Hello from Brooklyn, where the weather is all over the place this time of year. We had some really lovely days of 70°F, but now it’s back in the 40s. Anyways, that is all to say, getting dressed has its challenges during this season, the Spring of Deception. I am enjoying all the blossoming trees, though. (Except on days where my allergies act up).
From 12 Seasons NYC
No Buy Q1 Challenge
In my last low buy shopping update, I challenged myself to keep going with my No Buy January for the whole quarter. I succeeded — though not in spirit. You see, in March, I bought a secondhand dress from ThredUp. It was definitely an impulse buy. (What can I say? Things are terrible, and I was lured by the momentary feeling of — not joy exactly, but of something light.)
But, when it arrived, I found that it was four inches shorter than listed. I thought it was going to be knee-length, but it was more like a mini. So I returned it. That’s 0-2 when it comes to ThredUp. My first purchase from them a couple years back also went back because the garment had a hole in it.
What I Read on Shopping & Sustainability
“There’s a Sandwich Bag of Plastic in Your Brain“ – Well, this is alarming though not surprising. The writer, a doctor, suggests not using plastic water bottles because the bottles themselves, especially the caps “are significant sources of microplastics in general and polyethylene in particular.” After moving to NYC, I found myself using a reusable plastic water bottle more often because if I’m schlepping stuff around all day on foot, I want my load to be as light as possible. But after reading this article, I switched back to my favorite stainless steel water bottle.
However, another significant source of polyethylene exposure is from the air we breathe, which contains fibers from carpets and textiles, as well as dust from plastic goods. Doh! All of the carpeting and rugs in our apartment are synthetic, not to mention the textiles on our sofa and other seating. What can you do when you’re surrounded by plastic? Rebuying these items in natural fibers would be a pretty penny, too, and not something most households would probably be able to afford.
“Buy All This, Look Rich“ – The Cut ran a lengthy story about the rise of Quince. I found the writer’s description of Quince spot on: “Short for quintessentials, Quince is a one-stop dupe shop for a new generation of discerning, albeit weary, consumers, mostly millennials who have been burned too many times by sketchy Amazon sellers and fast-fashion impulse buys. They aspire to a tastefully understated beige lifestyle of safe, classic status symbols — sans the logos and markups that typically accompany them.” Ouch, that last sentence hurts a little. “Beige lifestyle.” Is this what I aspire to? (It’s true that I am no fan of logos.)
Seriously, though, I thought this article was a good dive into the brand and its appeal. It notes how the rise of Quince coincided with an increasing casualness in the way we dress. It enumerates the way the company cuts costs. For example, Quince doesn’t buy inventory upfront from factories, which is the traditional way of doing things, but only pays for a product after a customer has bought it and the factory ships it out. It also brings up Quince’s possible greenwashing and the contradiction of consumers caring more about natural fibers, but not about cost-cutting and whose expense that might be at.
