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Everlane Choose What You Pay Sale: Product shot of three items against a white background: an orange red dress, a yellow silk shirt, and black jeans.

Everlane’s Choose What You Pay Sale – My Reviews

Published by welcomeobjects

Everlane’s summer 2019 edition of its Choose What You Pay sale is on. Since I’ve reviewed quite a few of their items, I thought I’d create a post where I link to all the items on sale that I have personally tried on and reviewed. Hopefully this is helpful to you if you’re trying to decide whether or not to get something. Meant to do this sooner, but, you know, life.

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Japanese GoWeave Short-Sleeve Jumpsuit – This just came out recently, so I’m so surprised to see it on sale already. Only the olive colorway is marked down. My review here.

Japanese GoWeave Tank Wrap Dress – The poppy and yellow are up to 40% off. My review here. There’s also a mini version in rose marked down as well as a sleeveless version which I didn’t try on, but it seems similar in construction to the sleeved version that I did. I’m partial to the magenta.

High-Rise Skinny Jean – The light blue and washed black versions are on sale. I reviewed the same jean in the dark indigo wash. (I wear it often!) Note that sometimes the different washes fit differently, though.

Slouchy Chino Pant – Three colors are on sale: washed black, off-white, and covert green. Honestly, I am not a fan as these were frumpy for my particular shape.

Clean Silk Relaxed Shirt – The very spring/summer colorways of mint and pale yellow are on sale for as low as $59. These shirts didn’t fit my petite arms, but if you’re rolling up the sleeves, then it shouldn’t matter too much. My review here.

The Clean Silk Boatneck Blouse – $69 (regularly $98)

Clean Silk Boatneck Blouse – This is another one that didn’t work on petite me but otherwise, I liked how elegant it was. The grey-white color is on sale.

Modern Point – This slim, stylish flat in burgundy and black is on sale. They didn’t work for my wide feet. But I do love the way they look.

V Heel – This one has been on sale since the winter. Only the light blue in size 11 is left at the moment. I love my mustard ones.

Form Crossover Sandal – This sandal has also been on sale for a while, so it looks like there’s only size 5 left in navy and wine. My review. However, there are also newer sandals that have the same comfortable footbed, but with different straps on top, like the Form Slide Sandal (in pale rose) and the Form Thong Sandal in three colors.

Leather Street Shoe – There’s only size 11 left in a dark gray. I found these don’t work for wide feet either.

The Midweight Slim Chino – $41 (regularly $68)

Also, I did not review the men’s Midweight Slim Chinos, but I wanted to mention them because my partner has a pair and loves them. They’re his favorite chinos (and yes, he ordered another pair.) Eight colors are on sale for as low as $41. There’s a straight leg version on sale as well.

There’s much more on sale for both women and men, but these are just the items that I am familiar with. Also, a shopping tip: If you have your eye on something but it’s sold out in your size, check back again. I’ve noticed that sometimes sizes pop back up, perhaps as people make returns.

I know sometimes the hype of sales can lead to shopping regrets when you buy something that doesn’t work out. So, I hope these reviews are useful and help lead you to the items that you’ll get a lot of wear out of.

If you are new to Everlane, please consider use my referral link to make your first purchase. (Create your account before browsing.) You can see all my Everlane reviews here. Thanks!

A woman, her head not in the frame, wearing an oatmeal-colored cropped shirt, black jeans, and a gray cardigan. She is also wearing a black purse cross body and is standing in front of blue siding.

May 2019 (Not) Shopping Diary

Published by welcomeobjects

Just a quick check in on my consumption in May. I bought only one thing this month (in both the clothing and housewares categories.) I finally used up the store credit from Oak + Fort that I mentioned a few posts ago. I’ve been trying to spend it for almost exactly two years!

Oak + Fort used to draw me in with its minimalist style. However, once I started paying attention to fabric content, I realized that a lot of their clothes are acrylic and polyester. And who knows how they make their things. I can’t find any information on their practices, which probably means they’re not ethical or sustainable. So, I decided I should avoid them — but after I spend my store credit. Let’s not waste money I’ve already spent, right?

