SecondHandSeptember and Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman as flapper

SecondHandSeptember and Cindy Sherman: what's the connection? None. Except that I finally went to see Cindy Sherman's exhibition at National Portrait Gallery on 1st September - it ends on 15th - and September is the month declared by Oxfam to be #secondhandseptember.
Let's start with Cindy Sherman. I have long admired this unique and extraordinary artist and her mastery over self-portraiture.
Indeed I was inspired to take up the camera and do some self-portraits, but I abandoned the idea when I realised I was repeating myself. That is certainly not Cindy Sherman's problem. Her creativity is boundless and the way she uses the camera for self-expression and social commentary is unparalleled.
I was particularly drawn to her commentary on fashion. In 1984 Sherman did a shoot for Vogue Paris, appearing depressed and dishevelled. her outfits were in utter contrast with the mood of the photos. Sherman is all set about exploding fashion as a myth and revealing it as illusionary. Paradoxically, this has gone down well with the purveyors of fashion, who have continued to commission Sherman.
After visiting the National Portrait Gallery I met with a dear friend and she reminded me that September is the month when people pledge not to buy new clothes: #secondhandseptember.
I totally agree with this and I like the fact that as the circus of fashion weeks begins, people are being reminded of how wasteful the fashion industry is.

Parodying Vogue 

I have taken this pledge a bit further: I have shopped in charity shops for years but now I have also taken up dressmaking and I use charity shops to source fabric and old clothes which I then alter.  Dressmaking is my new hobby. No, I am not a designer - I am just a humble dressmaker. But I love my sewing machine and am teaching myself to stitch. I have even joined a FB group about sewing 19th-century costumes. I am quite ambitious, clearly, but sewing is such a wonderful past time.
And in a world in which fast fashion dominates and destroys our environment, let's pay some attention to clothes and what /how we wish to wear.
There is nothing more satisfying than wearing something you have made yourself. OK, I make mistakes, but this is how we learn. So far I have just been altering: turning trousers into skirts, long dresses into tunics, making a pinafore and all these simple things.

Wearing my hand made skirt in Trafalgar Square on 1st September 

I have in mind to stitch something nice for my grandchild, due in December - I am still thinking about it, have not yet decided.  A blanket maybe? Or a christening gown?  I am carefully considering options.
Meanwhile, rest assured. I am not going to buy new clothes for at least a month. It is #secondhandseptember.