March 1st 2011

The Modern Make Do and Mend

The original 'Make Do and Mend' was a booklet published in 1943 by the Ministry of Information at a time when clothes were rationed to 66 coupons-essentially one outfit per year.
Some may balk at the thought of only one new outfit per year but coming from Yorkshire parents who kept that frugal tradition alive (any food on its sell-by date had to be eaten immediately no matter whether there was anything to go with stuffing mix or custard) I quite like the idea of such a challenge. I would of course want the modern day version where it was not a consequence of war.
Make Do and Mend encouraged people to use 'a little less' and also promote the idea of creative reinvention. Trousers became skirts, curtains and household linen became anything you could dream up and parachutes were made into sexy knickers (possibly not in the booklet!) Even no-snag tights could be made with a Kohl pencil and a steady hand.
My personal favourite was  'freeze leftover pieces of cake untill you have enough to make a trifle', though cake is rarely lying around my house for that long.
Since the recession hit there has been a resurgence of the 'make do and mend' attitude that contributes to the rise of 'slow fashion' which I think is a growing social movement. Though I picked up a lot of cheap tat in my twenties I eventually reached a point of overload and realised that the instant gratification was so short-lived and ultimately unfulfilling that (coupled with my research into the effects of the fashion industry) I had my own backlash.
I still want something that is made with care and is unique but also the choice and to look chic. If it is cleverly designed then all the better! Though I largely wear my own designs I also love that 'second hand' is now fashionably 'vintage' and can give us that bespoke fashion look we don't find so easily elsewhere.

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