2019 marks my third year of trying to shop more ethically and sustainably. I started off the year strong by not buying anything for my wardrobe the first three months. My first purchase of the year (in April) was the Everlane Form Bag, which I thought about for six months before buying. (Review here and also here — Yes, I wrote not one but two reviews.)
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But my shopping increased dramatically in the last four months of the year. My busiest shopping months were September (though one of those purchases was a medically-related buy) and December. Encouraged by a Cyber Monday sale at Everlane, I made some impulsive purchases. For sure I intend to return some things, but right now it looks like I’m keeping six December purchases, four of them from Everlane. (They include this puffy down jacket, this recycled cashmere and wool sweater, and this button up shirt. Two of the items were ones that I initially wrote fitting room reviews about (jacket here and sweater here), thus they were more considered purchases.)
The numbers
Looking back over the year, I added 24 items and spent roughly $1,500. This is a few hundred dollars more than I spent last year, but also the fewest number of clothing items I’ve bought in one year since I started tracking my purchases in 2011. (Last year, I acquired 31 items.) My count does not include underwear and socks, but it does include three items gifted from brands that are valued at $224.
Here’s a breakdown of what I acquired by category:
Shoes – 6
Tops – 7
Sweaters – 4
Dresses – 1
Pants – 3
Bags – 2
Outerwear – 1
Just like last year, shoes was one category with a high number of items. This is not surprising as I’ve always had trouble finding comfortable shoes that are cute. (I can already tell that I’m not going to keep two pairs of shoes due to fit issues.) I’m kind of surprised by the number of tops I bought, though, as I don’t think of that as an area where I really need anything.
The other purchases feel reasonable for the most part. Sweaters was a category I identified at the beginning of the year as lacking. My second bag purchase was a practical wardrobe staple. The one dress I bought this year is casual and comfy; I wore it often.
At this point, I think I’ll be keeping everything except the two pairs of shoes that don’t fit well. In that respect, I’m doing much better than prior years as well. Of course, only time will tell. Out of the 31 items I bought in 2018, at the time of my recap last year, I knew that three of them were failures. But I ended up not keeping six of them. (The additional three items were all shoes. Again, fit issues!)
As to where I shopped, half of the items were from ethical brands. This includes three secondhand purchases on Poshmark. This is a significant increase over last year, where about a third of my purchases were from ethical brands. As to the rest of my shopping, there’s a sprinkling of purchases mostly from Target, Muji, and Nordstrom.
I also removed about 47 items from my wardrobe this year. Many of these had survived prior rounds of culling, but I took a closer look and really questioned why I was holding on to them. I wore some of them out to remind myself why I wasn’t reaching for them. (Usually, the reason became apparent quickly.) So, I actually have 23 fewer items in my closet than this time last year.
Welcome Objects 2019 Wardrobe Count
Additions: 24
Subtractions: 47
Some lessons from this year’s shopping
1. Be picky. Earlier this year, a boatneck sweater I already own and adore went on sale at Everlane. I tried to buy it in a second color, but the size I wanted was sold out so I bought it in a size up. When it arrived, I told myself that the bigger size looked fine. But deep down, I knew I wouldn’t be as happy with the larger size. I eventually returned it. Well, two months later, the boatneck sweater popped back into stock in my size. I snagged one! Moral of the story: don’t compromise on what you want. (Also, check back if something is sold out in your size at Everlane. You never know.)
2. If you know exactly what you’re looking for, why not search secondhand first? In the latter half of the year, I began to check secondary markets for the items I was interested in. All of my Poshmark buys were ethical brands, styles that were current or recent, and either barely used or new with tags. This is definitely a change in the way I shop. Not only is it more environmentally friendly to buy something pre-owned, but it saved me money too.
2020 Goals
Overall, the numbers show I’m doing much better! Though, of course, I can do better. Journalist Adam Mitner, who has reported on the the waste and recycling industries for nearly two decades says in this Fresh Air interview, “If you want to reduce the environmental impact of your consumption, the best way to do that is to not manufacture more stuff. In that sense, the best thing you can do is not buy more stuff.”
To that end, I’m challenging myself to not only continue to reduce my consumption (keeping it to 20 items seems doable), but to try harder at shopping secondhand. This will take some effort and time (which I find myself sometimes short on). I usually leave thrift and consignments stores empty-handed because it’s not easy to find something specific in the size, style, and condition I want. Shopping secondhand requires some patience. It’s so much easier to point and click on something brand new, but online marketplaces like Poshmark, thredUP, and The Real Real have made it easier. I know from my three Poshmark purchases this year that it’s possible. This year only 12.5 % of my purchases were secondhand. In 2020, can I make it half?!
2019 is also my third year of blogging. I’ve spent more time working on the blog this year compared to prior years. While I blog because I enjoy it, I also worry sometimes that I’m wasting my time. There are plenty of ethical style bloggers out there. While I try not to compare myself to others (an unhealthy habit!), I can’t help but notice that some bloggers who started when I did are way more successful. (If the measure of success is follower numbers and traffic.) Am I bringing anything fresh to the ethical fashion space? What do you like or dislike about my takes? Is there anything you’d like to see me write about?
