Denim Done Differently

Recycled clothing is having a bit of a renaissance at them moment, and rightly so. There is a surplus of clothing in recycle centres all over Australia. Of course – we all love acquiring new looks to capture our moods and signal our personal style. It can be easy to forget that second-hand clothing stores hold innumerable hidden treasures for a fraction of the retail price… and with a negligible environmental footprint!

THRIFT SHOP

Despite this (and despite having had Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” virtually on repeat recently) we hadn’t ventured out to our share of op-shops for quite a while. So the timing was perfect last month for us to be invited to take part in Vinnies #denimdonedifferent challenge! Armed with our Vinnies gift card (thanks guys!) and a bag full of Nikon gear, we rolled into the St Vincent de Paul Society in Ringwood and leafed through every denim item we could get our hands on… and some other fabrics too! The selection of gear available was thoroughly outrageous in both quality and variety. This challenge quickly became about what we could bear to leave behind rather than what we would use! Naturally enough we outspent our voucher but only because we got enthused about the bargains!

IMMA TAKE YOUR GRAND(MA)’S STYLE

The task was fairly open ended so we decided that “being different” was about choosing styles that I wouldn’t normally wear. The idea of overdoing denim automatically conjures up hideous scenes from terrible 80’s movies (a generation or two north of me, 1980 being nearly 40 years ago…) and I really didn’t know what to expect. Ben is more of a fashionista than I am, so after some research he decided that I should go for a rolled up leg and a jacket-on-jacket look over some neutral layers. The inspiration for this outfit is turning a lot of heads in New York for their autumn (fall) season and is equally useful for the last throes of winter here in Melbourne. Some of these spring mornings have started out freezing – so going for layers is really useful when you aren’t sure whether the weather will warm up during the day!

DOUBLE DENIM – REALLY???

Layers of different denim? Really? Yes. Really. Going the double-denim was a shock to my system too, and would certainly be considered #denimdonedifferent to most people I know! Despite my initial uncertainty, I decided to trust Ben’s vision and rolled with his choices! The shoot we planned that afternoon was rained-out as we drove to it, so we needed to improvise – and fast. The New York inspired outfit needed somewhere urban to shine. Eventually, we decided on a location that smacks of industry and development, but one that would keep us dry at the same time. Ben worked the natural light perfectly. He knew just how to make these images pop; natural light portraits are our specialty as Pause The Moment photographers. There was no need for a wind machine as you can see! Some of you fashionistas might even recognise the location…

AN OUTFIT FOR THE PRICE OF A SHIRT

An outfit for the price of a shirt? It’s possible – and even probable – at Vinnies! They have such a vast collection of second-hand awesomeness and friendly staff that are always willing to help. Twenty bucks and you’ve got yourself a head to tail casual outfit. A few bucks more and you could be entering the couture arena! The outfit I wear in this post came to well under fifty dollars. So – if you are serious about fashion and serious about looking after our environment, then get yourself into Vinnies and grab yourself a bargain!