Blood, Sweat and T-shirts

A couple of days ago, Dutch television reran the Blood, Sweat and T-shirts documentary. I was really glad they did, because I think everybody should look at this documentary (and the others they’ve made). It really makes you think about the way our clothes are made. For instance, I knew that the workers in India worked for little wages and under poor conditions, but I didn’t know some of them actually have to sleep under their desk during the week. That really made me sad but also made up my mind to become more conscious about the clothes I put on my back. Since I watched the show a couple of years ago for the first time, I look where my clothes were produced and tried to tread them as if they were designer items. By that I mean that I take good care of my items, and that even if somebody had had to make them under poor conditions, I honoured the item by wearing it to treads so that their hard work was respected. And of course not buy things I didn’t really need. I recommend the series of documentaries to anybody, I know of the following titles:

Blood, Sweat and T-shirts

Blood, Sweat and Takeaways and

Blood, Sweat and Luxuries

If you’re ever able to watch one of these shows, you should, they’re great!

Alexander Wang T Update

I promised to keep you posted on the condition of my T by Alexander Wang classic pocket tee. I still wear the shirt a lot (I think about 3 times a week) and now it really starts to show some signs of wearing: it starts to twist after washing and the fabric looks a bit chafed here and there. I’m a bit disappointed by the quality but I still think it’s better than H&M or Zara shirts. And I know this is my own fault, but the shirt is a real stain magnet! Usually I don’t spill a lot, but the poor shirt has had chocolate, orange juice, wine, grease and food stains. Fortunately all of them came off after washing so I can still enjoy my shirt. Do I still believe the shirt is worth the extra money? Yes. The fit is unique and the colour is beautiful and just goes with everything. This shirt is still my number one buy this year.     

In search of the perfect T-Shirt (and breaking the rules)

I love my Alexander Wang Tee, I really do. I’ve worn it so much the last couple of weeks that my little sisters asked me if I ever wear something else (and yes, I do).  I love my Wang Tee so much that I’d like to have another one, but I simply can’t afford it. Around €75,- ($100,-) for a t-shirt is a lot, I think, so I’ve given myself the assignment to search a good ‘fake’ Wang Tee. The requirements for the shirt are:

- Made out of a soft fabric (viscose/rayon)

- Has a v-neck

- Has a short sleeve (not too short)

- Is loose fitting

As it turned out, these shirts are very hard to find! I’ve seen the Wang fakes at COS, but I heard that they’re of really poor quality. I think I’ve tried around fifteen t-shirts that came close to my requirements, but none of them were right. I even tried on some mens shirts at H&M, but the v-neck always was too high, so it didn’t look good. A couple of days ago I decided to pay a visit to the local Primark (I know, against my rules, but my cat recently died and I didn’t want to spend too much on emotional shopping) and I stumbled upon this shirt. It meets most of my requirements, so I took it with me without trying it on, which was a mistake. But as you know, there are always standing at least twenty people in line for the fitting rooms and I didn’t feel like waiting. My main complaint about this shirt is that it is too long and narrow at the bottom. If it was just a bit shorter and looser, it would have been a pretty good shirt. But I guess my search for the perfect fake Wang Tee will go on...

Garment of the moment

 

The weather in The Netherlands hasn’t yet allowed me to wear my full summer wardrobe, it still can be pretty cold. One of my ultimate ‘compromise garments’ is this H&M top. It’s made out of a synthetic fabric which makes it light but not too cold. I’ve bought this top about two years ago and it still looks great and has no signs of wearing. This is one of the few items I didn’t buy during the sale, as I did with all my other garments that period. I changed my philosophy only recently so back then I just bought the things I didn’t hate and were cheap. But not this top, and it paid off because I have worn it a lot and I still do.

Minnetonka Hi-Top Back Zip Boots Review

About two weeks ago I received my Minnetonka boots and I was thrilled. I had read a lot of great reviews on the web so my expectations were high. Ever since these grey boots arrived I’ve worn them every day, I love them. They have this really laid back look that goes with about everything in my closet. I can wear them all day without getting any blisters. I was really afraid that I would wreck the suede within a couple of days because that always happened to me with suede shoes, but up until now they still look great. I would have favoured them to come in leather because I think you can maintain leather shoes a lot better than suede. I hope they will last a really long time because they are now in my top 10 favourite items. Many of the reviews on the internet said the shoes weren’t true to size, they were a bit larger than expected, so I anticipated on that and bought half a size smaller than usual (I’m a 38.5/US 7,5/UK 5.5) and picked size 38/7/5. Unfortunately, when the first pair arrived, they were too small so I had to return them and take a size 39/8/6. There’s a little room left in the shoe but because they aren’t lined, I’m able to wear two pairs of socks when it’ll get colder. The last thing I would like to say about these shoes is that they’re rather footwear than actual shoes, you know what I mean? They have no support at all, so it’s more a garment that you can wear on your feet than a quality shoe. That said, I would recommend these shoes because they fit and look great and are reasonably priced (mine cost €75,-).

So my overall impression of the boots is:   

+ Look great

+ Fit great

+ Fair price

-No support

-Only options to buy suede, no leather.