Women’s Apparel Industry is Asleep

By now you’ve noticed some big quality and price differences in men’s and women’s clothing. Especially for casual clothing, men’s clothing is typically less expensive for the quality level, better made in general and fits better. Men usually have a two-size option for their clothing which means a nicer fit and therefore it looks and wears better.

Women’s clothes, on the other hand, cost more, are not made very well and have minimal size options. Although women have more body dimensions, manufacturers usually make only one-size option for women’s apparel (misses sizes 4-18). On occasion sometimes pants or tops will come petite, average and tall, but not often.

So what to do? So far I’ve been pretty good about adhering to my challenge of buying no new clothes this year. So I’m not going to be looking for casual clothes anytime soon. But if you are, I strongly recommend resale clothing stores that carry men’s clothing.

In resale shops you will find that men’s used shirts come in a rainbow of colors to wear in place of a sweater. In fact, the colors in resale stores are likely to be the colors women prefer – pastels and brights. They are super soft for sleeping in. The 2-way size option (neck, sleeve length) means you can find a size that fits better – unless you have a larger bust. But even then, just leave the shirt casually unbuttoned with a bright tank top underneath.

Men’s khakis and jeans may actually fit you better because you have both the waist and length size options. Again the construction is usually excellent. Already washed and worn means the fabric is softer. The new “boyfriend jeans” look is made for hijacking men’s pants. At resale store prices you can afford more than one pair.

Finally, for new clothing, men’s sport socks (gray and white) and dress socks look nicer, shrink to fit women who wear shoe sizes 8-10 and cost less. Men’s sleep pants are a better option for the same reasons.

Like my post on the furniture industry, the women’s apparel industry is not only patriarchal but deeply asleep. But you don’t have to be!

You may also like Where Do Our Clothes Come From? and Non Profit Economy.

Paper Dolls, Roller Skates & Gum Chains

Image PoppyPetunia.blogspot.com

Did you have paper dolls growing up? We went to my Grandma Rose’s house many Sundays for dinner. When we were there she always gave us pop, Wrigley gum and a new package of paper dolls – like the Betsy McCall paper dolls you see here.

My younger daughter (and older daughter too) made very creative paper dolls when she was younger. She spent hours drawing and designing their clothes, accessories and even jewelry! All of the dolls and clothing were kept in envelopes. These dolls had the ultimate GAP wardrobes. C. whatever happened to your paper dolls and their amazing wardrobes?

Photo Reference Library

Growing up we also made gum chains. I hate to think of the dental bills that were the result of chewing so much Wrigley and Bazooka bubble gum . . .

That makes me remember Chinese jump ropes, metal roller skates with a key I wore around my neck, hula hoops, sidewalk chalk, jacks and hopscotch. What ever happened to Silly Putty? It came in a plastic egg if I remember correctly.

Yes, now I’m ten years old. I think it’s easier for me to remember the ages of nine to ten because those were the years where we were still most authentically our true selves – the last time before adolescence and the culture made us self-conscious, more competitive and aware of comparisons.

Watch the movie August Rush for a sense of searching for and regaining what was lost. But what we seek is not parents we never really knew or reconnecting with our children. What we seek is our true selves.

Today I work to reconnect with my ten year old self. My true and authentic self.

I can hear the clatter of my roller skates as they move over the sidewalk cracks. Skating down my street, my skate key is on a string around my neck, bubble gum in my mouth and the wind blowing in my hair and rushing past my face . . .

May your authentic, ten-year-old self emerge during your day today!

Roxanne

You may also like Tiny Silver SpoonsDoll Houses From My Childhood and My Mother’s Sewing Machine.

The Jewelry We Keep

It’s interesting to reflect on the jewelry we keep. Heart-shaped earrings and a “diamond” necklace were given to me by my oldest daughter when she was about ten years old. They always stay in my jewelry box. She also gave me a pink art pin that I keep. Her gifts remind me of her giving nature, how excited she was to give them to me and how fond I am of those memories of her from that time. If you have children you most likely keep any jewelry they gave you too.

One of the oldest necklaces I have is a silver cross given to me by my grandfather for my First Communion – but I have never worn it.

Photo Brighton.com

My friend T has given me many beautiful pieces of jewelry over the years. I often wear an elegant gold leaf necklace she recently gave me. But more often than not I wear the Brighton charm bracelet she gave me that was created to support Breast Cancer Research. It reminds me of her but also of women whose lives have been changed by this disease.

When they were young, my daughters each received a charm bracelet from me. Over the years many charms were added from various family vacations and trips.

Another good friend gave me a necklace hand-crafted with beach glass. This reminds me of our search for a beach house and a life on the beach. It also helps me remember to be grateful that I already live a “beachy” life. And still another pair of earrings made from Venetian glass, keep me close to a good friend when I wear them.

Of course I treasure my wedding ring. My husband has given me some other pieces I enjoy, including a black coin pearl necklace and earrings. At Gooseberry Falls he gave me earrings from local artists that still remind me of our time there.

Time and time pieces . . . Do you wear a watch? Most of my adult life I wore gold Citizen watch. But ten years ago, when it broke, I bought a replacement watch on clearance for $3.99 and it’s still going strong. I wear it every day. Interestingly, it stopped when we were in Costa Rica. Great – now I could finally get a better watch. But then, it started working once we returned home. Evidently I wasn’t supposed to keep track of time during our travels there – live in kairos time not chronos time. Lose track of time. Then we are truly present.

