from riches to rags
Shirley is a single mom who literally went from rags to riches when she turned her nimble fingers and sense of style into a home-based dress alteration business.
"Having a baby to care for meant that I didn’t have time to keep up with the latest fashions," says Shirley, "and living on welfare meant that I no longer had the money to splurge on designer labels and fashion magazines."
Being a single mom living in poverty forced Shirley to rethink what fashion meant to her and in changing her attitude towards fashion she transformed from a mindless follower of fashion into a trend setter.
"In developing a unique style of my own," says Shirley, "I was also developing an independent spirit that flowed over into other aspects of my life. I became a trend setter. I no longer needed designer labels or any of the other trappings that women generally depend upon to make them stand out in a crowd."
"I discovered that a plainly dressed and un-made up woman can walk into a room and all heads will turn - not out of pity for lack of designer labels and jewelry," says Shirley, "but out of admiration for a woman who exudes confidence and a unique style."
"Before I became a single mom, I slavishly followed the latest fashions and fads," laughs Shirley. "I felt less of a person without designer labels and having skin or hair that was not cleansed with the latest cosmetic product."
"I would not have been seen dead outside my home without going through the grooming and dressing rituals that advertisers tell us we should go through."
"What was most pathetic about being a follower of fashion," says Shirley, "is that I would wear what's in fashion whether or not it suited me. I would slavishly discard last year's fashions even though they may have look great on me and I felt really comfortable in them. It was so important for me at that time to look and dress exactly like everyone else."
Shirley used to spend more on fashion and fads than she did on food, and she felt really out of things if she hadn’t got the latest product on the market. Coping with the realities of being a single mom really changed Shirley’s outlook on life.
"I realized that a few men monopolized the fashion industry and determined what's in and what's not," says Shirley. "I realized that only a tiny percentage of the price I paid for fashions and fads constituted their worth - according to what some poor person in a third-world country probably earned for making them - and that the lion's share of my hard-earned money was lining the pockets of mincing men and corporate fat cats."
Shirley became a unique trend setter - someone others wanted to follow - by buying her clothing at thrift stores.
"I picked up some amazing articles at thrift stores and I learned to mix and match with flair," says Shirley. "I only bought what suited me and what I felt comfortable wearing. If something didn’t feel right after I had bought it, then I didn’t mind because I had paid so little for it and in returning it to the thrift store I was recycling it for someone else to use. And, most importantly, when I found a good quality item that was too big -- I learned how to sew and tailored it to my size."
As far as children’s clothes are concerned, Shirley had a ton of new stuff given to her when little Brianna was born, but as the little girl grew out of them Shirley dressed her little girl in recycled clothes, too. And Brianna looks as fabulous as her mother in her thrift store clothes.
"I bought a second-hand sewing machine and I spent all of my spare time mending or altering something, or creating something new," says Shirley. "I never have to worry about what to wear any more, I have a mass of clothes and accessories that I purchased from thrift stores."
"I also saved money on hairdressing," says Shirley. "I discovered that by pulling my hair back and bunching it on top of my head, with a few strategic pins, I created a look that is fabulous and really suits me."
"It wasn't long before everyone started commenting on my fabulous new clothes and asked me to do it for them," says Shirley, "and within months I was earning so much money that I went off welfare. It was amazing."
"If word gets around fast enough then I might consider having my own label and boutique store," says Shirley. "Right now I run my own unique dressmaking business at home and it's getting a bit crowded!"
"Who would have thought that there was money in rags?"
"Having a baby to care for meant that I didn’t have time to keep up with the latest fashions," says Shirley, "and living on welfare meant that I no longer had the money to splurge on designer labels and fashion magazines."
Being a single mom living in poverty forced Shirley to rethink what fashion meant to her and in changing her attitude towards fashion she transformed from a mindless follower of fashion into a trend setter.
"In developing a unique style of my own," says Shirley, "I was also developing an independent spirit that flowed over into other aspects of my life. I became a trend setter. I no longer needed designer labels or any of the other trappings that women generally depend upon to make them stand out in a crowd."
"I discovered that a plainly dressed and un-made up woman can walk into a room and all heads will turn - not out of pity for lack of designer labels and jewelry," says Shirley, "but out of admiration for a woman who exudes confidence and a unique style."
"Before I became a single mom, I slavishly followed the latest fashions and fads," laughs Shirley. "I felt less of a person without designer labels and having skin or hair that was not cleansed with the latest cosmetic product."
"I would not have been seen dead outside my home without going through the grooming and dressing rituals that advertisers tell us we should go through."
"What was most pathetic about being a follower of fashion," says Shirley, "is that I would wear what's in fashion whether or not it suited me. I would slavishly discard last year's fashions even though they may have look great on me and I felt really comfortable in them. It was so important for me at that time to look and dress exactly like everyone else."
Shirley used to spend more on fashion and fads than she did on food, and she felt really out of things if she hadn’t got the latest product on the market. Coping with the realities of being a single mom really changed Shirley’s outlook on life.
"I realized that a few men monopolized the fashion industry and determined what's in and what's not," says Shirley. "I realized that only a tiny percentage of the price I paid for fashions and fads constituted their worth - according to what some poor person in a third-world country probably earned for making them - and that the lion's share of my hard-earned money was lining the pockets of mincing men and corporate fat cats."
Shirley became a unique trend setter - someone others wanted to follow - by buying her clothing at thrift stores.
"I picked up some amazing articles at thrift stores and I learned to mix and match with flair," says Shirley. "I only bought what suited me and what I felt comfortable wearing. If something didn’t feel right after I had bought it, then I didn’t mind because I had paid so little for it and in returning it to the thrift store I was recycling it for someone else to use. And, most importantly, when I found a good quality item that was too big -- I learned how to sew and tailored it to my size."
As far as children’s clothes are concerned, Shirley had a ton of new stuff given to her when little Brianna was born, but as the little girl grew out of them Shirley dressed her little girl in recycled clothes, too. And Brianna looks as fabulous as her mother in her thrift store clothes.
"I bought a second-hand sewing machine and I spent all of my spare time mending or altering something, or creating something new," says Shirley. "I never have to worry about what to wear any more, I have a mass of clothes and accessories that I purchased from thrift stores."
"I also saved money on hairdressing," says Shirley. "I discovered that by pulling my hair back and bunching it on top of my head, with a few strategic pins, I created a look that is fabulous and really suits me."
"It wasn't long before everyone started commenting on my fabulous new clothes and asked me to do it for them," says Shirley, "and within months I was earning so much money that I went off welfare. It was amazing."
"If word gets around fast enough then I might consider having my own label and boutique store," says Shirley. "Right now I run my own unique dressmaking business at home and it's getting a bit crowded!"
"Who would have thought that there was money in rags?"
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