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First fashion purchases?

Runcarla

Veteran

This is a tangent to Gretchen's thread on fashion budgets, inspired by Jenni NZ's post about her first forrays into fashion when she had control of the money and decision making. So I ask you, when you first got your own money (gift, babysitting, first job) and could make your own decisions about clothing and fashion - what did you buy? How has your experience affected your current shopping habits and sense of fashion and style?

Shopping

53 replies

Latest reply was from shiny

Bijou

Veteran

I can remember getting some birthday money at aged 12 and buying myself a gold bomber jacket. I really thought I was THE BOMB in that, I used to wear it to the roller skating rink, my signature look.

My older sisters (twins who are 5 years older than me) constantly borrowed it to wear on dates, so I even had them wanting my clothes... I was pretty chuffed about that.

anne

Veteran

I can't remember which item was precisely the first, but I do remember a pale pink tee -- a colour I'd still wear today.

Molly Mac

Veteran

I bought a pair of Calvin Klein jeans. This was back in the Brook Sheilds "Nothing comes between me and my Calvins" days. My mother refused to spend that much $ on jeans for a 13 year old.

Anonymous

Any of my own money went to buying fabric and patterns to sew my own clothes, which I started to do , oh, when I was about 12? I have no recollection of what the first pieces were though , but I sewed constantly and made lots of weird things

cjh

(website)

Veteran

The earliest money I earned was for babysitting, but mostly spent that on candy and magazines. I received a $25 check at age 14 for having a poem published in Seventeen Magazine. I spent it on clothes, most notably a striped ringer tee. My first job beginning at 16 was in a gift shop/candy store. I saved all my money weekly but when my senior year started, I splurged a whole week’s pay on clothes for school, maybe about $70, including a navy wool skirt, navy corduroy jeans, gold turtleneck sweater, mauve blouse, crepe soled suede oxfords, and some fabric. I sewed most of my own clothes, so store bought was a treat. While in college, I continued to sew almost everything except jeans, since my money from several part time jobs had to go for books.

But I have fond memories of these clothing purchases and many of the garments I sewed myself.

April

Veteran

It was (barely) the 80s, and I bought what we used to call "designer jeans" (zero stretch) and spike-heeled Candies slides.

Yes, really.

My Grandma scolded, "You're going to ruin your feet," and she was right.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I waitressed a lot at Varsity (the '80s). Spent my money on skincare products and holidays. Then on Levis and Docs. Lots of Benetton too.

JAileen

Veteran

I think I was in 6th grade and I bought a pendant at an arts fair. It’s hand painted on wood. I wore fairly recently … to an Audubon meeting!

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ChristelJ

Veteran

At age 13, living in a tiny town with only one clothing store, I went straight to the men’s section where I spotted some extremely wide-wale corduroy hip-huggers. I was craving texture, and the soft grey furrowed fabric spoke to me. They didn’t fit well, but I felt extremely mod in them!

Marilyn

Veteran

Towards the end of high school I took my part time job money and splurged on a taupe coloured suede blazer style jacket. Oh how I loved it! I wore it all through university and it hung in my closet for many years after it no longer fit me.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I’m not sure it was my first, but it was memorable: I think I was 15. I bought myself an authentic, preppy, wool fair isle sweater — it was yellow with white and blue and green in the pattern. My mom washed it and shrank it in the dryer. I was traumatized. That was a lot of babysitting money down the drain.

Diana

Veteran

Ha, I'm pretty sure the first thing I purchased on my own was a plain black tee in high school, because my mom thought wearing black was too grown up and wouldn't buy them for me.

Runcarla

Veteran

My first ever independent purchase was an old seaman's chest bought at a yard sale for $5 which I refurbished myself. The plan was to fill my 'hope chest' with stuff for when I moved out of the family home. I was 12 or 13. Around the same time I bought a pair of Dolphin running shorts (exactly like pic below) which were all the rage with the track and field girls. I think this started me down the path of stripes love. The first real outfit I bought with my own money was a pair of purple corduroys and a fuzzy lilac sweater at 14. After that, I bought all my own clothes.

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Anonymous

Like Angie, I was into Benetton. I think my first purchases were a sweater there, a cluster of rhinestone bracelets and a pair of Calvin K jeans. I was about 12 or 12 1/2?
I still love sweaters & rhinestone bracelets.

Sheila

Veteran

I started teaching piano lessons at age 15. Very quickly I had 8, then 10 students. I charged $1.50 per lesson ($6.00/month). By the time I went to university I had 25 students, so I was making enough to start buying my own clothes. I bought a tweed coat and wore it to death. This was in the 60’s. I also bought a wool Fleurette camel coat at Frederick and Nelson’s...wish I still had that one!

Anonymous

- Mine was saved Bday money. I didn’t work until 15.

taylor

Veteran

Black leather lace up knee length boots with a wood heel. 1972 , I baby sat all summer to pay for those and put them on layaway .
They cost around 69.00. At 50 cents an hour for three kids I did a ton of babysitting ! But they were worth every penny !

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Great thread, Carla. And so interesting that you bought gear (but stylish gear!) I love reading others' responses. Amazing how prescient some of them feel!

