#theres a reason why mass produced clothing is more affordable

[smute]

i say this all the time but plus size clothing for men is so fucking depressing!!!!!!! WHERE IS THE COLOR?? WHERE ARE THE PATTERNS???? and im not even talking about like. 3 piece suits and business wear which is obviously more conservative by definition. but its everything. everything looks like urban camouflage including casual wear active wear even stuff that's intended to be fashionable or exciting or DARING or whatever only comes in acceptably masculine colors. you're allowed to dress a LITTLE more daringly BUT ONLY IN NAVY AND DARK GREEN lol go be invisible fatties!!!!!! <333 and every damn day i see womens clothes that fuck so unbelievably hard if i could i would never step foot in a men's department ever again

[trickstarbrave]

Question, why are your dice so expensive? I could buy several chessex sets for the price of one set of yours and I don't see the appeal at all. Why are you making them so expensive and then expecting people to buy them up? If you wan't actual customers I just think you should pay more attention to the price dice actually go for than jacking them up so high. Not to mention this isn't a great time to be asking people to buy expensive things like that... It's selfish.

first of all these arent chessex dice. if you want mass produced dice go right ahead, i own a lot of them too. theres nothing wrong with buying and collecting just that and if you want a lot of nice sets theyre a good way to go. but mine are not mass produced, and the reason mass produced sets are so cheap overall is because they are, well mass produced. you make a lot of them. the molds to make them and the big machinery are investments larger companies make in order to make a lot of dice. when you divide up those costs between hundreds upon THOUSANDS of sets of dice its not that much. 

my dice are handmade. im not saying you should buy them because theyre handmade if handmade means nothing to you. but because theyre handmade i can do a lot of things mass production cant do, like different effects, inclusions, and having sharp edges polished. again theres also a lot of effects only mass produced dice can have as well, so its not like i can do anything and there are pros and cons to each. but if youre asking the appeal, well then there are certain things youre only going to be able to get handmade. 

and because theyre handmade theyre more expensive expensive. if i charged what chessex does for theirs done nearly fully by machine i would be paying myself 2 dollars or less per hour and thats not even factoring into costs of materials or equipment. i have to hand make the molds, hand mix and pour small amounts of resin, i have to hand place tiny little embeds, i have to cut sprues and sand edges all by hand (before i would use a power tool a bit and do for other things now). i had to buy custom masters 3-d printed. i had to buy a pressure pot and air compressor so i could stop having failed casts filled with bubbles because of temperature fluctuations. i had to invest in sandpaper, polishing papers, a dremel. i had to buy silicone, and failed at making molds sometimes and had to eat that cost. i had to learn how to cast resin, different mold making methods and why they worked, how to sand and polish epoxy, how to use different materials. i had to buy every inclusion, all the resin, all the pigments and mica powders. and this doesn’t include the time i have to take to make every listing, photograph dice, social media management, and more. this is something i like doing yes but i cant just spend so much money on equipment and then just give them all away for basically free. 

and lastly i do know dice prices. i kinda have to. every single price increase was due to better equipment and learning, better materials, and done to try and adequately pay myself for my labor. i’m still, at best, getting about 10 bucks an hour which in many places isn’t that great and isn’t enough to survive on. im making what is barely a livable minimum wage from years of training and experimenting and honing a craft. and its not perfect, no! my dice probably arent the best you can buy handmade. there are people better than me and people who have been doing it longer. which is why mine are about middle of the road for handmade sets. ive seen them go as cheap as 25 bucks a set to 150 bucks a set. 60-70 is about where i feel rn is comfortable for the amount of time i put into it and my skill level. 

again i also cant tell you to buy from me rn. i get money is tight. i get theres a lot going on. ive also made donations, ive been unsure of things during covid. many people have lost their homes, or dont have proper food. if you can afford my dice i am not mad at you or upset, right now shit sucks. maybe you can never justify that much money on a dice set, i get it. i dont know you and dont need your lifes story. i dont want to make you feel you need to sacrifice even more to buy them if you dont want to or even cant and im not trying to pressure you into it.

