A Throw Away Dilemma
Recently I decided to go through my closet and clear out clothes I no longer wear. I’ve done this over the years, but lately, it seems I have more to toss out than ever. Whenever I do this task, I’m almost always careful to hold onto well-constructed clothing. An unusual word for clothing today, ‘well-constructed,’ but it got me thinking. Since when did we stop making clothing that stood the test of time?
When did we become the throwaway society we’ve become today?
Ready-to-Wear (Pret-a-Porter) used to be the term used for the
poorer cousin of Made-to-Measure (tailored) clothing. Thanks
to Yves Saint Laurent in the late 60s, we’ve become a nation accustomed to
buying clothing off the rack, at reasonably affordable prices, then toss when
their usefulness has been fulfilled; or the threads become bare and faded, or the
thing falls apart.
Ready to wear is a great concept, and it certainly did a lot
in the way of expanding industrial growth in the fashion industry, whose concept spilled
over into our casual way of life today. Most
couture houses (Haute Couture), of Chanel, Dior, etc., took the cue and offered
ready-to-wear just to keep up with the fast pace of off-the-rack sales.
Mass-marketed wash ‘n wear skirts and dresses took off so much so that women stopped
making their own clothing. Gone were the days of made-to-measure clothing along with Dior’s New Look, the corset, and horse-drawn buggies. To read more on this, click here
But something more has spilled over.
With the proliferation of ready-made clothing, casual attire
readily took center stage. Today, we think nothing of donning a T-shirt
embellished with our favorite logo, then wear it to make a
statement of being ready to meet the world. Along with that attitude, we think nothing of
buying and tossing at will, as long as the money holds out and we stay on trend. We think nothing of
purchasing a suit that will last only a few years or at least until fashion changes. We can donate it to charitable
causes, hand it down or throw it out, whatever suits (pardon the pun) us. Ergo,
we casually toss off ideas and social norms, as casually as our clothing. We
casually toss the plethora of societal ills, throwing away the idea that something isn’t
right when something is terribly wrong.
Woe is us.
Not that long ago, clothing, like our society, had structure. I remember bound button-holes, French seams, bounded seam finishes, hidden zippers, tailored suits, bias cuts, and fitted garments meant to last through time. Who wears tweed anymore? I remember the heaviness of a good suit coat, not made of synthetic yarns of rayon called viscose, but natural yarns of wool and clothing made of linen, cotton, and silk. The synthetic polyesters made of plastic compounds make unbreathable clothing very easy to throw away. Science has compensated by giving us a helping hand with breathable fabrics that ‘wick’ away moisture, and isn’t that nice? This is not a put-down on polyesters, oh no. These fabrics have their place.
This is a statement of how lacks we’ve become in keeping what’s good by tossing away our ideals.
Because it’s so easy to don and toss these days, is it any wonder that
an act of throwing away our values and morals seems so effortless. My father used to say never buy cheap
furniture. You want good lines on pieces that are strong, sturdy and will lasts a
lifetime. Values and principles should be the same way, not thought of as a
cheap thread-bare shirt that can be tossed and easily replaced with another
form of the same, but not the same.
Clothing is the uniform we wear that announces to the world who
we are.
If I want to be taken seriously, I would never wear clothing
that left little to the imagination. If I want to project I’m an officer of the
law, my clothing should reflect that without saying a word. If I want to
project that I’m a doctor, lawyer, teacher … you get the idea. The principle is
the same if I’m a stay-at-home mom or dad, nanny, house cleaner, gardener, etc.
We want the world to recognize and respect who we are, and one way to do that is through what we wear, how we carry ourselves, our
principles, moral values, and standards.
Standards are relevant. If you don’t have those, get some.
I would suggest keeping the good stuff and make it last. If affordable, don’t be afraid to spend a little bit more on a pair of good leather shoes that will last more than a few years. Don’t be afraid to invest in classically made garment pieces that can be worn year, after year, after year. Especially if black or white in color. Every woman needs a dependable little black dress (LBD) and pearls. A well-made tailored suit will always look good and will stand the test of time, trust me. And don’t forget the undergarments. No one should know what’s worn against your skin, except you. And that feeling of extra support can make all the difference if well made. With these principles in mind, in the end, I suspect we’ll stand taller, walk with more pride and know our purpose.
That knowledge undergirds (again, forgive the pun) the standards we’ve set for ourselves.
I suspect holding onto our values and principles and not let anything or
anyone B.S. us will be easier to do. We can cut to the chase, a familiar turn of phase,
of seeing truth more clearly because we’ve decided to hold onto something tangible,
making the intangible easier to let go of. It’s easier to dismiss trash, hurtful
words, aggressive attitudes, the push and pull of ideas that are not our own. We
know who we are because we have decided to surround ourselves with fundamentals
that are not easily dismissed or thrown out.
Many will think I’ve used well-made clothing as a metaphor. A metaphor to illustrate that by purchasing the best in the first place, we’ll become less of a throw away society, holding onto values which hold us in good stead for years to come. Many will think that, and maybe it’s true. But,
these are only reminders of lessons our parents taught us, throw away the garbage, but keep the
good stuff.
I pray we have more of that than garbage.
~ DaMarie
Photo Courtesy of Pawel Czerwinski
So very true
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