Out With the Old and In With the New - Not So Fast

We're about to ring in a new year, so let's "throw out the old and bring in the new," as so many like to say this time of year......well, I say, not so fast.  I'm going to buck the system a bit and relish the old and forget about the new.

One of my goals for the new year is to "Relish the Old."  There are many ways to look at this.....

Appreciate Vintage
I love antiques, older stuff, most of the time, it's much better quality than anything produced today.  There's something to be said for a house that looks (and is) lived in.   My own home is full of antiques, carefully curated over many years, with a story behind each purchase.  The "fast fashion" world we now live in has filtered down into most everything we buy - furniture, fabrics, rugs, china, lamps.  If it lasts two years then you are doing well.  I don't accept that.  Buy quality, even if it means buying less.  Shop the antique stores, eBay, 1st Dibbs, Chairish, garage sales, Goodwill, Poshmark.  The options are vast if you search. There's great stuff out there often for a fraction of even the "fast fashion" price.

One of my prized possessions is my collection of Cambridge Glass' Imperial Hunt Scene glassware, made only during a short period in the 1920's.  This glass is highly collectable (read hard to find) and I have put together a small collection over the years.  When I have a glass of wine in one of these glasses, I just wonder where it has been.....how many hunt balls?  How many dinner parties?  Where?  Used by whom?

As you get older you seem to stay away from trendy fashion. (By the way, those horrible huge bell sleeved shirts and dresses, they'll be filling the Goodwill by year's end I predict).  Look at these classic silhouettes, these styles don't come and go, they stay.  Find your style, stick with it, don't follow the trends too much and buy good quality, even if it means buying less.  Polyester?  Just say no!  Buy a few good pieces every season. My Gucci loafers are 17 years old.  My Max Mara camel coat is 20 years old. I still wear my mother's fur coat, it's over 60 years old. 

I plan to add at least two pairs of these to my closest this year. There is nothing less trendy and more comfortable than Belgian Loafers.

Look for the good in the old, and the bad in the new.  That's one of my new resolutions for 2018.  Make this last day of 2017 count!  Happy New Year!