I was torn between what to write for this lesson. It was either a self-help piece on how we can’t expect people to act or react like us as they are different and how, in order to get to understand them better, we should put ourselves in their shoes.
Lucky for you I came to my senses and decided that I really was no expert at it, especially as someone I love keeps misunderstanding me and I keep misunderstanding him.
No, I decided to take this one literally.
Put yourself in their shoes.
Buy second-hand.
There is something rather smug about purchasing something that has already seen a life with a previous owner. It is recycling. Very eco-chic, darling. It also makes for a more individual wardrobe – especially if you can hem or have access to a sewing-machine. Hell, there is even a desirable word for someone else’s cast-offs – VINTAGE. Second-hand never sounded so sexy!
So, we no longer go to Tesco’s or New Look and buy ourselves a brand new wardrobe for a tenner that has seen poverty-stricken kids from shanty towns labour in illegal sweat-shops to be able to support their families.
No, we visit charity shops, swap with friends ( see Lesson 19) customize our current clothing pile and basically inject new life into a garment so we can maintain our cachet of well-dressed elegance without high-tailing it to the landfill sites or maxing out our cards.
Say after me: ‘We can not save our banking system by buying all the stock from Net-a Porter ‘ So, in the interests of saving the planets for our kids and helping out the volunteers at the local hospice shops, let’s recycle.
I have to be honest here, I actually don’t go into charity shops anymore. I stopped all that when I was in my 20’s. My last purchase, a full-length fake fur with billowing collar was met with derision in my days working on a marine syndicate at Lloyd’s of London. It was Christmas Eve, we were all going home at lunchtime and it was snowing HEAVILY! All of these gave me, or so I thought, the best excuse to wear something that would not only keep the snow out, the body heat in but also gave me that theatrical Quentin Crisp vibe that had, to my mind, so much more yuletide joy to it than a pair of reindeer deelyboppers ( those dangly headband things) and a Santa tie from Tie-rack! Actually, only one person was really cruel about my beloved fur which cost me less than a Pret a Manger sandwich and a San Pellegrino. Something along the lines of I was creating so much static, the building ( Richard Rogers’ 1986 Lloyd’s building) would blow up.
I seem to remember that I failed to tell her that when she last blew her nose, she had left a snail-trail along her cheek.
Was that REALLY cruel of me???
No, I no longer visit charity shops is that there really is so little that I like. I much prefer swapping clothes and shoes with friends. The chances are, if you like them, you’ll like their clothes.
Recycling is also very handy for shoes you have effectively had someone else ‘break-in’ your shoes for you. Remember though, we are cost cutting, we are NOT downsizing our style-gene. You want someone to ‘Break-In’ the shoes not have them ‘Wear-out’. Big difference. remember.
I don’t believe that someone’s tat is another’s treasure. Tat is tat and if that is what your friends are buying. Bin them.
to be continued………
