The Clothes Post
So I mentioned in one of the pledge posts (see, I am getting better about cross-referencing, as requested! :)) about wanting clothing that’s not falling apart. I was requested to clarify and although my brain had this post composed the next day, life hasn’t given me time to convert it to electrons until now. Sorry for the delay!
I just want people to know that I’m not running around nekkid, as much as some of you might wish! For someone who almost never leaves the house, I’m fairly set. It’s the leaving the house/being seen by people whose opinions I respect part that is the problem. I have too many barriers to getting out/being social as it is, it seems a shame that “not having anything to wear” is genuinely something that stops me, more than I ever let on. But yeah, when I’ve been wearing the same two dresses for 5 years I am too self-conscious that everyone KNOWS I’ve been wearing the same two dresses for 5 years that I stay home instead. (Yeah, I know, guys don’t remember outfits. But women do. I know close friends won’t care but I get stared at enough as the “local crip” I don’t need to be the “local crip who can’t dress” to the others.)
So in the scheme of things, this is not so important that I would ask people to spend/donate money for it. I have what I need to protect from frostbite and exposure :) But if you happen to have stuff like this lying around or work at a thrift store or something, I certainly wouldn’t mind some pleasant items pointed my way.
I tried to make this overly-long post amusing but I probably failed.
WHAT I DO NOT NEED:
* Exercise clothing. Well, no I would never turn down more yoga pants but I have 5 pairs now so I am OK. I also have a lot of sweatpants and sweatshirts of the it-was-$5-at-Walmart variety, which I sleep in and may go to the library in. If I ever join a gym I will be set to sweat with alllll the oldies.
* Summer clothes of a practical nature. I have more pairs of shorts and black sleeveless t-shirts than I wear. Like most of my clothes, these have come from my mother but let’s face it, shorts and t shirts are pretty generic so they’re fine. I have two pairs of thin cotton overalls, but they’re too big really so I don’t wear them much anymore. I have a few broomstick skirts that are great but it’s rarely warm enough to wear them here. I do however wear them a lot when I am in the US in the summers, mostly because my rents make me attend church 2-3 times per week :/
* Pyjamas, except heavy winter ones. I live in pjs that arent *too* revealing since sleeping with the front window open in hot weather=neighbours can see me as I sleep. So my pj drawer is bountifully stocked. However winter is still a bit of an issue since I have to wear at least 2, sometimes 3 layers and have 3 layers of blankets just to keep my muscles from getting horribly stiff in the night. (And yes, that’s with the central heating on! I dread this year’s gas bill :/)
* Business attire. Technically not much of mine fits anymore but I’m not working anymore so it’s moot. I have a whole closet full of work clothes that I am hanging on to in the probably misplaced hope that I will drop 2 dress sizes. And if I need to dress up for my (hopeful) volunteer gig I can manage that. So I don’t need suits or blazers or that sort of thing.
* Things my mom would wear. I get to pick anything from her closet that I want on my annual visits but erm…my mother is ~60, likes country music, and is extremely conservative in fashion, religion and politics. Her business attire is nice (hence my closet-full) but the rest is so scary it hurts. My grandmother has more hip clothing!
* Black jumpers/sweaters. I have 5, 3 wool, 2 chenille. As I don’t leave the house more than 3x a week, this usually lasts me two weeks rotation. I have one red sweater but it’s too bulky to wear under coats.
* Ugly t shirts. I think I can open the ugly t shirt museum. I do wear them a lot, as the middle layer in winter. But who cares when it’s only a middle layer? Besides, it’s cool to still be wearing your High School t shirts, riiiight? ;) Anyway I can steal any t shirt I want from my parents’ collection (enough ugly t shirts to clothe a small nation of large people), although timmie has already claimed 8 ARMY shirts for himself. But I can always take his ugly t shirts, and often do! (Relatives with no taste, what can you do? :) )
* COATS. Young gods, I do not need coats or jackets. I have 13 at last count. Granted, most of those are older than I but they’re in good shape for vintage ;)
* SHOES. I’m pretty restricted in what I can wear, but if that ever changes I have like 20 pr of shoes just waiting for the day when I might be able to wear them again or until I finally sell them.
