| If you haven't checked out vintage clothing and | | | | for example, have made some great finds. A crisp |
| accessories lately, you really should. There are some | | | | white linen suit that sold initially for $400 was mine |
| beautiful things out there. You can go hippie or goth, | | | | for $50. Handmade Italian shoes in ice-cream colors |
| or pair some original circa 70s Italian pumps with a | | | | of pistachio, raspberry and lemon for $25 - they're |
| sleek 1920s brocade spaghetti-strapped cocktail dress | | | | still my favorite. A full-length beaded black velvet |
| that catches the eye. Vintage clothing can be hip, | | | | opera coat - looks great with jeans, too - for a |
| stylish and unique. Each one-of-a-kind outfit says | | | | pittance of its value. And how about that fabulously |
| 'you', and it often comes at a very good price. With | | | | flowing silk pantsuit that makes me feel like Audrey |
| all that cushy indulgence, you wouldn't think you were | | | | Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's? And that's just the |
| also doing the earth a good turn. But have you ever | | | | beginning. |
| thought about how much clothing ends up in the | | | | Not until someone brought it to my attention did it |
| landfill? | | | | ever occur to me that my beautiful opera coat would |
| In the U.S., we throw out about 254 million tons of | | | | be left and forgotten in a landfill if it weren't in my |
| unwanted items every year. Of that, about 7% is | | | | closet. But now that I've had my eyes opened, I can |
| clothing, shoes and bedding. That's about 18 million | | | | look forward to my vintage clothing shopping sprees |
| tons per year. If just 1% of that were womens | | | | with even more enthusiasm - and less guilt. |
| clothing, that would be, roughly, very roughly, about | | | | Want to go green? Go shopping! But make sure |
| 40 outfits per woman, per year. | | | | you're shopping for vintage fashion - you'll look great |
| Some of those outfits are vintage clothing that | | | | and save the energy, raw materials and other |
| others would be very happy to get their hands on. I, | | | | resources used to make new clothes. |