Amulets, crystals and charms always attract my attention. They often have rich symbolism and good energy. Do you wear crystals or stones for their energy or healing properties? What stones attract you? When do you wear them?

Do you ever purchase jewelry hand-made or crafted by local artisans?

Photo Bead For Life

Ten Thousand Villages sells Fair Trade jewelry that I like. If you have a store near you, support them or order through the link above in their catalog. Another option is Bead for Life jewelry hand-crafted by African women from recycled magazines.

What about simplifying my life and jewelry? As far as buying expensive jewelry, diamonds and most pricey gemstones are off my list because of all the pain and suffering of the workers, especially children, enslaved to mine them. Watch the movie Blood Diamond to learn more. Besides, I’d rather use the money as a donation to Mary’s Pence.

Looking through my costume jewelry, I donated everything not used that had no sentimental value. Again, the idea was to keep what works with clothes I wear now. In this way someone else can enjoy them.

What pieces of jewelry do you keep? What has meaning for you?

You may also like Simplifying My Wardrobe.

Simplifying My Wardrobe

Photo Savvima

In this year of not buying clothes, I’ve been trying to simplify my wardrobe. Much has already been accomplished. Clothes I rarely wore or that didn’t fit comfortably (read didn’t fit flatteringly) were donated. That freed up tons of space in my closet. Then I looked at color. Colors that worked together and looked good on me, I kept. Items in colors that worked with only one or two other items were banished from my closet.

Next I took a good hard look at maintenance. In the apparel industry almost all beautiful fabrics can be made to be machine washable. Even cashmere is now combined with cotton to retain the luxury feel but allow for machine washing. The same goes for wool and silk. So items that need dry cleaning or ironing are really not worth it for me anymore.

So a maintenance view of my closet allowed me to remove items that required dry cleaning or absolutely needed ironing. There are a couple of linen blouses that I sometimes iron. However, they still look good and are wearable even in the “washed linen” state – so I kept them.

Then I took a close look at blazers, dresses and skirts. Basically, I almost never wear them. Recently we went to a wedding – and even then I wore dressy wide-leg slacks. So blazers, dresses and skirts were donated. Without dresses and skirts you really don’t need hosiery, slips and high heels. If I don’t wear them why have them?

Where to shop? I look for local clothing stores and Fair Trade whenever possible. Trade Winds is a shop I like on Grand Ave. in St. Paul. Beautiful clothing AND Fair Trade. Nearby is Ten Thousand Villages – also Fair Trade.

(As the commenter below mentioned, consider consignment stores and reuse clothing stores. Encore and Elite Repeat in St. Paul carry a nice selection of current women’s clothing.)

Currently I don’t worry about purses or handbags. I simply don’t use them. It’s easier to carry a small wallet and my phone in my pocket. Ta da! That eliminates shopping or maintaining a wardrobe of purses.

Numerous pairs of shoes are off my list too. I really only wear the negative heel of Earth shoes because as a professor I am on my feet for three to six hours at a time. They keep my back feeling great. So great, in fact, that I wanted to wear them all the time. In the end about six to eight pairs of shoes (boots, sandals, oxfords, dress, mules and beach sandals) cover +95% of my life. Leather items will be the next place where I take a good, hard, look.

What did I keep were scarves. I adopted the idea of wearing scarves when I lived in Paris many years ago. French women make excellent use of scarves as they have high quality – but limited item wardrobes. Scarves are a great way to add the latest color or look to any wardrobe inexpensively. They can work as a necklace or around your waist or over slacks as a sarong. They protect my neck and shoulders from the sun in the summer. As a fair-skinned person this is VERY important. And of course if you saw my furoshiki post, you know that scarves can even be pressed into service as a shopping bag or evening bag.

The end result of all of this is that getting dressed has become really easy. I enjoy what I wear and feel good in it. It looks good too. Space and time have been added to my life. I like that!

Maybe my next post on simplifying my wardrobe I will post an actual picture of my closet. It’s getting to the point where I really could!

So this is what I’ve accomplished so far. These ideas work for me – but certainly won’t work for everyone. What do you think? Do any of these ideas work for you? Do you have other suggestions or ideas?

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Ultimate Banana Bread

Photo A. Meshar

In this season of fires in the fireplace and candles on the table, more comfort food comes to mind.

When you are the oldest of seven children you learn to cook early in life. This was a good thing. The first time I made this banana bread I was in the fourth grade. It came out picture perfect. It smelled heavenly. It is best right out of the oven, sliced and slathered with melted butter.

In fourth grade, I wrote down the recipe on a card and I have been using this same recipe card ever since. It still has my fourth grade hand writing on it! Of course the recipe card is now faded, yellowed and splattered with batter droplets.

Photo A. Meshar

My own children enjoyed it, as did guests when served topped with berries and whipped cream, yogurt or vanilla ice cream. I have drizzled it with frosting and sprinkled warmed slices with powdered sugar. I have spread cream cheese between two thin slices and serve it as small sandwiches.

You can exchange the bananas for zuchini or cranberries. Or replace half the sugar with orange juice. This is a no-fail recipe. You can be sure of it because even a fourth grader can do it!

Here is the original recipe:

In a bowl beat 2 eggs ’till fluffy, add 1 stick softened butter, 1 (or reduce to 1/2) cup sugar and 2 large or 3 medium ripe bananas. Slowly add blended dry ingredients: 2 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 cup nuts (optional). Turn into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 375F for 45-60 minutes.

That’s it. My fourth grade nose can smell it even now . . .

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