A lasting closet— buying (mostly) only second hand things for my wardrobe for one year.
Winter of 2017 and what seemed like the most approachable alternative to skinny jeans became in-style and... accessible. Sort of. 
Levi's. A good ol' pair of well worn washed out Levi's. Most notably, Levi's 501's. It gave all of us ladies with a less trendy rear, an more trendy rear in all its wedgie magic. Wedgies are in!
So, on my search I go. Goodwill, really being the only place I looked. After several unsuccessful trips, I just couldn't find a single pair that actually fit my bod. So, one fine day here in #PDX my partner and I stroll into House of Vintage here in Portland, Oregon and I pile maybe two dozen pairs of Levi's in the dressing room that seem like they might fit.
One pair. One pair fit me. A pair of Levi's 505's in a size 30. This pair, along with most others I tried on were (in my opinion) incredibly overpriced between $50-$75. And, in addition to that hefty price for a worn in pair of jeans, the ones that magically fit me, conveniently had a hole right in the crotch. Two holes, really. One on each side of the seam right at the lady parts. Cool!
In front of the dressing room mirror, just staring... I went back and forth in my head. Cuffed them because they were 4 inches past my foot, looked at myself in the mirror and committed. For no other reason I think other than I wanted to not wear skinny jeans every day and I was tired of looking. I recall these ringing in for a hefty $60. These better fricken' be worth it!... Right?
I brought the jeans home and immediately chopped them at the ankle. Then, I used that extra fabric to create patches for the crotch. I sewed in the patches in what I think is called a Sashiko technique in embroidery that you can apply to mending fabric. I placed a new piece of denim on the inside of the pant where the whole was, and stitched with my machine back and forth until the whole area was covered in rows of stitching; mending the old fabric with the new.
At the start, I wasn't so sure about how inflexible I felt in them. But, first day wearing them at work with a tee and sandals and a few people offered me compliments. So, that's great. Compliments are reassuring and make everyone feel good.
I liked the new shape it provided in silhouette. It was something new, and made all my old shoes and tops feel totally new along with it. I slowly started wearing them on the regular with mostly the same things I'd wear my skinny jeans with. They eventually molded to my body and have now become my favorite pair of pants.
I wore them through three seasons since. Easy with sandals and a lightweight top, especially amazing with a chunky knit and oxfords. I've worn these at the very least once a week for an entire year. Some more than others depending on the temperatures, but you get it. They really get worn. A lot.
Take a peek over on my instagram story highlights @taylerworrell. I've recently been sharing outfits here and there featuring these babies.
But biggest lesson here wasn't about the jeans themselves—it was the the price, value and quality.
I was super resistent to spend that money on a piece of clothing that I thought I could have find myself at goodwill for half the price. But there's so much work that goes into curating the perfect vintage items that really is worth the price if you don't have the time to do the searching yourself, or just haven't had success finding the perfect thing your looking for.
These jeans have LASTED. I don't know what year they were made originally, but even seeing condition they've remained in after the number of times I've worn these in the single year—I know they'll last way longer that what a $60 price tag in a new item would.
I've slowly getting the hang of Steemit here and am so excited to connect with all of you who commented on my post about buying secondhand for an entire year. It's going to be an interesting journey. I have already faltered in my goal this February, and will write about it soon. But! It's a learning process and its all to be a more conscious consumer myself.
If you haven't already, see recent posts in this series!
how to make a profit selling second hand + reflections on my own consumerism
Let me know what else you'd like to hear about as I keep this going! If you're a vintage or secondhand shopper, what are those items that you are willing to spend extra on, even as a thrifted item?