Comments on: A La bella figura philosophy

By: Laura

Laura — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 14:56:14 +0000

Kristi,
great reminder post! Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without – which is an old saying that I really like to aspire to. I too hate wasting food – my Grandmother, who was a very good woman – instilled this in me. She knew that this was a daily way in which she could make a difference.
Anyway, I get a couple of bottles of Rit black dye every year and take my black clothes (and my husbands) that look faded and put them in the laundry sink for a day or so with the dye bath. It revives them! My husband has a pair of pricey pants he bought in 1982 (!) in LA that he still occasionally wears – we refresh the dye every year and they still look great.
xo,
La

By: aaonce

aaonce — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:39:31 +0000

Love this post! I can never get enough of this reminder to reuse and repurpose. This subject reminds me, I should go get a new liner put into my winter coat. I also will dye a faded clothing article, shorten an outdated coat and get shoes resoled/heeled. I hate clutter and if something doesn’t work, it has to go. I also struggle with the concept of buying something new just because it is a little bit better or just newer than what I already own. I have a problem with selling items though, because I never get around to actually doing it. I am always just inclined to give away/donate said item (less time committement).

By: Fiona

Fiona — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:55:27 +0000

I think you’ve captured it exactly in the first sentence Kristi. I simply am unable to throw anything away that is good and must donate it to a charity shop as I feel disrespectful doing so if it is still usable. Same with food. By wasting food I feel disrespectful to the person who grew it or more so, the animal that provided it (meat). When an appliance or item is nearing the end of its natural life and you still use it to get the most out of it, my dad calls this ‘the free part’. Before we bought a new tv, we put up with months of the picture just disappearing for half an hour because most of the time it was OK! Then one day it died permanently and we bought a new one. I just mended/altered four items of clothing a few days ago and it was very satisfying.

By: Eurochic

Eurochic — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:54:22 +0000

I have a terrible tendency to toss things when they “could” be repaired (mainly out of laziness) or are still good but not what I want exactly. But I’m trying to be more resourceful as far that sort of thing goes and take repairable clothing to a tailor or learn how to repair it myself and repurpose things that no longer fill the original need but could be used elsewhere. I’m also going to purchase a pretty basket of some sort to collect those things that I no longer want but are still good. Once the basket is full I pledge to donate the contents to goodwill.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:18:11 +0000

Great post K! It’s a good reminder too. Sometimes I forget that I know how to fix things and when I really put my mind to it, it can be done. Or even finding a solution to a problem from something else you have lying around the house. I recently had my mom re-teach me how to properly sew a hem by hand. I had forgotten!

By: Cherie

Cherie — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:14:56 +0000

A great way to live. From my vrious travels, I’ve always admired how Europeans have less *stuff* than Americans, yet lead happy (and stylish) lives. We need to learn this lesson from them. We should put more thought into our purchases – do we like the style, the quality; are we prepared to live with the item for a long time – and stop considering everything disposable.

By: Beth G

Beth G — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:23:16 +0000

Beautiful wooden flower buttons indeed! I have a blazer missing a few original buttons (which were ugly plastic anyway) and have been on the lookout for wonderful wooden buttons. It makes your trench look really special. I’ve been mending, tailoring, adjusting for a while now. Taking in and hemming old skirts, cuffing a pair of paints I no longer care to wear with heels, putting hidden snaps in the “gap” areas of a couple of blouses — it really does give a new life to your wardrobe.