Saturday, January 3, 2015

Itchy tags and solution

Sticking with my commitment to not buy new retail (except undies, socks, hose, and occasional shoes) is tough when it comes to pants other than jeans. My usual haunts, Goodwill and Savers don't seem to have the brands that fit my figure and my size. I needed an alternative. 

A few weeks ago I found Poshmark, a site for selling second hand clothes and thought I'd try my luck as I can filter their inventory by size, color, and brand. I bought some NYDJ capris and leggings/pants. Not a bad fit and $25 each. 

The way Poshmark works is that you buy directly from someone else's closet and you can sell from your own closet. I haven't tried selling yet but I like the idea. Anything that gets idle clothes back in circulation is great. Shopping this kind of site has a big advantage over thrift stores in that the inventory can be filtered, making it easier to find something specific. 

I hemmed up my new-to-me legging/pants hybrids and satisfied with the fit and length planned to wear them to a party. Ughhhh, seriously itchy tag, and time to leave. I grabbed my scissors ready to cut the tags only to find them so well sewn in I would need a seam ripper instead. 

Arrgh!  Not wanting to be late or irritated the whole afternoon, I thought of a solution. I tucked one of my cloth hankies half in and half out of the back of my pants. Instant relief. My only concern was that I not accidently drop the hankie in the toilet at my host's house (all good on that account.)

I occurred to me as I headed to the party that instead of cutting out itchy tags I could sew a cloth patch over them. It would help retain the value as clothes generally can't be sold on commission without the tags intact. I normally wouldn't bother doing this with my thrift store finds, but sometimes I do buy from consignment shops and pay a much higher price. 

I do seem to remember a time when tags were silky, not scratchy or itchy. Probably when they still had the IGWU labels. 






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