Approaching an Obstacle From a Different Perspective or How to Adapt “Unfashionable” or Old-fashioned Clothing
The analysis is based on qualitative data collected during the course of an investigation using comprehensive interviews and observations in daily settings (principally domestic and professional). It attempts to characterize certain resources that the wearer of an item of clothing could draw upon to adapt to the changes in shape and style relentlessly dictated by the fashion industry. First, the article examines the empirical conditions required to classify clothing as “old-fashioned” and “unfashionable,” by seeking to use the range of negotiated and non-negotiated mediation from which they are shown to stem. Then, it undertakes to clarify the processes through which clothes, deemed to be unfashionable or old-fashioned, can still escape relegation to storage bins or the garbage. Finally, different tactics for remaking these garments are highlighted, the effectiveness of which demonstrates the value of studying objects as expressions of continuous production.