If you are a regular reader of my blog, thank you so much for following along. See you in 2020!
I’m at 28 new items for the year, with two duds (that Mejuri ring I bought in the wrong size despite trying on in store – doh! – and the pair of Falke no-shows, and well I don’t think one gets to try on hosiery in-store, nor should one return used hosiery…), though I don’t think there was any way I could reasonably do more due diligence to avoid the duds. I’m pretty satisfied with my numbers, though I could probably do with buying less jewelry since one can only really wear a finite amount.
Having been thinking about ethical/minimalist fashion issues for as long as I have (albeit not as seriously as most people in the genre), I continue to believe that the most ethical practice is to shop secondhand as much as possible/contribute as little as possible to the demand for new items. While I like to support small, women-owned brands that I believe/hope treat all their employees (including manufacturing employees) well, and I think more of that should exist and be promoted through my dollars, it’s not really feasible for me to get everything (including business formal clothing!) from such brands. Given that most of my legal practice involves various types of allegations of corporate wrongdoing (whether in the breach of contract sense or more serious) previously unknown to the public, I simply can’t fully trust any larger company’s representations about being ethical…
I don’t know if there’s any way around duds when it comes to socks & hosiery. Often there’s only one size (or two at most), and you never know how it will fit until you’ve worn it a bit. No-show socks in particular seem like a tough category. I remember when I was looking I went through many, many duds. I don’t even remember what I did with them. I think I gave them away at a clothing swap. Your last point reminds me of this article on how sustainability claims by many big companies are vague, misleading, and probably just a marketing gimmick. Can’t trust these companies to do the right thing.
It’s always interesting to see how others approach wardrobes and consumption. Good on you for continuing to stay cognizant of your habits. I completely understand the trap of comparing oneself to others, especially when it’s others who also blog. The way I keep motivated to write about my experiences is remembering that those measures of success you mention are completely arbitrary. What does success look like to you? Meeting your own personal goals? Then that’s all that matters.
Thank you. Those are good questions. I need to spend some time thinking about what success means to me.
I did a 20-25/items per year. I ended up @ 22. One was a 2ndhand purchase that I had to resell. #22 may have the same fate as well. The Real Real now has a save searches feature. I find I do more of my 2ndhand shopping on ThredUp (for chain/mid tier contemporary brands: J. Crew, BCBG) & The Real Real (for designers: Rick Owens, Helmut Lang, Bvlgari, old Balenciaga). I’ve been buying 2ndhand for over 10 years, it’s usually the 1st place I look before buying new. From a fashion perspective, the things I like are long since discontinued so I have to look 2ndhand. 2ndhand doesn’t always work out, but when it does it’s a great way to save money. I just got into Poshmark last month. I don’t “get” the whole sharing aspect of it, but that’s more because I’m looking for specific things.
It’s great that you look for secondhand first! I’m trying to change my habits in that direction. The quality is often better in older garments too. With Poshmark, the sharing part of it is only important if you’re selling. It “refreshes” your item and makes sure that it’s at the top of a search if someone is looking for it. (I’ve been on Poshmark a while and wrote a post on how to navigate it as a seller here.) One drawback to shopping on Poshmark is the inability to save searches.
Thank you!
I’m working on my shopping roundup, and I think I’m at around 22-ish, which is a lot for me! I grew up thrifting, because hello, teen with no money, so shopping secondhand comes naturally to me. I know for others, though, there can be a stigma to it, or they don’t want to dig around.
And trust me, every blogger has had the same doubts as you. There’s always someone doing better than you. But the question I ask myself is: am I playing the same game as them? Usually, the answer is no. To me, blogging isn’t very quantitative, so that’s not how I measure myself. I started mine because I thought I could help people, and I truly enjoy the creative process. But of course, I have my down moments, too, and when that happens, when I want to walk away, I ask myself one question: Have I gotten out everything I’ve ever wanted to say? And again, the answer is no. I don’t really run out of blog post ideas, so to me, that’s a sign I should continue the slog.
It’s reassuring to hear that other bloggers have the same doubts. (I love your blog, BTW). I haven’t run out of blog post ideas either — that’s a good way to think about it. I started thrifting in college (because lack of money), but there’s definitely stigma in my family about shopping secondhand.
Hi there! Greetings from Denmark! I have just found your blog and I really enjoy it. I particularly like your sense of humor and all of your different reviews. Most bloggers will only write about the things that work for them and what they end up buying/receiving as gifts, but that does not always help me. You also review the things that didn’t fit well and this is extremely helpful for me. I myself am also not supermodel height, so seeing the clothes on a normal human is very helpful. Ever lane now ships to my country and seeing your review can help me make better and more sustainable decisions. So thank you and keep up the good work :)!
Hello! Thanks so much for reading and leaving a comment. Sometimes it feels like I’m writing into the void, so it makes me happy to know that my reviews are helpful to you and that you get a kick out of my sense of humor. This message totally made my day. 🙂