Fun
99% Invisible
Dear Ann,
A hearty hat tip to Nell Ziroli for this listening suggestion: 99% Invisible, a podcast “about all the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about — the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world.”
Nell recommmended this episode: Blue Jeans, the fifth piece in Articles of Interest, a six-part series on dress that also includes Hawaiian shirts, plaid, and pockets.
The Blue Jeans episode covers the history of blue jeans in under 30 minutes, with fascinating facts about why Levi’s jeans became iconic (it wasn’t the denim, or the indigo), and how jeans are made and processed today. Yes, processed.
It’s very fitting (pun!) listening, since it’s Slow Fashion October.
I get overwhelmed when I think about what sustainability means for the fashion industry, for makers, and for my closet. My simplistic takeaway is that I am on the right track if I keep following the advice of my great-aunts Carrie and Elsie: buy one good thing instead of a bunch of flimsy things. Reduce/re-use/recycle. Enjoy the hell out of what you have. Take care of it, pass it along when it’s time. I remember how much they loved to shop and dress, and I also remember that their closets were small and that you could see everything that was in them, lined up on padded hangers and wafting Germaine Monteil’s Royal Secret. You never heard them say, “Omigod, I have to haul 8 trash bags of stuff out of here.”
For more about Slow Fashion October, keep a close eye on the most excellent Fringe Association blog. I’m grateful for Karen Templer’s lasting commitment to this topic, for asking questions instead of having all the answers, and for introducing me to The Tiny Closet.
Love,
Kay
OMG, I love this podcast. I’ve been listening to it for a couple of months now and find it perfect for a 30-minute walk. (Don’t miss the short bit tacked on at the end, after about 25 min.) Straws, Sears mail order houses, Bundyville, radio commercials, the variety is wonderful!
Thanks for this info. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who is trying to reduce what I own. I realized I was always wearing the same things because nothing else I had was what I wanted. So why do I even own these things? (I don’t any more.) I’m also on a quest here in Nashville to teach people how to cut up t-shirts into yards of yarn and then make a rug or a basket with it. So much better than the landfill since thrift stores can’t sell all they receive and eventually a lot of clothing winds up as trash.
(I may be a little biased, but….) “Knit Green” (Wiley&Sons) has a lot of useful info about how to make sound sustainable and good environmental choices as a knitter or someone who wears clothes. It is still in print and covers a lot of aspects of how to choose yarn and clothing ethically in this context.
I totally agree with the minimalist philosophy of wardrobe. Only I have two problems. One is that my weight has fluctuated wildly over the years. I am talking 100+ pounds. Right now I am a size 10 and hoping my weight is about stabilizing but it’s still trending down. It’s pretty easy to get rid of most stuff but I do like oversized tops and also since I sew I feel like I should alter things. That rarely happens though! And I am currently regretting some beautiful clothing I gave away when I was last 250#. But happy I hung onto that green velvet maxi skirt which finally fits again. The second problem is that it’s often difficult to tell whether you will love a garment until you’ve worn it a while. I think I am finally better at choosing the styles and colors and materials but some things really aren’t obvious just from trying a garment on.
Anyway love this discussion! I read Overdressed a few years back and it really made an impression. Hopefully keeps me from the worst excesses.
I WHOLEHEARTEDLY endorse 99% Invisible. Even when it’s not doing Articles of Interest (a proposal for a new series), 99PI does absolutely fascinating journalism.
Over the last few years I have done quarterly clothing reviews. If I haven’t worn it in a year or longer out you go. I try to “rehome” as much as possible by taking gently worn work appropriate clothing to a local women’s shelter that helps women get back to work, t-shirts go to the garage rag bag, my creative daughter uses some for creating costumes for cosplay or even patchwork skirts and blankets.
I try to only bring in items that I love, will wear often, and go with multiple things. I work around certain colors that flatter me. If I buy something new it must be to replace something. I don’t always succeed but I try.
Excellent article and links. Did you see Karen Templer’s tiny closet on Instagram? I’m inspired!
I love 99PI. The episode on Hawaiian shirts was really interesting (and a little history lesson). I also loved the episode on La Sagrada Familia.
Wonderful podcast! Makes me not feel so guilty about hanging on to my fav tank tops (with holes of course) and continuing to wear them around the house and as PJs. I also HATE buying jeans that are already worn out! I find it hilarious that people will pay hundreds of dollars to buy jeans that look like the ones my dad wears around the farm, faded and ripped by barbed wire.
I started listening to this podcast on recommendation of KnittyBarb of the 2KnitLitChicks podcast. I listenened to the specials on fashion but now I have started listenening to the back catalog and the more recent casts and I cannot stop. And….they suggest other podcasts on their forum and even recast those on their shows. SO GOOD