That pretty much describes my wardrobe, except for the plethora of black velour. I love me some velour, but unlike my husband I prefer to avoid people thinking I wear the same thing every day (even if they’re technically-different-but-only-I-can-tell items). I’m lucky to have two heavy velvet skirts from India in royal purple and silver. I also have two dresses, both black velour or crushed velvet empire waist with a short skirt. (Both are over 10 years old and are showing their age.) That is the sum total of my “going out” attire.
WHAT I DO NOT DO:
Anything that requires dry cleaning after every 1-2 wearings (no budget for that, those faux dryclean bags do not work in my tiny dryer) or that requires ironing to not look stupid (ironing and my joints do not get along). Things that say "handwash only" and
actually MEAN it (as opposed to "wash in cold with Woolite").
WHAT I’D LIKE:
Basically, fun casual/smart casual or club/event clothes that I can go out of the house in and not be so embarrassed by my clothing that I keep my coat on the entire time so that no one sees what I have under it. (Something I didn’t realize was the default until t pointed it out recently.) Also anything gothly or garbish, for those types of events. I have ZIP for SCAwear and thus have avoided all events. I know there is loaner garb but I fear it might get caught in my wheelchair or something and so I don’t want to risk ruining someone else’s stuff. ;/
I need most extra-warm stuff to sleep in in winter, like flannels and toe socks and gloves-without-fingertips (for the inner layer, I have plenty of gloves-with-fingertips but two layers of that and forget having any grip) and tights/long underwear for layering under pjs and skirts.
Styles I like: peasant/hippy/gypsy (I loooove broomstick skirts and the like), goth, glam (as in 70s, not 80s glam metal), almost anything that makes you think of an era before 1975. I love almost everything out in UK adult stores this season. I was dying at the wonderful romantic microsuede at Marks & Spencers and the fabulous stuff at Fenwick (sadly they don’t have their merchandise on their website). I love most ethnic clothing: things from the Indian subcontinent, Asia, Mexico, and northern Africa, etc. Poet shirts, belly dance skirts and scarves, peasant blouses, tunics, caftans, funky embroidery, TIE DYE. Unfortunately, most of that comes in only in brown. Which looks like cack on me (see below).
I do not have any ethical objections to materials. I take Madonna's stand of "I will wear anything that I will eat." And I'll eat most anything that isn't LOOKING at me. (I don't eat fishheads, so I don't wear fishheads. Now you have the song stuck in your head, haahaa!! :) ) I wonder if this means I have to learn to eat rayon? That might be a problem...
Styles I do not like: Emo. Little old lady. Country or western. Chav/trailer trash. Quilted (as in pieced fabric in patterns, not just stuffed and sewn to hold the stuffing in). Elvis jumpsuits don't work with my hips, sorry.
Colours I like: Black, silver, red (if not orangey), purple, turquoise, hot pink, salmon pink, forest green, winter white, ivory and the occasional tan.
Colours I very much dislike: Orange, brown. “Warm” greens. Basically in old skool terms I am a “winter” so earth tones look horrid on me. I am however proficient with dye ;)
MY SIZES:
This is somewhat tough, as one generally has to shop to know one’s size. In the US I wear 14-18. (Talbot’s 14WP fits well although it is getting a little big). I think that translates into 16-20 in the UK as sizes aren’t directly comparable. I’m an F cup which is the primary challenge in tops, things made for the “average” chest don’t usually fit unless they are way big elsewhere. I don’t mind way big elsewhere, hence my wearing XL t shirts when I could wear L. The best fitting t shirt I own is the “skinny” fit XL from Emily Strange. It’s not at all tight on me so I suppose fashion-wise it would be considered too large but it’s perfect for comfort. Also depending on bloating and abdominal pain my body just fluctuates as far as what is comfortable around the waist so there are days when only an 18US/20-22UK would be comfortable from a pressure standpoint as I don’t want anything even remotely constricting.
Gloves I wear Small (7 ¼). Hats I wear small (21”). One can never have too many hats.
I hope this has been helpful. But I want to re-iterate that I’m not going to freeze to death!! I can just hang out in chavland (Holloway) and not feel a bit out of place. *evil grin* I really don’t want people spending much money on clothes for me, this is just for those people out there who have past-sizes sitting in storage that they might be getting rid of, etc!