but i cant fix all of these problems and i am not some multimillionaire demanding you cough up as much money as possible so i can hoard more wealth like a dragon. im a disabled lesbian. i was trying to be employed before this though a work program and that was set on hold as most places closed down entirely, and i sure as hell am going to be one of the last people anyone wants to give a job to in reopening. this is basically all i have to make money atm. and while times are tough i feel for some people things like a want for art or entertainment wont die. theres still ppl buying video games and art commissions and nice clothes. just right now a lot of people who would probably love to cant. and since i have no money i cant buy any of that other stuff rn either (luckily my gf and roommate have jobs so we can afford things like, food and rent). 

again buy chessex or any other brand of mass produced dice if you want to. if you dont care for expensive kinds dont buy them. im not going to force you to or guilt you into it. spend your money how you want to. the post was mainly so people who like that kind of thing and have the money for it can see it and make that decision for themselves. and if you personally dont like my stuff you can buy from another handmade seller if you decide you trust them more, i dont mind. im just... tryin to get by. making some dice. seeing if anyone will buy them so maybe i can make more bc there Isnt Much Else I Can Do Like This. 

tl;dr: dont buy my dice then and buy cheaper dice it doesnt hurt my feelings if you dont want to/cant buy what i make im not your mom i cant tell you what to do???? i am just trying to get by im an artist and im disabled idk what u want ME to do exactly in this equation 

[tsgcharlottesvillevirginia]

Why Shop Consignment?

For some of us, the idea of shopping secondhand is a no-fly zone. It brings to mind sorting through racks of old, stinky clothes that have been discarded for a good reason. But there’s a big difference between consignment shopping and trolling the racks at your local thrift store (though lots of treasures can be found there, for sure!). To debunk some of the secondhand myths and discover the benefit and joy in shopping consignment, we sat down with Charlottesville’s Darling owner, Linnea White. Here she shares some nuggets of wisdom that will have you heading downtown to her shop to scoop up some serious fashion finds.

Myth #1: The clothes aren’t on-trend, in good condition or wearable.

“Boutiques like Darling, and shops that take clothing on consignment, resale, and / or by donation, have policies in place to enforce the expected condition of these gently worn secondhand items,” White says. “This is to ensure wearability and condition.” She admits that secondhand clothing shops don’t always have the current season's garments, but that doesn't mean the items aren't on-trend or can't be edited or altered to be so.

Myth #2:  Shopping Secondhand Doesn't Really Make a Difference

Some people are personally opposed to buying “fast fashion,” inexpensive clothing that’s produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends. And it’s true that you will find these labels when shopping secondhand at a more reduced price. However, White reminds that your purchase of this item continues its journey and you’re not supporting that fast fashion company by buying something secondhand. “It's already been produced, it's out in the clothing circulation journey, and by purchasing that secondhand item, what you DO is prevent it from sitting in a landfill somewhere,” she says. “And that's a good thing.”

“True style comes from creative exploration, and shopping secondhand is a great way to explore that skill.” – Linnea White

So why should you shop consignment?

Be your own style guru. White urges all to stop letting the fashion industry define how they dress. “We're constantly feed trends and the latest fashions, but personal style is just that — personal,” White says.  “Take time to develop it, curate it, edit it, explore it, have fun with it! Shopping secondhand, reusing, repurposing, recycling, rewearing clothing is a skill to be respected — because it's not the "norm" of our culture's consumer mindset.” Adding a mix of current pieces with secondhand purchases is a great way to hone your personal style.

Score affordable fashion and designer labels for less. The deals that can be found are not to be understated. “This is why I got hooked on shopping secondhand,” White shares. “Not  just for cheaper pieces or trendy finds, but for discovering high-end designer pieces for so much less.”

Keep the clothing in circulation. This may sound silly, but it’s true, White remarks. Simply stated: shopping secondhand prevents that piece of clothing from becoming waste, gives clothing new life and keeps it out of landfills.

Encourage a slow fashion consumer lifestyle. Buying secondhand is one the best — and affordable — ways to practice sustainability in the fashion industry. “It's a choice to shrink our footprints, to be conscious of our purchases, and be responsible for the clothes we no longer want,” White declares.

Stop by Darling and visit with Linnea to discover just why shopping secondhand is a lifestyle worth embracing.

DARLING | DOWNTOWN MALL, 105 S 1ST STREET | INSTAGRAM

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