We've talked about this topic and the hustle that comes with it, both physical and financial several times in this community and I think it will always be a topic that leads the world.
What topic? Fashion of course, what else? 😆 But not in the way you think, so bear with me till the end to see what I mean.
Photo by quokkabottles on Unsplash
This morning I got an email, a newsletter from an online platform I'm subscribed to. It's a regular one, selling clothes and accessories for all category (in theory). It is the only one I have newsletter activated on, as there's no need to litter my inbox with all kind of crap, which is coming anyway.
The reason I've been using this platform is because they are trustworthy in any regard, selling quality products, with sizes fitting and good customer service, which is a something to appreciate these days.
Photo by Velizar Ivanov on Unsplash
This morning I got a newsletter advertising jeans and what I saw not only made me smile but also reminded be of my maternal grandmother. She was an exceptional woman and I learnt a lot from her, even though a lot of things only made sense to me years after. She raised four children almost on her own as my grandfather was in the war, then traveled for work and when he was not, he was out drinking with friends. So my grandmother was sewing day and night, to be able to raise her children and give grant them the best life she could.
Back in her day, social standards were very different from what those are today and strict as well. Didn't take much to be gossiped and labeled for any small slippage from what the masses considered normal and acceptable.
She used to make clothes for me and I had many clashes with her over style and fashion as she was not willing to evolve in this regard. As a teenager, it was really frustrating to not be able to get what I wanted, but as an adult, I see things a bit differently, I understand her position and attitude, but would still not change my decision.
This was the pair of jeans that brought back all these memories this morning. It made me smile and thought it would shock my grandmother instantly. I could almost see her outrage seeing this pair of jeans.
Let's look at it from a different perspective. Today these jeans are sold as fashion items and most likely so many are happy and proud to wear it. If you look at it closely and have a bit of experience in sewing, you can make such jeans using two of your old pairs. You just have to open up the outer parts of the legs, remove the stitches from the bottom, straighten the fabric, add the extension from another pair and you have a new, upcycled pair of jeans. Is it easy? No, it isn't and a lot of precision is needed to match those lines, but it is totally doable.
Back in the day when I was a kid, my parents used to buy a bit bigger clothes for us, so we can use them for a couple of years, not just one season. This is why our pants were sometimes too long and my granny had to adjust them. Next year, when we grew a little, pants needed adjusting again and that's how those lines at the bottom of the jeans appeared. We were not proud of it, we would have wanted new clothes (life was tough back then), but it was common, most of the kids were wearing such pants.
Today it's not a shame anymore, as you can see, it's fashionable and you pay a lot for it too 😆
Would I wear this pair of jeans? Hell no! No thanks, it was enough in my childhood, besides, I'm not at the age at which I'd wear every craziness designers come up with teenagers. It comes a time when age appropriate dressing is due and I have a different style when it comes to jeans.
What would my grandmother say? First of all, why do you have to ruin two trousers to make one? Secondly, why is the bottom of the legs ragged? How can someone wear such shameful piece of clothing?
Times are changing fast, especially in fashion but basically nothing is new, just updated and changed a little. Perfectly good jeans are ripped before they reach the shelves, by the company and you pay for buying the holes. In this regard I'm glad she didn't live to see this, would have made her extremely angry. She would not understand that today everyone is free to wear what they want. We can have our opinion, but can't judge.
If you're a newbie, you may want to check out these guides:
