Thrifty planet

Thrifting is good for the planet.

Did you know it takes 700 gallons of water to manufacture a t shirt?

I admit flat out, I thrift mainly because it’s fun, it entertains me, and it appeals to my money-saving soul. A head-to-toe outfit is cheaper than 2 martinis on a Friday night. Thrifting fuels my funky aesthetic. People give me the nicest compliments about how I look and what I am wearing. It’s a great conversation starter. 

 

Vintage is fabulous. Gee, no one else at this event showed up wearing the same 1960s dress.

Bonus! Thrifting is good for the planet, too. I mean we really need to think more about taking care of Mother Earth.

• It’s estimated that each American throws away 65–85 pounds of textiles every year.
• That’s 26 billion pounds of textiles dumped in landfills every year.
• It takes 700 gallons of water to make a t shirt. Who knew?
• Textile dyeing and treatment contribute up to 17-20 percent of total industrial water pollution. 
• Save money – that you can spend on traveling.
• You can buy quality items for less than disposable fashion.
• You will never show up at an event wearing the same dress as someone else.
• Take a $5 fashion risk. Try some bold looks that you wouldn’t have taken at a higher price point.

Infographic courtesy of: Reuse Report/Savers

Even if you are freaked out about wearing someone else’s clothes, you can still help the planet by giving yours away (or selling them). Your items don’t have to be perfect to be passed along. There are lots of folks out there who are happy to replace a missing button or fix a ripped stitch.

Emboldened by the $5 opportunity. New with tags.

Good enough for TV.
The wardrobe department on the set of Mr. Mercedes chose my thrifted cocktail dress.

So let’s reuse, repurpose, recycle, and pass it along.

Repurposing vintage jewelry

I purchased my first piece of vintage jewelry when I was 10 years old, for 10¢ at a church bazaar. It's a lady's Art Deco watch, which I still wear. It has read 6:20 for decades, but since no one has ever asked me for the time, this has never been a problem. 

My childhood was spent visiting antique shows with my parents and Goodwills with my grandparents. On these excursions I picked up inexpensive baubles from 20s through the 70s. The memories from these family outings lives warmly in my heart. As an adult, I was fortunate to have inherited my mother's and grandmothers' jewelry. Nearly every day I wear a memory of these ladies. 

It has been fun finding new ways to repurpose some of these pieces. Below is an Art Deco shoe adornment. Sadly, it became separated from its mate, which put it in the right budget for a teenage collector.

Sad no more, this lovely item was the perfect piece to add just the right formal touch to a jersey dress, when the wedding invitation requests "Formal, comfortable attire."

These pins belonged to my mother and date back to the 1940s. They were originally designed as lapel pins. I used them here to alter the neckline of a dress I wore in the Southern Women's Fashion Show.

The brooch below was attached to a vintage hat that was gifted to me. It now serves both a decorative and functional purpose, holding the back of my dress together. Who says jewelry has to be worn on the front?

Who says jewelry even has to be worn on your clothes? Below is a new use for another old brooch. She is missing one stone, but no one ever notices that in her new role has curtain fastener.

The repurposing idea is not exclusively mine, of course. Certainly others do this all the time, most notably, the beloved style icon Princess Diana. She famously repurposed a vintage emerald choker, passed down from the Queen Mum, as an exquisite headband.

Her gown looks suspiciously like my curtains in the picture above.
Hmmm. There may be more repurposing in my future.

Charleston Easter Promenade

It is THE Hat Ladies event of the year. It is known to every Charlestonian and tourist who visits here. It is also the year-round fashion question : "What am I going to wear to The Promenade?"

I found my hat, quite literally, in my friend, Brenda's, closet. Remember when I shopped her closet, back in December?

Charleston's favorite matchmaker, Buffie Bell Lilly, was there. Where is the shot of your fabulous shoes?

Scooter was my date, in his matching bowtie. Thank you Buffie, for the photo fun. 

Over the last four months, I've considered at least 12 different things to wear with that hat. Finally, I chose this dress because the neckline perfectly mimics the weave of the hat. 

Oh so Gatsby, Kimberly and Nitsa.

Hat ladies in all generations 

The Beer Can Professor joined us this year.

Beautiful from the back.

Elegance

Details of the top

Yes, I walked the whole promenade in these. Drove home barefoot, of course.

The Hat: Lily & Taylor, my friend's closet, -$50
Dress: Talbots, 10 years old at least, $12
Purse: Vera Bradley, Salvation Army, $2
Shoes: Community Thrift, $2.99