#clotheshorse

Yes, there are still "good" things in the thrift stores, amongst the SHEIN clothes and Temu crap. With patience, persistence, and a love of the dig, you will find some AMAZING things. Case in point: this incredible library book cart that I thrifted today in New Holland, PA. 

This was something that I sorely needed, without even knowing exactly what it was. As you all know by now, the vast majority of my posts (and any other graphic content/assets I create) start as vintage books, stickers, papers, really anything that inspires me. I currently have a box of vintage Highlights magazine stamps sitting on my desk that I need to use and scan this week for future post adornments.  I find all of this stuff at thrift stores, yard sales, eBay, and even free piles.  And while I have shelves and shelves of books all over this house, I needed something that would hold a lot of my books in my office for easy access.

When I started Clotheshorse six (!) years ago, I was kind of stumped about how to create social content, I had a budget of exactly $0, so I knew I would have to do it myself. In the beginning, I used a lot of vintage fashion photography, but that didn't feel right to me because it only featured thin, young, cisgendered bodies. And I wanted EVERYONE to see themselves as part of the slow fashion movement. 

When I had a serious think about it, I had to admit that what inspired me most was vintage books and other ephemera. I had been collecting midcentury cookbooks for years. Most of my tattoos are from vintage children's books.  And back when I used to draw band flyers for my friends, I always leaned heavily into collaging vintage paper and my own drawings. So I bought a scanner and an external hard drive. I learned how to use Figma and Photoshop. Sometimes my posts were completely fuggo. There was someone who showed up a lot in the early days to tell me my font choices were not inclusive. And I just practiced every single day. Dustin showed me tricks. I watched YouTube videos. And I just stuck with it.  All without AI...even years later.  

Just wanted to share this all with you this morning because it's been on my mind for a while.  

🍓 Nonbinary people have always existed (it's not some internet trend).

🍓 Nonbinary is a whole spectrum, which means that nonbinary has no single "look." While some nonbinary people might look androgynous, lots of others do not.  I have long hair and I wear a lot of dresses.

The shock of yesterday has passed for me (sort of), but now I'm in the rage/grief/fear phase.

I know that you are feeling the same way.

Last week the House approved a huge appropriations bill that among other things, sends another massive chunk of money to ICE.  The Senate is voting on it this week.

Now is a GREAT time for you to call your Senators, especially because so many of us are at home in the midst of an epic winter storm.  If their voicemails are full (I hear that is happening right now...fuck yeah), then send them an email.  In fact, do both! Let's create a tsunami of concerned constituents.

I know this seems like a small thing, but it's a start.  And it is one more way we can protect our neighbors.

I want to wrap this up with a few sentences from the "woman in the pink coat" who heroically filmed the murder of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis yesterday.  Seriously, imagine being brave enough to stay right there/not looking away.  I have been thinking of her nonstop, because I know she is very frightened and traumatized right now.  Here is what she said in her sworn affidavit: 

Oh hi there! I'm typing this in my pajamas because I have covid right now (and so does Dustin). I'm in that weird state where I'm too tired and miserable to do any real work, but my brain refuses to relax and watch tv.  So instead I played around with learning how to use brushes and other effects in Photoshop.  

Last week I thrifted two amazing heart cake wall decorations from 1979 (by Hallmark).  I knew that I needed to figure out how to scan them and use them to make some fake cakes for Clotheshorse! They are bigger than my scanner, so I had to do them in sections, then piece it together in Photoshop.  I used a bunch of different brushes and effects to create icing and sprinkles. I wanted everything to be a little imperfect, just like if I had made the cake IRL. 

I swear at this point I could have an honorary master’s degree in “cause marketing” / “cause washing” after working for a “feminist” brand in the late 2010s.  Cause marketing/cause washing is when companies use charitable giving and social issues as a marketing story. This is something important for the slow fashion community to understand because it’s just another way that brands get us to buy stuff we don’t need. In fact, this is so concerning to me that I released a whole episode about it this summer!

This episode (another 20 page single spaced script) covers a lot of territory:

✅ The flaws in the “buy one, give one” model, with a special deep dive into TOMS

✅ How brands engineer fundraiser collections to be profitable (I did this nonstop at my worst job ever)

✅ The effectiveness of “round up” at checkout campaigns (well at least they are effective at making us feel awkward,

✅ Why B Corp certification doesn’t mean as much as it once did (and why Nespresso kinda ruined it)

✅ The real reason companies do fundraisers for charity and causes (SPOILER: it’s cheap and it works)

✅ And we will do the math to get to what a 1% giveback really means.

This post captures only a tiny portion of the content of the actual episode, so go give it a listen!!!

Working on this episode answered a lot of questions I have...but it also triggered way too many miserable memories of negotiating feminist tee orders on the way to my own wedding and the time my employer decided to do a fundraiser based on Melania Trump’s Zara jacket.  I want a plaque for my office that says “I SURVIVED THE FEMINIST TEE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX.”

Reasons I am obsessed with my official Clotheshorse live show dress:

It makes me feel like a dream come true every time I put it on my body. This dress has lived rent-free in my brain since I was a small child…and now I get to wear it?!

It is an example of all of the slow fashion values I extol here every day on Clotheshorse: supporting small businesses, respecting sewing and design as highly skilled labor worthy of good pay, and finding something you love and wearing it a gazillion times.

Ruby lined it with the softest fabric so I actually feel like I’m on stage in my nightgown!

It was made JUST FOR ME!! And even better, it was made by someone very special and dear to me!

I am so grateful for Ruby of Slow Fashion Academy for making my dream come true! And not laughing when I pulled out the Barbie doll to show her what I had in mind. I am lucky because Dustin tracked down a secondhand Loving You Barbie for me last year for Valentine’s Day.

@clotheshorsepodcast

Dani of Picnicwear (   / picnicwear   )joins Amanda to explain why (most) new sweaters are low quality, (near) future garbage (instead of future vintage). It's a complicated tale of synthetic blends, increasing margin targets, and lower prices.

We'll explain how the fast fashion industry has kept prices low and profits high by swapping out yarns, cutting out details, and making copies of copies, while walking through the design process of most big retailers/brands.

We will unpack why it's really difficult to find sweaters made of natural fibers.

Amanda will explain how natural fibers aren't the "cure" for the impact of overconsumption.

We will give you advice about how to choose the right sweater (hint: read those content labels).