby bonus of 50 coupons was given. 

Lots of children had clothing made from adult clothes cut down, lots of leaflets explaining how to make a boy's long shorts and jacket from a man's suit, but also how to make a girl's winter coat from  man's old overcoat and so on. If you husband was called up, then he might come home to a rather sparse wardrobe but warm children! 

florianatwobob

@Liverpool_Anne my auntie (the one I mentioned earlier in the thread as being ‘much enamoured with fairisle’) used to get my uncle’s boots as hand me downs to wear to school when he out grew them. She was most unimpressed that she never got a pair of girls shoes to wear. 

The same boots then got handed down to my dad when my auntie outgrew them. GAs an adult my auntie never wore boots of any variety and was still grumbling about the hand me down boots into her 70s. 

Cherryfudge

florianatwobob said:

The same boots then got handed down to my dad when my auntie outgrew them. GAs an adult my auntie never wore boots of any variety and was still grumbling about the hand me down boots into her 70s. 

My Mum had a similar wartime story: she hated the National Loaf so much she would never even try brown bread as an adult which I think is a shame as she missed some marvellous tastes and textures.

She also told me she only had one dress through the war (I got the impression her Mum was in control of the coupons and as I remember Grandma was a tiny woman, bird-like: perhaps she had the use of the coupons intended for Mum?) I think Mum had skirts and blouses but later in life she had a lot of dresses, mostly pretty. flowery things. I'm as sure as I can be that she was making up for that one wartime dress.