Let’s cut back. You go first.
Autumn Fashion
Written by cjhammon in Life in Yesterday's Clothes, Style, Travel
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Well. It’s been a nice, long break since my Christmas Day post. And now it’s time to get back into the swing of blogging. This time, I’m writing from sunny Bradenton, Florida. Back home, my husband tells me that the olive oil is coagulating in the cupboard.
Traveling and hanging out with my two best buds (Mom & Dad) for the past two weeks has been the purest joy. It has restructured my life somewhat, as well as a few molecules in my brain, but no more so than spotting Valentine chocolates in a Walmart on a balmy 77-degree day and thinking, “What’s up with that? Oh, yeah. It’s January.” (That sight was the rough equivalent of how you’d feel if you saw 4th of July decorations set out near Thanksgiving Day. #JustNotRight)
Meanwhile, in Bradenton, there’s a terrible internal conflict welling up inside me. If you’re a friend or follower, you’ve witnessed my frequent minimalist/tiny house leanings. I packed for this trip ever so lightly, as did Mom. We’re both reveling in the simplicity and freedom of having fewer material things to fuss over.
Saturday night, we sat down together to explore how we could lighten our possessions when we get home. “Let’s start with your closet first,” I suggested. (See how sincere I am?) When Sunday’s sermon dealt with materialism, we both wondered if the Holy Spirit might be giving our impulses a nudge.
Here’s the sad reality. Two days earlier, I was operating with just the opposite intention. Call me fickle. On a field trip to find a post office, I passed Retro Rosie’s, a vintage store in the old part of Bradenton. Naturally, I couldn’t resist. I reasoned that I was merely conducting research. Before I stepped inside, I reminded myself that I was looking—not buying.
While browsing, I overheard the owner say she was from Indiana. Kris Bloom is a Greenwood, Indiana transplant who began working in the store and eventually took over as the founding owners retired.
Don’t do Bradenton without a visit to Retro Rosie’s.
Retro Rosie’s is an exceptional store with an arty environment and an amazing collection of true vintage clothes and antiques. Bloom says photography students often visit from nearby Ringling College of Art and Design because it’s such a photogenic background for taking pictures. After looking at my own randomly taken photos, I get that.
She also confirmed a long-held theory of mine. Old ladies do move to Florida and die, leaving behind a vast collection of fabulous clothes from different eras. That is exactly why vintage shopping in Florida is among the best.
Beyond vintage clothes and antiques, Bloom and her sidekicks at Retro Rosie’s are begining a smart endeavor in 2015—classes for people who are interested in refashioning and repurposing old clothes and furniture.
By now, you’ve probably deduced that I wasn’t capable of leaving Retro Rosie’s without a purchase. For now, I just want you to meet Kris Bloom and see why it was so difficult to leave her nest empty handed. I’m hoping to circle back and share more of what I learned from our tête-à-tête.
The day before I left Indiana for my month-long Florida sojourn, I delivered a large garbage bag of clothing discards to Goodwill. Do I have the nerve to cull more when I get home? Do you? What’s your ideal number of garments? Shall I keep duplicates of the same type—yes or no?
2 comments
January 13, 2015 at 3:20 pm
Oh my, an ideal number of garments? I never thought of it that way before. I really do purge and grow my wardrobe with regularity. I also work really diligently at the no duplicates rule, with the exception of denim. Since jeans are pretty much my go to for most days I have several pair. What I don’t have are multiples of the same sweater or top. I have been on a live simpler, live with fewer objects quest for the past couple of years. It is a battle one must continually work against in the materialistic society we live in. Presently, I am not winning.
January 22, 2015 at 12:30 pm
Happy New Year!
I would have had a hard time passing up that evening coat…they are my downfall. (I just bought a lovely black bombazine swing coat with a shawl collar and wild bracelet length sleeves for $10…how could I turn away from that????)
I, too, am trying to cut down, but it’s less my closet (although my closet of vintage/coats/costume pieces is bursting, but not my everyday wear), and more my books and entertaining stuff, like dishes, serving ware and tablecloths.