2019 Fashion on the Ration Challenge

Laura_Elsewhere · 2 January 2019 at 2:26PM

I may be sightly bonkers but...

I'm considering making a list of some of my clothes, so I can realise how many of what I have... and maybe grade them somehow on how much I wear them - I have tops or jumpers or cardis I wear all the time at certain times of year and others I barely touch year-round. I think it might be useful to really work out what is what.

Maybe I'll start by clearing some space in the sitting-room and then actually emptying a shelf of clothing in the bedroom, listing the things I can confidently say I wear a fair bit, things that earn their keep, so to speak, and take other things through to the sitting-room where they can look at me pitifully and try to make their case for being kept!

I have vest-tops I have not worn since moving here in 2014, partly because they are too small and partly because I feel sentimental about not wearing them out because I bought them when I worked abroad in 2006 and they remind me of such happy times. Er, NOT sensible ways to treat clothing! I have other clothes from that time which I do wear or could wear, so maybe I can either wear the vest-tops or junk them to the textile-rags recycling-bin, or if I really can't stand to chuck them out I can cut two big square out of each and hem them with pretty bias-binding and have pretty dusters, for pity's sake.

but what i really shouldn't keep doing this year is keeping them untouched, faded and ageing...!

As well as weeding out the "keeping for the wrong reasons" I can work out what gets really really well-worn. I already know my grey cotton-jersey poloneck from Primark is so often-worn that if I ever see them again I would buy 5 immediately... the dark grey goes with everything, the high neck is cosy in cold weather, the cotton is light enough for days that are chilly on its own or layered for colder, easy to wash and dry...
So I think i should work out what other individual items are as hard-working as my grey cotton poloneck!

then I can really target my coupons to work hard for me...

PollyWollyDoodle · 2 January 2019 at 7:04PM

Not bonkers at all, I am thinking of something similar. Most of us wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time, and vice versa, and one of the benefits of this challenge has been in making me think whether I really wanted to "spend" coupons on an item.

I want to make more of my own clothes this year, and I think it would be good to start by looking at the wardrobe and working out what I wear most, and why (colour/cut/fabric/length etc). Then I can see what gaps really need to be filled. Doing the 'Kon Mari' method really helped to declutter the wardrobe, I got rid of all those items that I used to pull out and then put back, it turns out that I had quite a few clothes I didn't really like wearing! If i'm honest, some of the stuff I made myself earlier on is probably not going to stay this year, because my skills weren't that great. I know now that if I'm going to invest time and energy and making something, I want it to be right.

*Jellie* · 2 January 2019 at 8:44PM

It is worth doing the hanger turning trick. Turn all hangers in wardrobe the other way round. When you replace item back in closet you turn hanger the right way. After a set amount of time you can assess as all the items on hangers the wrong way round have not been worn in that time.

Laura_Elsewhere · 2 January 2019 at 9:41PM

That's a really good idea if more of my clothes were on hangers - I shall do it with the ones that are, definitely...

I have a LOT of big skirts, and I wear only a few of them. I have discovered through doing the 2018 challenge that my biggest impulse-buy is tops of all kinds, and I think part of that is having skirts that don't really go with anything, so I keep vaguely buying new tops in case that makes the skirt magically work...!

I need to sort out the whole lot, really - but NOT all at one go or I'd implode.

ahw23 · 2 January 2019 at 11:28PM

Please may we join in? I've already committed to buying nothing new this year, but have a lot of fabric and yarn saved so would like to use rations to "shop my stash", as if it were new, if you see what I mean. Following this rationale, my first expenditure of the year was on some wool for a new beret, cast on today, 4 coupons (although I'm fairly certain there will be plenty left over, even in the largest size and with DK wool colourwork, which would have been wastefully chunky by wartime standards). Other projects I'd like if possible include some overdue nightwear, two new dresses and some blouses or tops for work, hopefully some of which will be cut down from OH's old shirts (very wartime and coupon-free). I'd also like to see if I can monitor (if not cap) how many coupons the rest of the family would need, as I tend to end up buying for them, and if I can't spend on myself, I might get very drawn to nice things for the 5yo, which aren't really needed as he's in school uniform most of the time, with plenty of growing room. Rationing myself might help me divert some of the stash towards making things for them, help me think creatively about reworking things already in the wardrobe and build consciousness of where our resources are already going. I'm also hoping I can drop in here for a bit of moral support when I'm feeling the siren call of shopping!

BabyStepper · 3 January 2019 at 8:11AM

Does anyone know where the best place to buy new undies is? I got some M&S socks last year and they were terrible, saggy and falling off my feet. I need new bras and pants and want to make sure I get good quality buy no idea where that would be. NOT Primark! (this is where I usually go)

aliwali · 3 January 2019 at 2:30PM

Love this idea, always been fascinated by rationing. Clothing feels more feasible than food, so going to give it a try. Look forward to seeing how everyone gets on.

RicardaRacoon · 3 January 2019 at 6:34PM

Laura, the idea is far from crazy! Maybe it would also help to wear each rarely-worn garnment a set number of times. Say three times. Either you fall in love with it again or you might find out why you don't like it and can then donate it and know what to look for in further garnments. Sometimes the reason why we don't wear certain things are strange. I have a lovely black dress with a red fern print. I love the look of it but my cats lose a lot of hair and the only cardigan to match the dress is also black and I just can't be bothered to get cat hair off a dress and a cardigan most days.

Babystepper, all my bras are from M+S, also bought from Debenhms in the past. They last quite well and the only issues I had so far was some tearing to the lace around the strap that could easily by fixed with a few stitches. Bought bras from others stores in the past and after a while the wire always came out... Never happened to these though.

aliwali, strangely food isn't as scary once you get into it and rearrange your mealplan a bit. I could probably not do it in summer as I use too much feta cheese and that like, but for winter it works surprisingly well, as long you love soups and stews and are ok with basic sweets (I do cheat though and allowed myself some 21. century treats when baking for visitors or when I brought cake somewhere...)

Laura_Elsewhere · 3 January 2019 at 9:03PM

Ricarda, at the moment nearly all my clothing is too tight - but I trotted off today with the Ramblers Assoc, and did 4-5 miles up hill and down dale, cross-muddy-country, so that will help... everyone else was in Goretex and Ronhills, but I had many admiring comments about my trusty old comfy skirt! So no coupons going on hiking-kit - I can just wear my normal clothing because it's all pretty practical!

I just have vast amounts of clothing, and this challenge is making me realise how much...

vintagegal · 3 January 2019 at 11:49PM

Hi

I would love to join you for 2019 if you’ll have me. I’m a shopaholic who wants to stop, for financial and ethical reasons.
I have started learning how to knit but am still on scarves - knitting has been keeping me off my phone in the evenings and will hopefully help to stop me seeing things I then want to buy!
I read through your whole 2018 thread tonight and am inspired by what I have seen. I’m hoping to be able to be more discerning and imaginative by having some boundaries.
I’m not tempted by shops like primark as I’m concerned about their ethics, but I do have a weakness for the January sales! I am an online shopper which I need to try and stop. I’m keen to discover charity shopping too.

Vintagegal

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2019 Fashion on the Ration Challenge

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