I was at a fun little street fair today.  Tucked in amongst the various art and jewelry booths were a variety of new and used clothing booths.  I spotted a funky little pair of cowboy boots at a booth showcasing goods from a local resale shop called Imagination Creations.  They were only $25.00 and I would have bought them had they not been a half size too small.

Instead, I found myself explaining my blog to Heather, the owner of Imagination Creations.  She kindly gave me permission to take a picture of the boots.  Looking at them from this angle, one could say there is a fine line between funky and ugly.  It would not have been the first purchase I have made because something looked cool perched in its given environment only to bring it home and discover that it looks totally out of place in my real life.

Although I still think the boots qualify as funky, I have come up with a terrific Grandma Challenge that will prevent me from making any mistaken fashion purchases in the near future.  I am going to commit to not buying any new clothes for the remainder of my “grandma” year which officially ends on June 23, 2009.  If it is going well, I am going to try to carry out this challenge for a full year from today which means it will not end until September 20, 2009.

In their younger years, my grandparents did not own nearly as many clothes as I do.  When discussing this issue with my Grandpa Fred, I asked him a series of questions trying to jog his memory about how much clothing he had when he was a young man at home.  I first asked if he had a dresser where he kept his clothing.  He said that he did not have a dresser of his own.  I asked if he had a closet or a wardrobe where he kept his clothes.  He said he did not have a closet or a wardrobe either.  Apparently there was only one closet in his childhood home and he was pretty sure it was used by his six sisters.  After pausing for a moment, he recalled a chair he kept next to his bed, and it dawned on him that he kept all of his clean clothes neatly folded on top of that chair.  At this point in the conversation my Grandpa got a twinkle in his eye as he teased that I would probably need a couch next to my bed to hold all of my clothes.

In light of my Grandpa’s “couch” comment, I decided to count the clothes hanging in my closet.  I currently have 54 shirts, 14 sweaters, 6 dresses, and 12 pairs of pants.  Those do not include the summer clothes I just put away now that cooler weather is here.  My Grandpa was right - I would need a very large couch to hold all of my clothes!  Make that two as my husband would probably need a couch of his own.

I think a big part of living sustainably is learning to distinguish between a need and a want.  Evaluating my clothing is a great opportunity to do just that.  I also have a hunch that all of the cheap clothing floating around in the marketplace (and my closet) is not made in the most sustainable way.  Stepping back from buying any new clothes for one year will give me time to become more informed about my clothing choices.

I am still trying to decide if I will include resale clothing in my challenge or not.  I could easily make a case for letting myself buy from resale shops because it does not create any additional human or environmental burden.  However, it seems I might be missing the point that I do not need any new or used clothes.

Are you willing to join me in this challenge?  Why or why not?  Do you have any stories to share from your own life?  How many items of clothing or outfits did your grandparents own in their younger years?  How many items of clothing do you currently own?