Things of quality have no fear of time.
From growing food to minimizing packaging at the grocery store, mending to shopping secondhand, line drying clothing to borrowing books from the library...living lighter on the planet is a daily consideration.
I believe in its good intention, but the tagline, "Less, but better" always hits me wrong. It sounds like a recipe for discontent...an endless quest for better with a trail of castoffs laying in its wake. That kinda feels like my default setting, and I'm looking for a better way to live. Less + enough are my touch points for more compassionate living that considers living things + the planet.
I came across the statement, "Things of quality have no fear of time" today, and it sounded right. It actually brought me back to the things I already have that are standing strong over time...things like my B-sides jeans that are just the right fit for me. The quality, weighty, 100% cotton, denim is still going strong after years of wear. The same fit is still available (+ still feels current), so I've been able to collect a few colors over the years.
My midcentury army pants + jacket have to be my wardrobe's best examples of quality standing the test of time. These favorites came with evidence of wear, but the fact that there is still more wear in them is deliciously interesting to me.
I'm also intrigued by the quality of items that were designed decades ago + have been selling well enough to keep them in production over time. I've always loved these classics that don't seem to go out of style, but I think these pieces look especially good on me as I get older. In Maine this summer, I was able to try on a quilted vest by Utility Canvas that I've admired for probably 25 years. It's one of those things that was an instant "yes", and I'm certain I'll be wearing it for a long, long time.
And finally, if an item has the quality of being treasured enough, it will endear itself to the special care of mending, repairing and reinforcing so that it can continue to be worn. My army jacket came to me with holes + the need for new buttons. The time I've spent stitching it has only increased the quality of my connection with it.
In line with my quest to reinvigorate my love for what I already have (if you've been around for a while, there are probably a lot of repeats...but that's kinda the point, right?), here is a little list of the things already in my closet that I'm loving for autumn:
- quality that I buy on repeat:
- quality that has already stood the test of time:
- a soft, vintage blue bandana
- those vintage army pants + patched jacket
- quality that stays in production
- classic Blundstones
- Birkenstocks
- a quilted vest
Jane
