#repurposing clothes

Hi nonnie, 

I absolutely agree with you, Jamie keeping Claire’s clothes was wonderful. After she was gone, everything that had been hers became sacred for him. And he cherished every little detail that reminded him of Claire. 

Even in the simplest things.

However, Claire went back to him and after having her again, all material things lost their added value. I doubt that Jamie would care much for Claire’s clothes if she had never left him. So, the moment Claire was back, these dresses became… just dresses again. It was always the person that mattered.

As for Claire, she accepted Jamie as the man he had become, sacrificing the memory of the man she once knew. And Marsali is part of Jamie’s present when Claire goes back. Also, Claire is a mature, intelligent woman; she never harboured ill feelings towards Marsali. Claire understood that Laoghaire’s daughter would be biased against her. And she accepted her, because in that way she accepted Jamie – his past, his present, all that he was.

Now, about Marsali. I think it was expected from her to be negatively predisposed to Claire. She was a young girl who went to Lallybroch to meet her father, only to find that on top of leaving them to go to Edinburgh, he had come back without sending word, bringing another woman with him. Adding to this the stories she afterwards heard from her mother, there was no chance Marsali to love Claire at the beginning. But she got to know Claire during their voyage and she understood why Jamie loved her. With time, Claire won Marsali’s respect and trust – she told Claire that she wanted to have with Fergus what Jamie and Claire had, and she confessed she didn’t want to get pregnant, a notion against what most girls of her age would want. Claire and Marsali’s relationship was slowly built during their journey and became stronger with time. So I don’t agree that Marsali loathed her. 

For me, Claire giving Marsali her gown was beautiful. It was a gesture that made them a family.

Old Shirts to New Dress: RePurposing Clothes

Repurposing clothes with scraps and old shirts

I’ve been really getting into repurposing clothes of late. Never mind that I have piles and piles of fresh fabrics all waiting to be made into nifty new outfits. But the one problem with sewing is that it does create a fair amount of waste. I have tons of scraps that I’d like to do something with besides throwing them out.

Then there’s the problem of…

Mass produced products, particularly those made in China, are readily available all around us. And they have now made their way to the tribes, changing the traditional attires in Ethiopia.

While the tribes all continue to use the same techniques as their ancestors, there is a new interest in western culture, especially clothing and fashion. Their natural inquisitiveness to use foreign and modern styles with traditional tribal attire has given them a unique look

The men in this region are just as interested in fashion as women, routinely wearing both clips and flowers, purely for aesthetics. Many Daasanach tribes will use old watches and other discarded pieces of technology to decorate headdresses.Particularly as recycling is an important principle in the region. Among the most striking sets of images were women who had created exuberant wigs and hats bottle caps and other FMCG good and packaged products.

Outside interventions in this town have also influenced how these citizens have interpreted their personal style. Like the young girl who made a necklace out of syringe caps after a vaccination campaign in her village.

When asked, members of the Daasanach tribe said that the strong presence of football jerseys had nothing to do with an interest in sport itself, but rather the colours just blended well with their traditional aesthetic, complimenting beans, necklaces and headdresses.

These images were taken by the phenomenal photographer Eric Lafforgue, who’s travelled the world, living among people in many hard-to-reach places and telling their stories with his camera. and you can follow him on twitter here: @ericlafforgue

I find myself in an interesting point in my life. I am starting a new job next week as director for a publishing startup company in downtown Chicago - which means I need to step up my wardrobe! Everyone looks so fashionable and trendy downtown, and now I'll be meeting with customers and networking.

I have tons of great pieces in my closet that I've collected over the years, and yet I tend to wear the same handful of things all the time - I'm basically in a rut. And I think the reason I do this is that I have run out of ideas on how to wear a lot of my clothes. Since I am usually rushing to get out the door in the morning, it's easier to wear the same things versus trying to figure out a new outfit.

And lastly, I am trying to lose weight. Hopefully I will eventually be donating my clothes as they get too big, but I'm afraid I will part ways with great pieces that I didn't wear at least one last time. And at this point, there's really no reason for me to buy new clothes (even though I love shopping) until I lose weight and really need to. And my poor closet is already WAY too full and I need to make some space.

So I'm setting a challenge for myself: wear everything in my closet at least ONCE, or get rid of it.

I've been thinking about this for the past couple of days, so I've put together some rules for myself: RULES:

1) I cannot repeat the same outfit. The goal is to wear at least one new piece from my closet every day. But I can re-use pieces (such as pants) as long as there is ONE new piece being used.

2) Whatever pieces I cannot figure out how to wear will have to be donated - even if I love it. If I don't wear it, then what's the point in keeping it? I'd rather donate it and let someone else enjoy it.

3) During this challenge, I am not supposed to buy any new clothes. But I am allowing myself to buy things that will help me wear what's in my closet (such as a belt, scarf, shoes, colored cami, etc.). As I find ideas for outfits, I may need to buy some things to help complete the look.

I know not buying clothes is going to be REALLY hard, especially when I find really good deals. But I'm going to do my best.