many but not all problems related to fashion fall under first world problems
we're currently overlooking Cuba St in Wellington, which is analogous to Brunswick St in Melbourne, or whatever the latest rapidly gentrifying bohemian spot in your town is: consignment shops, record stores specializing in vinyl, vegan-friendly cafes, even a venue hosting the Mountain Goats next week (sweet). there's no shortage of coffee or beers to try. (it's a pleasant surprise that alcohol is cheaper here than in Australia, and actually carried in grocery stores as well. I tell you, seeing stacks of twelve-packs of Corona and assorted draft beers felt downright American at first glance. god bless.)
I'm pretty happy to visit the consignment shops, considering that I go through secondhand clothes like water, regularly acquiring pieces and then amassing another pile to give away. it sounds excessive, but let me explain. you see, prior to the past year or so, "fancy" meant a girly-cut t-shirt and jeans that weren't baggy, so, my personal aesthetics are still constantly shifting dramatically. this is why I don't want to sink money into anything full price. (well, that and my limited budget.) there's a certain learning curve to developing your own tastes and style that many others go through early on, but it took me until very recently to realize that I was allowed to feel good about myself, too. Alyssa once told me that she still wore similar things that she did when she was 14; I'm pretty sure I was still hiding under men's size large t-shirts then. I shouldn't have to care about my presentation, but no one gets to opt out of identity politics and I'd rather control it on my own terms as best I can. damn right I'm going to have fun putting together cool outfits.
so, yeah, secondhand clothes. the trick to finding good stuff while thrifting is to go regularly. I like that consignment shops are discerning by nature; it's nice to find low-priced things that aren't just from Kmart or Target. unfortunately, trendier labels are usually less generous with sizing, so there's less for me to choose from. and after today? good lord. cute, inexpensive, antipodean 16's and 18's must be rarer than hen's teeth. I can only imagine how dire it gets for those who wear a larger size than that. the threshold between straight-sized clothes and "fat fat fatty fat you don't deserve nice things" clothes is a couple sizes lower out on this side of the world than in America, which means that I'm officially in the polyester land of the plus-sized now. thank god jersey knit is still popular. I want to build my own style and I want to do it on a budget, which is taking a good deal of effort.
that said: I scored big and found a heavy coat yesterday. it's a cheap-ass polyester wool thing, but the silhouette is the most flattering I've ever seen on myself and it still allows for underlayers. it was all pilled to hell and will start pilling again after one wear, but I kind of like getting beaten, busted old clothes and fixing them up. it's more interesting than buying what's shiny and new.
I'm pretty happy to visit the consignment shops, considering that I go through secondhand clothes like water, regularly acquiring pieces and then amassing another pile to give away. it sounds excessive, but let me explain. you see, prior to the past year or so, "fancy" meant a girly-cut t-shirt and jeans that weren't baggy, so, my personal aesthetics are still constantly shifting dramatically. this is why I don't want to sink money into anything full price. (well, that and my limited budget.) there's a certain learning curve to developing your own tastes and style that many others go through early on, but it took me until very recently to realize that I was allowed to feel good about myself, too. Alyssa once told me that she still wore similar things that she did when she was 14; I'm pretty sure I was still hiding under men's size large t-shirts then. I shouldn't have to care about my presentation, but no one gets to opt out of identity politics and I'd rather control it on my own terms as best I can. damn right I'm going to have fun putting together cool outfits.
so, yeah, secondhand clothes. the trick to finding good stuff while thrifting is to go regularly. I like that consignment shops are discerning by nature; it's nice to find low-priced things that aren't just from Kmart or Target. unfortunately, trendier labels are usually less generous with sizing, so there's less for me to choose from. and after today? good lord. cute, inexpensive, antipodean 16's and 18's must be rarer than hen's teeth. I can only imagine how dire it gets for those who wear a larger size than that. the threshold between straight-sized clothes and "fat fat fatty fat you don't deserve nice things" clothes is a couple sizes lower out on this side of the world than in America, which means that I'm officially in the polyester land of the plus-sized now. thank god jersey knit is still popular. I want to build my own style and I want to do it on a budget, which is taking a good deal of effort.
that said: I scored big and found a heavy coat yesterday. it's a cheap-ass polyester wool thing, but the silhouette is the most flattering I've ever seen on myself and it still allows for underlayers. it was all pilled to hell and will start pilling again after one wear, but I kind of like getting beaten, busted old clothes and fixing them up. it's more interesting than buying what's shiny and new.