WHY VINTAGE?

I'm really feeling these chocolate and copper colors these days. Just embracing my neutrals and loving how my skin is tanning with each day of NC sun. Along with neutral and copper obsessions comes an obsession with vintage blazers, which I've been so into these past couple of months. I literally don't shop anywhere now but on Instagram and at random vintage and thrift shops. The clothing is pre-owned, affordable and funky. 

I had an epiphany this past summer when me and my bestie, Natalie, attempted to give our clothes away to consignment shops for money back. Unfortunately, our plan for getting back buckets of money failed as each store we visited turned our gently used clothing and shoes away. They gave us the speech; if you've attempted to exchange your clothing for money, you know this speech. It goes a little something like this: unfortunately, we are unable to accept the following articles of clothing as they are pieces that we feel are dated and are styles that do not appeal to our clientele and blah blah blah blah. I wasn't offended, not one bit, just irritated at how much money they were willing to give for the pieces they did want to take. They were offering pennies, literally pennies. The question that kept popping up in my head was, how much were clothes "actually" worth? It seems that the minute you buy an article of clothing and it leaves the store, it is worth half the price. The combination of my clothing value epiphany mixed with my frequent thrift store visits, as well as educating myself about fast fashion and the amount of clothes sitting in thrift stores that haven't even been touched or put on the floor has really helped me to become more conscious of my spending and how I purchase clothes. After watching "The True Cost" a 2015 documentary currently on Netflix, I made a decision to invest more of my coins in pre-owned clothing. I want to do my part to reduce the amount of merchandise sitting in thrift shops, and be more sustainable with my clothing. I buy a new item from stores every now and then, but have been shopping mostly thrifted items. Clothing in the US is not really at the caliber of quality it use to be, but at thrifts, you are sure to find quality fabrics and occasionally fabrics made in the US (which is rare by the way). I'm continuing to educate myself on sustainable fashion, fast fashion, and constantly trying to figure out ways to save by shopping pre-owned. I don't care about being trendy, or dressing in the latest styles. I care about being me, rocking what makes me feel good and I found out that I can do all these things by shopping thrift and vintage. 

Just so you know, I'm not knocking anyone who shops full price or who shops stores that are part of the fast fashion movement. I'm only encouraging everyone to be more aware of where their coins are going. Shop consciously, be wise about the fabrics you're buying. Don't buy just because it's cute, buy to express yourself and your personal style, and most importantly, invest in quality fabrics that will last a long time. When it's time to say goodbye to them, offer your pieces to a friend or donate to an orphanage or organization that supports clothing exchange and donations. We can do our part by shopping pre-owned and passing on our unwanted clothing to others who can and will use it. 

Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted to share with my readers why you've been seeing so many vintage style post this past year. Hope it was helpful and insightful. 

Have a good week!

Sincerely, 

Deidra Marie