Brave New Wardrobe

"More sticthes, less riches" was a slogan of the dystopian society Aldous Huxley depicted in A Brave New World, the idea being that in a consumer-driven economy it's better to replace something than to repair it. Such a jab at disposable societies doesn't pack the same punch it did in 1932, in fact the saying could probably be revived today as a marketing pitch or a political rallying cry, but I was reminded of the concept last week when I had a pair of shorts repaired.

The shorts are not without a certain sentimental value, so I would have tried to save them in any case, but I didn't have much of a choice. Anyone on the plus side of "medium" won't find a whole lot here, apart from some garish beachwear. I used to think that the island's expat retirees looked like geriatric hip-hop stars because they had no prior experience in dressing themselves, but apparently they are simply in the wrong demographic. Even the island's upscale mall seems to be more in tune with what upwardly-mobile Thais are buying than with the needs of overweight westerners.

I paid $1.25 to a woman set up with a sewing machine on the sidewalk in front of a small, family-run laundry to patch several holes in my shorts and reattach the velcro strap on my golf glove. Pictured above and below are the inside of the shorts' hems. Holes were separated from bigger holes by just threads, so she had to insert some additional material.

Can one have clothes mended in the States anymore? Does anyone (apart from my Mom) know how? Aldous might be spinning in his grave, but the West's move towards riches and away from stitches is a matter of basic economics. Who could make a living mending clothes in the U.S. these days? One would have to charge at least the price of a new pair of shorts just to cover the overhead. Even here, $1.25 doesn't go too far (for example, enough to buy me lunch, or fixings enough for two meals if I cook for myself), but is a fair rate for what was probably less than 30 minutes of work. Factor in the five or six other items the seamstress was working on, plus the additional laundry business that is likely pulled in, and you're looking at a respectable daily wage, especially by low-season standards. Of course, you might argue there's more than $1.25 worth of thread in my shorts.

Lest you think I can't throw anything away, I'll tell you that I've assembled a rather large pile of t-shirts and underwear that will not be returning with me to the States. I plan a small bonfire (a pyre, if you will) for what -- after 15 years in the case of one shirt, 14 years in the case of four others, and 10 years in the case of two boxer shorts -- have been reduced to absolute rags.