Wardrobe Buys
After the flurry of summer-time shopping last quarter, I slowed down from July to September. Four clothing items came into my life, though two were from brands for review purposes. I’m re-considering how I track my clothing acquisitions. I think it makes the most sense to only count items given to me for the blog that I decide to keep in my personal wardrobe. (See my last diary post about the contradictions of sustainable fashion blogging.)
The remaining two items that I bought myself were both secondhand, though I participated in #SecondhandSeptember by accident as I wasn’t shopping for anything in particular. I was on long-weekend getaway in Philadelphia and visited a few vintage and secondhand shops. (A Philly travel post is in the works.)
It was at Greene Street, a Crossroads-like consignment store, that I found a pair of cotton-linen blend Marimekko for Uniqlo wide-legged pants. I nearly missed them, too. I was headed towards the door when I realized there was a rack I hadn’t browsed. Anyways, I haven’t owned anything like these pants before and I absolutely love them and how wide-legged they are. (Related: my post about wearing wide-leg pants when you’re petite.)
The other secondhand item was a Zara pleated skirt that I thrifted from Housing Works for $15. I had been eyeing this pleated skirt from J. Crew for at least a year. While the thrifted one is not the same vibe at the J. Crew one (which is longer, shinier, and fancier), I think it fits right in with my wardrobe. I’ve given it its own hashtag on Instagram, #wo_lampshade. Upon asking the Mister if it was flattering, he said: sure, if you want to look like a lampshade. Why yes I do, thank you very much.
What I Read on Shopping & Sustainability
Yes, I realize some of these articles are a couple years old, but they were news to me.
That reusable Trader Joe’s bag? It’s rescuing an Indian industry – A story about jute, featuring a Trader Joe’s bag that I own.
How many clothes should we own, exactly? – “The researchers found that a ‘sufficient’ wardrobe consists of 74 garments and 20 outfits in total.” Oh no, I definitely have way more than 74. At least twice that much. The article goes on to say the average 1960s French wardrobe consisted of 40 pieces. 40! What’s your number?
This Bay Area startup connects you with a ‘repair artist’ who can fix your broken stuff – I love this. It’s getting harder to find people who know how to repair stuff. I remember taking a printer to be fixed instead of buying a new one. (I’m so glad I did. It’s still going strong.) But the shop closed for good just a few days after I picked up my printer.
The one thing you should look for on clothing labels when you go shopping – Hint: It’s the fabrics composition tag. You should look for garments that are 100% one type of fiber because blended fabrics — especially natural fibers blended with polyester — are nearly impossible to recycle