I just want people to know that I’m not running around nekkid, as much as some of you might wish! For someone who almost never leaves the house, I’m fairly set. It’s the leaving the house/being seen by people whose opinions I respect part that is the problem. I have too many barriers to getting out/being social as it is, it seems a shame that “not having anything to wear” is genuinely something that stops me, more than I ever let on. But yeah, when I’ve been wearing the same two dresses for 5 years I am too self-conscious that everyone KNOWS I’ve been wearing the same two dresses for 5 years that I stay home instead. (Yeah, I know, guys don’t remember outfits. But women do. I know close friends won’t care but I get stared at enough as the “local crip” I don’t need to be the “local crip who can’t dress” to the others.)
So in the scheme of things, this is not so important that I would ask people to spend/donate money for it. I have what I need to protect from frostbite and exposure :) But if you happen to have stuff like this lying around or work at a thrift store or something, I certainly wouldn’t mind some pleasant items pointed my way.
I tried to make this overly-long post amusing but I probably failed.
WHAT I DO NOT NEED:
* Exercise clothing. Well, no I would never turn down more yoga pants but I have 5 pairs now so I am OK. I also have a lot of sweatpants and sweatshirts of the it-was-$5-at-Walmart variety, which I sleep in and may go to the library in. If I ever join a gym I will be set to sweat with alllll the oldies.
* Summer clothes of a practical nature. I have more pairs of shorts and black sleeveless t-shirts than I wear. Like most of my clothes, these have come from my mother but let’s face it, shorts and t shirts are pretty generic so they’re fine. I have two pairs of thin cotton overalls, but they’re too big really so I don’t wear them much anymore. I have a few broomstick skirts that are great but it’s rarely warm enough to wear them here. I do however wear them a lot when I am in the US in the summers, mostly because my rents make me attend church 2-3 times per week :/
* Pyjamas, except heavy winter ones. I live in pjs that arent *too* revealing since sleeping with the front window open in hot weather=neighbours can see me as I sleep. So my pj drawer is bountifully stocked. However winter is still a bit of an issue since I have to wear at least 2, sometimes 3 layers and have 3 layers of blankets just to keep my muscles from getting horribly stiff in the night. (And yes, that’s with the central heating on! I dread this year’s gas bill :/)
* Business attire. Technically not much of mine fits anymore but I’m not working anymore so it’s moot. I have a whole closet full of work clothes that I am hanging on to in the probably misplaced hope that I will drop 2 dress sizes. And if I need to dress up for my (hopeful) volunteer gig I can manage that. So I don’t need suits or blazers or that sort of thing.
* Things my mom would wear. I get to pick anything from her closet that I want on my annual visits but erm…my mother is ~60, likes country music, and is extremely conservative in fashion, religion and politics. Her business attire is nice (hence my closet-full) but the rest is so scary it hurts. My grandmother has more hip clothing!
* Black jumpers/sweaters. I have 5, 3 wool, 2 chenille. As I don’t leave the house more than 3x a week, this usually lasts me two weeks rotation. I have one red sweater but it’s too bulky to wear under coats.
* Ugly t shirts. I think I can open the ugly t shirt museum. I do wear them a lot, as the middle layer in winter. But who cares when it’s only a middle layer? Besides, it’s cool to still be wearing your High School t shirts, riiiight? ;) Anyway I can steal any t shirt I want from my parents’ collection (enough ugly t shirts to clothe a small nation of large people), although timmie has already claimed 8 ARMY shirts for himself. But I can always take his ugly t shirts, and often do! (Relatives with no taste, what can you do? :) )
* COATS. Young gods, I do not need coats or jackets. I have 13 at last count. Granted, most of those are older than I but they’re in good shape for vintage ;)
* SHOES. I’m pretty restricted in what I can wear, but if that ever changes I have like 20 pr of shoes just waiting for the day when I might be able to wear them again or until I finally sell them.