I bought this boxy blouse, which was pleasingly just a few dollars more than my store credit. I like its loose, cropped shape, texture, and the neutral oatmeal color. (It pairs well with my high-rise jeans.) However, it’s a viscose linen blend. Viscose, a variant of rayon, is a cellulose-based fabric, so it’s made out of wood most likely. But even though it’s sourced from a natural material, the process to create it involves lots of chemicals and is polluting. Sigh. At least it’s not a plastic like polyester?

The fabric content thing has made it difficult for me to find things in most stores that a) are made out of natural fibers and b) fit me well. Hence the two-year time lapse trying to spend this store credit. I had a suspicion that I’d have better luck in the summer when cotton and linen make more of an appearance.

I think the shirt will work well in my wardrobe and can see myself wearing it often. It almost didn’t happen though. I had already made several sweeps through the store with no success. But on my last round, I spied this on the garment rack by the fitting room. It was the only one of its kind left (or at least the only one out on the floor.)

So far this year, I’ve been pleased with how much I haven’t bought. I only added two things to my wardrobe in April. (Though of course there was some buying and returning.) So, my grand total for the year thus far is three items. Compared to a few years ago, I’ve cut down on my consumption significantly. (Insert here a pat on the back.)

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I do still feel pulled to shop, though. Sometimes it feels like I’m holding back a dam. I keep eyeing things and trying to justify them. For example: Maybe I should get a pair of Allbirds Tree Skippers because I love how comfy my wool loungers are (review here), but sometimes they’re too warm. Or: I should get these Vetta high-waisted cotton pants because maybe they’re the perfect pants for me but how will I ever know if I don’t try them?

I’m also kind of a sucker for the sale section at Club Monaco even though they’re not an ethical retailer, but their clothes have been well-made in my experience. Oh, what’s that, a relaxed boatneck sweater on sale, you say? (Weirdly though, they don’t even mention the fiber content for this item, so I take that as a sign to stay away.)

I’ve tried to distract myself by attempting to improve garments I already own with a little basic sewing. And by basic, I mean super, super basic. (I don’t really know how to sew.)

For example, I bought this Amour Vert dress back in the fall. I had deliberated between sizes and ended up getting the larger one because it gave me more room across the belly and hips.

But then the neckline was a little too big on me. I turned the dress inside out and just stitched the neckline closed a little by about an inch. This helped with keeping my bra strap from sight too. The sleeve still doesn’t sit on me like how it does on the model, but whatever.

Amour Vert Atica Dress // Eileen Fisher wedge heel [similar on sale] // Vintage purse

Similarly, I stitched the side splits on a Target dress (one that I wrote about back when I was still buying polyester.) The split sides showed too much of my thighs for my liking when I sat down, so I just closed up each side by two inches.

Me (a petite Asian woman) modeling a black floral dress, paired with maroon ankle boots. Braided leather belt has been tied over the belt.

Dress pre-sewing

These little improvements — in inch here, two inches there — make a difference. It’s a good reminder to myself to attempt little fixes or bring things to the tailor.  The more something fits, the more likely I’ll be to reach for it and to keep it in my wardrobe. And hopefully, the less waste I’ll create.

Welcome Objects 2019 Wardrobe Count To Date
Additions: 1 item (but I also returned 1 item that I bought last month, the Everlane Wide Leg Crop) = 3 items total for the year
Subtractions: 0 this month = 27 items (more or less)

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Everlane Japanese GoWeave Jumpsuit Review: Two models, shown side by side, wearing different jumpsuits. The first model is tall and skinny and wears a blue V-neck jumpsuit. The second model is curvier and has curly brown hair and wears a light olive jumpsuit with short sleeves. Both jumpsuits have wide legs.

Fitting Room Review: Everlane GoWeave Jumpsuits

Published by welcomeobjects

I made my way to Everlane recently to return the Wide Leg Crop pants I wasn’t sure about. While I was there, of course I tried on a few of their new offerings including the Linen Split-Neck, the Shirred Silk Shirt, and some sandals. I’ll try to review each of these as time allows. Today, I’ll start with the items I was most excited about initially: Everlane’s new Japanese GoWeave jumpsuits.

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I bought my first jumpsuit in 2014 and have been a jumpsuit convert ever since. