SecondHandFirst Week with TRAID

This week is secondhandfirst week, a celebration of secondhand clothing organised by TRAID.  There are lots of exciting events going on, including a darning workshop in Dalston with Tom of Holland... see here for an events list...
http://www.traid.org.uk/traid-events/

I will be wearing second hand clothes all week, and mending some too.

Monday's outfit is here:

Gran's handknit cardigan, urban outfitter jeans from the local charity shop, longsleeve which a friend no longer wanted.

Nothing in this outfit has been mended, all have come to me good as new.  However I customised the longsleeve to make a boat neck - it used to have a polo neck, I now use that tube of fabric as a hair band.  The cardigan is of particular significance as my gran taught me to knit and sew.  I have a lot of her cardigans (she didn't really knit other things) and I enjoy them as they remind me of her and that knitting an entire garment is possible (I have not yet managed it by myself! one day!!).

Fran Cottell's wearable print

http://www.francottell.com/artwork/wearable-print

Marble Dresses by Alasdair Thomson

These dress sculptures are carved from marble.  According to his website, Thomson created them to explore "the way fabric hangs and folds, and is attempting to capture that lightness and gracefulness in stone."

http://www.alasdaircthomson.com/the-identity-collection/greta

The Stuff that Matters

Picture taken from the Raven Row website.

Details of a 6thC Egytian coptic tunic.

I went to see this exhibition of textiles collected by Seth Siegelaub for the CSROT last week at Raven Row.  It is on until 6th May if you have the chance to go.  There are some interesting textiles and some great head dresses - I have to say that it was these that caught my eye the most.

How old is my wardrobe?

A question I have often asked myself is how old are the clothes I am wearing?  I am a chronic wearer-outer of things, to paraphrase one of my best friends, I wear things that other people would consider dusters!  I am not often phased by holes or patches, by the marks and stains that could condem my clothes as unwearable.  Then I saw this blog post where the clothes are classed as newer (0-1.5 years), medium (1.6-3.5years) and old (older than 3.6 years) and I started to think harder about it.

At this moment I am wearing clothes, all of which were bought new - this is unusual for me - a skirt which is about 3 years old, which has a removable dungaree style top to it.  A vet and teeshirt bought last summer and a pair leggings from about 2 years ago.  The cardigan I shall wear later was once a jumper belonging to my partner, I have had it about 2 years and he had it when I met him so it is at least 5 years old, full of holes and ladders but much loved.  The shoes I will wear are only from May this year, however I have worn the almost every day - does this make them a 'better' purchase than some of my other items?

I am going to go through my wardrobe and age it properly, and maybe summarise it by use as well - the age of our wardrobes is an interesting concept especially in the age of fast fashion and, conflictingly, the drive for emotionally durable design, slow fashion and zero waste systems. 
I love the skirt I am wearing for its style and versatility - it is made by Howies who are known for their well thought out designs - and feel this is part of the key to our (Slower) consumption in the future...

Ballet Russes

Yesterday I went for a brief trip round the Russian ballet at the V&A, very inspiring.  So many beautiful colours and patterns.