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.)
** affiliate links below **
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!
