Today's Holidays: National Second-Hand Wardrobe Day, Kiss and Make Up Day, Whisky Sour Day, Banana Split Day
Website of the Day: https://fashion.allwomenstalk.com/tips-for-going-grunge
Fun Fact of the Day: Banana splits were invented in 1904 and were sold for ten cents!
Sticking to a budget can be difficult these days. It’s easy to mentally commit yourself to spending less money, but suddenly you walk into Urban Outfitters and all the budgeting plans you made swing out the door the moment you open it. This past school year I was spending money left and right. Here’s the breakdown of my spending:
I made a vow to be smarter with my money recently, but that was before I realized that I must do a college wardrobe shopping spree. Naturally, I went to my dad and complained about being on a budget, hoping he would give me money for shopping, but his response was: “Mia, you’ve gotta go grunge! It’s the new style.”
Me: Grunge? Dad, what’s grunge? *Mentally rolls eyes
Dad: *sends link to my phone https://fashion.allwomenstalk.com/tips-for-going-grunge
Me: Wow, did me dad really just send me a blog called allwomenstalk #fashion?
Dad: It’s all about the layers.
Me: So you wear the basics and mix up the jackets and cardigans?
Dad: Exactly, grunge is in.
In the moment I laughed at him, disregarding his suggestion to “go grunge”. And when my friend, Ellie, and I finally went on our shopping spree, I showed her the link my dad sent. In every store we joked about “going grunge”, but we both low key knew that “grunge” was our inspiration for our shopping that day. Now, did I follow all of the tips in the link my dad sent me? Of course not.
Tip #4 suggests to rip or cut your clothing by yourself to really achieve a grunge look, but given that cutting and gluing was the only section on my kindergarten report card that I got “unsatisfactory” on, I was not about to break out the scissors. Tip #2 also tells us that “footwear matters”, and while it does, the article suggests wearing Chuck Taylor’s and beaten up shoes for “extra street cred”. I’m not really someone you look at and think “wow, she’s got street cred”, and beating up my shoes a bit is definitely not going to help create this perception, especially since in the winter, you can find me, and other people, wearing my pink, fluffy muffs (shout out to Elaine for buying them for me):
But for the most part, I embraced the grunge tips and actually stuck to my budget! I got two t-shirt dresses, two t-shirts, two pairs of legging, a jean skirt, two hair tie accessories, one crop top, pajamas shorts, pajama pants, and Nike shoes for just over $200! I stuck to neutral colors, like black, white, and army green, so that I could add a pop of color with different jackets, shoes, cardigans, and accessories that I already had. While my shopping spree does not qualify as second-hand clothing, National Second-Hand Clothing Day is all about finding those deals and sticking to a budget.
We all are materialistic at the core. Whether all of your clothes are from second-hand stores or you are that person at ShopRite who shows up at check out with twenty coupons and is content with the two dollars in total that you got off your purchase, there is an undeniable, underlying truth in how we want to portray ourselves to the world, and in turn, how the world perceives us. Society encourages the focus on exterior appearance, lavish brunches and dinners, and world travelling.
Why are people so drawn to Gossip Girl? Partly for the drama, sure, but also because the characters live in a world where money does not matter: an alternate reality in which teenage boys and girls fly on private planes, spend summers in Paris, ride in limos around New York City, shop however much they please, and manipulate using the power of money. That thrill that you feel when you watch Gossip Girl or read about the “music from [Nick’s] neighbor’s house through the summer nights”, where Gatsby hosted his extravagant parties in The Great Gatsby, signifies your burning, yet buried desire for such a life. There is no shame in the materialistic, only in ignorance of it.
Celebrate National Second-Hand Clothing Day by acknowledging your materialistic side, no matter how small, but then choose to suppress it. Treat yourself sometimes, but not everyday. Live the lifestyle you want, but within reality. And remember to #gogrunge!
Happy National Second-Hand Clothing Day! Comment below or send in a photo of how you celebrated today. #NationalHolidayMovement #BeHappy #Celebrate