Our grandparents, great-grandparents and further back into history did not have the closet full of clothes that even the least of us take pretty much for granted. A very few working outfits (perhaps only one) and a “Sunday go-to-meeting suit” pretty much defined the sartorial standard for men. Women were usually in the same boat.
Think about it–really old houses have no closets. Did you ever wonder why? Hint–it had to do with a lack of need.
Peak Oilers have made a big point in discussing the changes that will occur when (and as I say, if) cheap energy means an end to easy/cheap global transportation. I’ve read their thoughts on how many of us will return to eating only what is grown nearby. (Bananas? What are they?) Houses will be made of materials easily available in the local area, and so on.
I can’t remember anyone discussing clothes. In a day when most clothing is made far beyond our national borders (and a lot is made beyond our hemisphere), if easy and cheap transport disappeared tomorrow, we’d shortly find our collective arses hanging out in the breeze.
Wired documents what happened when “…educator and designer Kelly Cobb decided to make a man’s suit only from materials produced within 100 miles of her home…“.
Something to think about when your making your preps for Bad Times A-Comin’.