My first fashion purchase was when I was about 8 and it was not for myself, but for my mother -- a sparkly necklace that I don't think she ever wore because it really was not her style! It was sort of dark with multi-coloured "jewels" and hung in an odd way. The magpie in me loved it.

When I was 13, I convinced my parents to give me a small clothing allowance. It really was small, though, and so I soon started working part-time to supplement it. My first purchase was a white knit vest. It had an apple appliqué with a bite out of it. And my best friend and I fought about who would get to buy it. To go with it, I quickly bought some wide leg high waisted trousers in Stewart tartan, and platform spectator shoes. (Can you tell it was the 70s?) How I loved that outfit. As soon as I had some more cash saved up I duplicated the pants and shoes in different colours.

rebekahphoto

Veteran

the first major purchase I can remember when I was 15 I bought my first black leather jacket with a red satin lining! So cool. I looked a long time, and at over $200 this was a pricey purchase in 1985...I had the lining replaced, and eventually wore it to death (literally) Kinda wish I still had it now!

My fashion style is really not all that different from back then, I think I have always had a pretty good idea of what felt right for me to wear, even as I have experimented over the years. Black, leather and a general artsy/edgy factor is still a major component of my style.

merwoman

Veteran

Ha fun thread/read!

I remember my first purchase - for $5.00 I bought a pair of white go-go boots from Maher (sp?) Shoe store. I was in grade 4 probably 9 years old. I was over the moon with them - not only fashionable, but allowed me to get rid of the dreaded brown baby type boots ( remember those - they had a kind of buckle thing on the side) mom insisted I wear until what felt like summer. Swear I was the last kid in boots.

The Cat

Veteran

When I got my first salary in my first real job (January 1975), I bought a yellow shirtdress and a pair of tall brown suede plateau boots. Good quality, simple lines and pretty details. I could very well have bought and worn the same styles again today--in different colours, though, as my colouring has changed.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Oh thank you Carla! Those cork platforms I bought were so extravagant- can you imagine two thirds of a weekly wage on a pair of shoes! The wide flares to cover them were probably out of the clothing allowance. The next purchase I really adored was again shoes, I was probably 19, and they were a burgundy corduroy with a tiny wedge, and an ankle strap. I had never seen corduroy shoes before and just felt they elevated all my outfits. I was flattered when my best friend at Med School asked if I would mind if she got the same style in black. So nice of her to ask- I didn't mind at all. So we were shoe twins!
You will all know that shoes are the biggest descriptor of my style still- from 15 to almost 58!

Helena

Veteran

I remember saving up to buy Ralph Lauren Polo socks in the 80s ... it was the must-have label (and my parents did NOT buy us labels) and that's all I could afford with my babysitting money ha! They were $17. I now think that was a ridiculous waste of money and shake my head at my younger self lol!

rachylou

Veteran

Egads. My first job was maybe when I was 12? But I don’t think I started buying my own clothes until I was a junior in high school and can’t remember at all what the first thing I got was. Maybe at 12 with birthday money I bought a Breton and some espadrilles. In high school, most memorably was probably an aqua silk shantung sheath dress from the 50s. That and a buffalo plaid skirt in blue and black. I bought a lot tho, lol!

Joy

Veteran

I made a lot of mistakes but the first purchase I remember was a bright yellow wrap skirt that I loved and my mother hated for some reason. I had worn so much clothing that was too big for so long that I went too small. Right after college was another time of chosing my own clothing. I had worn my aunt's brown garments for so many years and got called out on the brown, that I was desperate for some color.

Style Fan

Veteran

What a fun thread! I did lots of babysitting and had summer jobs. I started making my own clothes when I was in Grade 7. I also did embroidery. I don't remember the first thing I bought but I did buy jeans, brown fringe jacket (which I still have - see pic) and various pieces of clothing made of gauze material from India.

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deb

Veteran

I started earning my own money when I was 9. My brother and I sold lizards one summer for 10 cents a piece. I earned around $20 that summer and bought a Clue game. My first fashion purchase, some fabric for a top when I was 10, came from money I earned selling custom made Barbie clothes.

JAileen

Veteran

In the summer before my sophomore year of high school, I cleaned houses. I think I charged $1.50 per hour. In September, right before school started, I went with my parents to Europe. In fact, I missed several weeks of school. We went to four countries: Italy, Switzerland, France and England. I took the money I had saved, $100, for souvenirs. I spent $25 in each country. This is what I bought:
Italy - 2 pairs of calfskin gloves, a set of Florentine paper covered boxes
Switzerland - a wooden alto recorder
France - a silk scarf
England - 2 wool tartan kilt style skirts, 2 matching wool sweaters

I still have everything except the skirts and sweaters.

Gretchen

Veteran

What a fun thread!

I distinctly remember being 12 and wanted to buy my Mom a curling iron for Christmas. I thought I'd saved enough, but didn't know to factor in sales tax. How lucky I was to run into my Dad's partner who kindly loaned me the 10 cents I needed to buy the present!

For clothes, like many it was babysitting money. 9th grade, and I desperately needed a shaker knit sweater and peg leg Guess jeans. Both are immortalized in that year's school picture along with the braces, permed hair and blue eyeshadow.

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