Mrs. JSN had long promised me that she would come home to help me sort out old clothes and shoes. We accomplished this today and I am left at home as she and Papa J bring about twenty bags of assorted clothes, jackets and shoes to a thrift store which does a very brisk business of selling serviceable clothes to people who need them at very low cost.
I discovered by sifting through my old clothes that over all these years, I basically bought clothing that was all the same. Almost everything is in an earth tone, is washable, and without much adornment. We were struck by the decent quality of almost everything that I had purchased. Nothing was fancy but nothing was garbage either. These days it's very hard to find clothing of even adequate quality and this was part of an ongoing conversation for most of the weekend.
Yesterday we went to the Peabody Essex Museum to see the Iris Apfel collection. She is a socialite who amassed a very eclectic wardrobe of clothing, jewelry, and footwear over her many years. There were about 80 displayed ensembles and they were charming. Unfortunately, in order to get to the museum we had to wade through throngs of people at a Halloween fair in Salem. The contrast in costumes was ironic. Ms. Apfel's ones consisted of the thoughtful, tasteful and original couture of a socialite. The people outside were wearing pagan attire.
Since the Yankees/Angels playoff game was postponed due to rain which also came down in sheets here, we were at a loss for what to watch. Thanks to Miss NB's ingenuity, we watched an HBO documentary titled "Shmatte". Shmatte is a Yiddish word meaning rags and the garment industry in New York City was also known as the "shmatte trade."
Old garmentos were interviewed about the rise and fall of the clothing manufacturing industry in NY and how outsourcing has pretty much terminated New York's most thriving employment. Basically, it was said that nothing is manufactured in the US anymore, resulting in unfair labor practices abroad and poorly made garments for people here. JSN knows this all too well, and says that working in the industry now is kind of futile.
I commented to JS that after all my clothes were dispatched, I would be very slow in replacing them. It's just too difficult to find anything that is well made and fits properly. I am starting to make some of my own things, teaching myself slowly how to follow patterns and sew garments. I like most of my clothing to be unadorned so this seems like a good solution.
Thank you, thank you JS for helping me out. I couldn't have gone through all that stuff without your wise counsel. Above are photos of two items that I made for her. One is a cabled cowl made out of bulky alpaca. The pillow is made from feed sack that I quilted, cording that I made myself and some strange fabric for the back which can't be seen in the picture.
A quick mention here, so it's written for posteriority. Miss NB is getting accepted to the medical schools where she has applied and interviewed. She knows for sure, at this point, that she will go on to be what she has looked forward to being for so long.
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