That pretty much describes my wardrobe, except for the plethora of black velour. I love me some velour, but unlike my husband I prefer to avoid people thinking I wear the same thing every day (even if they’re technically-different-but-only-I-can-tell items). I’m lucky to have two heavy velvet skirts from India in royal purple and silver. I also have two dresses, both black velour or crushed velvet empire waist with a short skirt. (Both are over 10 years old and are showing their age.) That is the sum total of my “going out” attire.
WHAT I DO NOT DO:
Anything that requires dry cleaning after every 1-2 wearings (no budget for that, those faux dryclean bags do not work in my tiny dryer) or that requires ironing to not look stupid (ironing and my joints do not get along). Things that say "handwash only" and
actually MEAN it (as opposed to "wash in cold with Woolite").
WHAT I’D LIKE:
Basically, fun casual/smart casual or club/event clothes that I can go out of the house in and not be so embarrassed by my clothing that I keep my coat on the entire time so that no one sees what I have under it. (Something I didn’t realize was the default until t pointed it out recently.) Also anything gothly or garbish, for those types of events. I have ZIP for SCAwear and thus have avoided all events. I know there is loaner garb but I fear it might get caught in my wheelchair or something and so I don’t want to risk ruining someone else’s stuff. ;/
I need most extra-warm stuff to sleep in in winter, like flannels and toe socks and gloves-without-fingertips (for the inner layer, I have plenty of gloves-with-fingertips but two layers of that and forget having any grip) and tights/long underwear for layering under pjs and skirts.
Styles I like: peasant/hippy/gypsy (I loooove broomstick skirts and the like), goth, glam (as in 70s, not 80s glam metal), almost anything that makes you think of an era before 1975. I love almost everything out in UK adult stores this season. I was dying at the wonderful romantic microsuede at Marks & Spencers and the fabulous stuff at Fenwick (sadly they don’t have their merchandise on their website). I love most ethnic clothing: things from the Indian subcontinent, Asia, Mexico, and northern Africa, etc. Poet shirts, belly dance skirts and scarves, peasant blouses, tunics, caftans, funky embroidery, TIE DYE. Unfortunately, most of that comes in only in brown. Which looks like cack on me (see below).
I do not have any ethical objections to materials. I take Madonna's stand of "I will wear anything that I will eat." And I'll eat most anything that isn't LOOKING at me. (I don't eat fishheads, so I don't wear fishheads. Now you have the song stuck in your head, haahaa!! :) ) I wonder if this means I have to learn to eat rayon? That might be a problem...
Styles I do not like: Emo. Little old lady. Country or western. Chav/trailer trash. Quilted (as in pieced fabric in patterns, not just stuffed and sewn to hold the stuffing in). Elvis jumpsuits don't work with my hips, sorry.
Colours I like: Black, silver, red (if not orangey), purple, turquoise, hot pink, salmon pink, forest green, winter white, ivory and the occasional tan.
Colours I very much dislike: Orange, brown. “Warm” greens. Basically in old skool terms I am a “winter” so earth tones look horrid on me. I am however proficient with dye ;)
MY SIZES:
This is somewhat tough, as one generally has to shop to know one’s size. In the US I wear 14-18. (Talbot’s 14WP fits well although it is getting a little big). I think that translates into 16-20 in the UK as sizes aren’t directly comparable. I’m an F cup which is the primary challenge in tops, things made for the “average” chest don’t usually fit unless they are way big elsewhere. I don’t mind way big elsewhere, hence my wearing XL t shirts when I could wear L. The best fitting t shirt I own is the “skinny” fit XL from Emily Strange. It’s not at all tight on me so I suppose fashion-wise it would be considered too large but it’s perfect for comfort. Also depending on bloating and abdominal pain my body just fluctuates as far as what is comfortable around the waist so there are days when only an 18US/20-22UK would be comfortable from a pressure standpoint as I don’t want anything even remotely constricting.
Gloves I wear Small (7 ¼). Hats I wear small (21”). One can never have too many hats.
I hope this has been helpful. But I want to re-iterate that I’m not going to freeze to death!! I can just hang out in chavland (Holloway) and not feel a bit out of place. *evil grin* I really don’t want people spending much money on clothes for me, this is just for those people out there who have past-sizes sitting in storage that they might be getting rid of, etc!