Fashion on the Ration

This week I stumbled upon a new-to-me blog: Cargo Cult Craft. The author of the blog, Susannah, is involved in a sort of experiment this year that she is calling Fashion on the Ration. She is taking the rationing guidelines that were put on the British people during WWII in 1941, and is living by them herself to see how one would dress themselves only being allowed a certain number of clothing and fabric purchases in a year.

One of her posts entitled "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap" really resonated with me. In it she chronicles the hidden high costs associated with our fascination with cheap, instant fashion. Retailers have managed to sell the idea of "saving money" to consumers all the while providing an inferior product that has to be replaced often. These cheap goods eventually end up costing a consumer more than a higher quality, longer lasting, more expensive alternative.

Susannah makes a compelling arguement, and she has motivated me to think more about how I spend my money on and care for the clothes I wear.