I stumbled across taxonomyofmywardrobe.blogspot.com answering old Modlychic "Friend Friday" questions about conspicuous consumption. I found her blog as a whole thoughtful and engaging, but this bit particularly inspired me:
"if someone loves fashion then their purchases will be informed by fashion. And if that person has a fashion blog and posts about what they buy or wear I really don't see why they should suddenly be a shining example of a selfish and shallow individual who should be supporting more worthwhile causes. They may already be supporting plenty! In fact there are bloggers who support charity through blogging because they habitually shop from charity shops, post their finds, thus giving those charities a lot of free and great publicity they would not otherwise get. They also send a subtle environmentally friendly message about recycling and re-use whether they are aware of it or not."
I have been posting "thrift shop" or "swap" for my nonretail acquisitions. I'm going to start being more specific... I shop at Goodwill and Salvation Army sometimes. I'm a big fan of consignment shops. I also take castoffs (usually Freeda's). Which probably came from Goodwill, Salvo, or castoffs from others.
I used to have a boyfriend that was grossed out at the thought of purchasing secondhand clothing. I made him take me to Goodwill, and I bought some really great things for next to nothing. He got over his qualms when he got a great pair of pants from a store he spends a lot of money at for $4.00.
My husband is way more sensible than that chap! I snagged a bunch of my brother's castoffs ("outgrown") for Hubby, which helped him look way better at a time when we were flat broke. He still looks great in them, and will until they no longer fit him, or are no longer fit for his use. Then they will be passed on if in good-enough condition.
Although, Kasmira has inspired me to try dyeing, so maybe we will get even more life out of this stuff! I haven't actually tried it yet, but it will happen....
So if there was anything you were curious about before, go back through my old posts, because I'll be making those changes.
Freeda may need to fill me in on info from her castoffs I've taken.
Thank you so much for the thoughtful comment on my blog and the shout out here. I have to say I wrote this because I have come across several bloggers who do this and I think they do a great job of highlighting Charities.
ReplyDeleteThe primary one who comes to mind is Vintage Vixen who is UK based and who meticulously details each Charity shop she gets an item from. I can say that this had made me both aware that these charities have shops and that there are cute things to be found in them for wallet friendly prices which means they stick in my mind as places to visit shopping and to donate my old clothes too!