Whelp. Here we are. New year, still me. The kids are back at school; if you had off work over the holidays, you are decidedly back to the grind… and the tilting of the world toward four years of chaos is beginning. I feel it. I'm not a fan… When I wrote to you about my feelings just after the election, I got a lot of beautiful feedback essentially saying "YES! ME TOO! THAT'S HOW I FEEL!!" I've been thinking so much about this and community the last few months - how can we create opportunities to be in community and what can we do for our community and how do we continue to build community? 

 

I believe the answer is events - the more we know each other, the more we can lean on each other, the more we can commiserate together or kick ass together or all of the above. Right? So let's get to Raylee's first event of 2025: A POCKET MAKING WORKSHOP on Monday, January 20th, 4-7p. Because GIRL. I'm gonna NEED community that day - Inauguration Day on MLK, Jr. Day?! I can't even... Do you know the whole history of men's pockets vs. women's pockets (or lack thereof)? I will touch on it briefly because there is a LOT to say on the topic. Pockets came into fashion in the 1600s, but only men's pockets became standard because women weren't viewed as having a need for them (women couldn't own anything, so what would they put in their pockets?). Pockets for women became suspect - why would they need them if they weren't up to something fishy? In the French Revolution, pockets were actually BANNED from women's clothing so they couldn't be used for transporting revolutionary materials. Over the centuries, as fashion cycles grew to include pockets in women's clothing, they tended to be - and continue to be - smaller than men's pockets. Dovetail Workwear says on their website, “A 2018 study of 80 pairs of jeans found that the average pockets in women's jeans are 48% shorter and 6.5% narrower than men's pockets.” 

 

SOOO - as a way to be in community that day and to show the patriarchy where we stand on this and other matters, we invite you to come to Raylee with an item of clothing that could use a nice new pocket attached (think dress, skirt, sweatshirt - anything that doesn't need to be taken apart to add the pocket; pants won't work without taking them apart, unfortunately). Our alterations expert Ellen will be joining us with pocket patterns, an assortment of pocket fabrics (you can also bring your own), and a tutorial on what we're doing! And if women's pockets really ARE the carriers of revolution? Well, we'll also have fabric markers to write your own revolutionary messages inside your pockets. With pockets pinned in place, Ellen will take everyone's projects home with her and sew on the pockets, returning them to Raylee for pickup at a later date. We are asking for $12 to go to Ellen for her sewing expertise from each person needing a pocket attached (if you want to take your pinned pocket home and sew it yourself, you can certainly do that, too!). There will also be plenty of sips + shops + convos to be had over these three hours. This is anticipated to be a drop-in event, so come when you can between 4-7p!

 

ALSO - ELLEN WILL BE HERE TAKING ALTERATIONS THIS FRIDAY, JANUARY 10th, 3-6p! As always, this is a first-come, first-served scenario. Please email her directly if you have any questions, including pricing.

 

I hope to see you on the 19th!!!

Raylee is the perfect spot for your next birthday party, business launch party, ladies' night, client appreciation event, book club meetup, nonprofit cocktail hour… We've hosted them all and we love to pamper you and your guests! Send us an email and we'd love to chat with you more about YOUR event needs!

January is the last of the winter consignments! We're getting pickier about the heavy, heavy stuff. We're also taking select Resort (this doesn't mean any old summer… it's fancy RESORT!). February will bring “Transition to Spring” and the last half of February will see our remaining winter merchandise marked down in our annual End of Winter Sale!

 

 

Be sure to check the offerings under the CONSIGN tab on our website to see what we're looking for right now, brands we love + those we don't take, etc. Also, please bring your items in a reusable bag or on hangers - we don't really want to look at items that come in garbage bags. Thanks!