wanderings...

I've been following some lovely and amazing blogs with the time that being The Broke Girl has afforded me and I must say that it is almost like following a path through the woods or an unknown park. There is wonder around ever corner! I am particularly fascinated with all the lovely women that have amazing blogs about vintage clothing and such. I watched a youtube video about how to spot vintage clothing by AYA from strawberrykoi And she got me thinking about my previous post and more specifically zippers! So being the curious little devil I am... I had to do some research on the history of zippers.

The 'zipper' as we know and love it today was first used for boots and tobacco products and wasn't introduced into clothing until the late 1930's. It was first introduced to help children dress themselves and then expanded to men's trousers. It's distribution did not become widespread until much later because of the rationing of material's during the Depression though. So a zipper is a great indication of vintage. Vintage zippers will be metal. Nylon and plastic zippers were introduced later on which is what is in the majority of modern clothing.

So! when you are out garage sailing or in a vintage store and you find something with a metal zipper, you're golden! Happy hunting!

Invest in your wardrobe

I can not tell you how many times I walk through the mall, or anywhere for that matter, and I see women who look like they got dressed out of a thrift store grab bag, or women who look like girls because they shop the clearance rack at Forever 21. As important as it is to save money, I believe it is so much more important to look polished, stylish and put together (so you don't look broke). This is where investment comes in.

My mother told me (being the perfectly sensible woman she is) that nothing is more expensive than the thing you never wear or only wear once. Think about it... If you bought a blouse that was 50$ and wore it ten times its only 5$ per wear, but if you buy a 20$ blouse that you only wear once, it is more expensive per wear than the 50$ blouse.

Image via Wikipedia

Now I know that I said to never buy anything that isn't on sale.... I know that's really hard for some people or when you need jeans because when you squatted down last night they ripped right up the back. I can totally understand, that's just a commitment I made to myself. I will admit it has not been easy.

Last night when I was getting dressed for my meeting, I slipped into my favorite purple skirt with gun metal zip pockets and closure and gray pinstripes and I thought "I LOVE this skirt!" And I thought about when I bought this skirt. I saw it and I had to have it. I was in a foreign country. I had no idea what the shop girl was saying. I had no idea how much the skirt even cost in American dollars. But it fit so well and the cut was so classic and the color so delicious I had to have it. I have worn that skirt countless times since then and it is such a quality piece it has lasted over six years and it is still my favorite skirt.

So what I'm trying to get at is; if you do splurge on an item, make it a quality piece that is going to last through 58 wears and being washed a lot. Make it a classic piece that isn't going to look dated in six months because the trend has passed... Invest in fewer quality pieces and you won't look like you've been rummaging through the clearance racks, or worse the thrift store dumpster. You will look more polished and put together and you won't be chasing trend after trend and only ending up with a closet full of clothes you hate, looking trendy instead of stylish.

Use it again!

Image by ecocessories via Flickr

Today's tip: Recycle!

From aluminum, to clothing and jewelry re-use your stuff! Most things have a much longer life than most of us would realize. So get the most out of your things!

Most recycling places will pay you for aluminum cans, scrap metal, anything you have laying around. This also has the nice effect on the planet (especially that plastic stuff) Plus who wouldn't mind a little extra $$?

Clothing! I mentioned this in my last blog post. Recycle your clothing. Let some one else love an item you loved too. Take it to a consignment shop or a place that will buy it out right or give you store trade. You can do the same with furniture and jewelry.


Shop at thrift stores, sew with "re-purposed" materials, re-use water bottles, don't buy trash bags, wash and reuse plastic cups, there are so many ways to get creative with it. I'll share some in detail some time soon! I've got some fun ones;)

The Broke Girl's Guide

More time at home has prompted me to start thinking a little more creatively. And remember I have a blog for that very purpose....

So this summer's agenda: The Broke Girl's Guide to Looking Like She's Not.

Today's tip:

- Learn to sew.


Go to the fabric store and riffle through the pattern books, find one you like, look at it very closely. If it seems easy, (i.e. it doesn't have 23 pattern pieces, lapels, buttons, lots of detail) buy it. Patterns are sometimes on sale for $1 each! Just make sure you get the right size so measure yourself first because they aren't returnable. Keep in mind sewing sizes are not store bought sizes. Next go to the clearance fabric section and pick a fabric. You can get some fabrics as cheap as two dollars a yard.

Learning to sew takes time and the first ten things you make you may or may not want to wear outside your house, but practice and you'll be making wonderful pieces in no time.

Being a self taught seamstress I will tell you that you must follow all directions on a pattern to the letter, even if they make absolutely no sense to you. Once they start making sense and all your items are turning out great, you can move on to design your own pieces.

It feels amazing to get a compliment on something you made and then see the look of amazement on that person's face when you say, "Oh thank you! I made this!" And to know that no one else has that exact piece and you probably spent way less money on it.

The great thing about sewing is you get so much more out of it than just an article of clothing. You get clothing that you love everything about because you chose everything AND you get a hobby.