A year of Ethical Fashion- The big difference

Have you ever bought a shirt from a big name retailer and after the first washing it fits dramatically different?  Or, better yet, you go to fold it and the seams are so off you can't even fold it properly?  (*not that i would fold anything properly...or at all for that matter.).   You do, for the most part, get what you pay for.   It's hard to complain when you pay $4 for a shirt right?  

Several years ago I made a change in how I buy clothes.  Even clothes for my kids.  I shop A LOT at thrift stores, estate, and garage sales.  Its amazing how many great things both new and vintage you can find.  Don't get me wrong you can still find me at target perusing all their cute clothes....I just don't buy them as much anymore.  

If you do thrift be selective.  Keep your eye out for high quality designer or handmade goods. They are ususally made well and will last.  Don't be afraid to do some minor mending or even take it to a tailor.  It's usually worth it.  The main reason for my switch wasn't as much the frustation at cheaply made clothes, but the fact that they all end up in the trash.  I'm afraid we are burying our future in a mountain of garbage.  

The suits and dresses below are mostly from the 40s.  They all came from the same person and were loved.  The details are amazing and beautiful. 

 I think there is something to be said about the way our Grandmothers dressed.  They may not have had much, but what they had was nice.  It was a big deal to get a nice suit and they were often handmade or made specifically by a dressmaker.  We live in such a throw away, stuffed closet kind of world.  Is it really necessary to have 30 pairs of jeans?  The older I get the more I want to buy staples that will last for a while.