Make Do and Mend.

The publication Make Do and Mend by the British Ministry of Information became a wartime slogan and a way of life during WWII.  For those of us who grew up poor, it was always a way of life.  I learned to be careful with my clothes, fix things, alter them to fit me better or to suit my style, and last but not least, I learned to love vintage.

Picture from theleantimes.com

When I didn't quite like my hand-me-downs, they got modified.  When I hated current fashion, I learned to secretly raid my aunt's old closet at my Grandma's house, full of the late 70s and early 80s pieces she wore in high school.  When jobs were scarce, my brother and I were perfectly content to go school-shopping at Goodwill instead of making our annual trip to the mall from our small town. And that ain't the half of it.
I always say poverty breeds ingenuity.  I've continued my rummaging and craftiness, sometimes combining them, and "make do and mend" is one of my mantras.

So I ordered this purse; a knockoff.  It was cute, sparkly, and on a clearance/overstock type website for half price.  I should have saved my money, 'cause now I'm saving for a Trophy Queen https://www.trophyqueen.com/.  The first time I carried the purse which will remain unnamed, the coating on the edges of the straps peeled away.  The straps continued to crack and peel and pull and look downright ugly.  The materials are not the same used in auto and boat upholstery.  The purse is made in China.  (Trophy Queen purses are made in the USA.) So anyway- the straps looked ugly and scary.

I perused thrift stores until I found a hideous mini-purse from the 90s with long chain straps.  I removed the chain with needle nose pliers and stripped the pleather strap that was woven into the chain.   I went to the neighborhood hardware store (not the corporate one) to get some nuts and bolts.  I trimmed the ugly cracked, peeling straps from the purse (it already looked better!).  Then, I borrowed my mancreature's drill, and drilled holes where I would bolt my shiny,  new (used) chain straps on. TADAAAAAAA!

Kustomized!  That'll work for now, but I'm still saving for a Trophy Queen bag.  I'm a sucker for their Texas flag bag, but I think I'd use a red one a lot, too.  Time will tell- it's gonna be a while.
Note: The company that makes the bag pictured does offer to possibly repair bags or give future discounts if you mail them your bag with an original receipt,  but I didn't anticipate needing the receipt because I didn't expect the bag to fall apart.

Speaking of making do and mending,  I found a badass Dalton cashmere sweater from the 50s a while back for about a dollar.  I didn't tell you because I've been meticulously stitching manymany mothholes, and I'm finally done.

I'm gonna wear that baby with something high-waisted and black.  I usually stay away from mock-necks, but the asymmetrical split and diamond-shaped shell buttons KILL me.

I had to have sewn up 20 or more tiny holes, in addition to completely redoing 3 button loops in the back, but it's worth it.  So go though your wardrobe, make do, and mend!