Clothes Have 9 Lives

Hello everyone (nudists exempted),

I'm thrilled to announce this new blogspot Altered Fashion State inspired by EcoDeaf (http://www.ecodeaf.blogspot.com/), my eco-conscious and fashionable friends, my own little obsessions, and my dear Mom. Here's a little about me and the possibilities hidden in your closet.

Anything vintage makes me go crazy. Going to thrift shops is my idea of spending an excellent few hours even if I don't plan to buy. Sometimes I dream I'm in a thrift shop where there are so many awesome vintage items and I don't have enough time. It's like sending a starving, homeless person into a well-stocked food store and saying, "You only have 1 minute to collect whatever you want." Pure panic and agony!

As a child, I loved to open Mom's big old glass jar of 30+ years worth of saved buttons and get a whiff of that vintage smell. (Actually, I still do.) My childhood pictures showed the mark of a talented seamstress, my dear Mom. Oddly enough, I never wanted to learn to sew while I was growing up, but as I got older and after a few fashion classes, I grew immense respect for designers, patternmakers, and sewing technicians. It takes practice, skill, and a shitload of patience! Most of our thrifty female predecessors could sew clothes, quilt blankets, knit booties and scarves, fix and alterate, and provide an amazing wardrobe for a lucky Barbie.  What a lost art!

Mass-produced clothes follow a "standard" and don't always fit your body but with some mad skills under your belt, you can get a true fit and let your personality shine through. With the textile industry as one of the most environmentally destructive polluter and the countless outsourced employees laboring for so little to give us infinite disposable apparel, I ask we rediscover the art of recycling and sewing and re-using clothes in clever ways to be more green.  Anyone can do it. Get more personal with your clothes.

Look for inspiration here. Contribute by sending pictures of your creations, whether they be costumes, clothes, or accessories, with before and after photos if possible, and tell the story behind them. Ask questions! Give tips, advice, vlogs, blogs, links to good DIY and green fashion websites, answers to others' questions, your thoughts and comments, and anything else pertaining to eco-fashion! Contact us at AlteredFashionState@gmail.com.


Darla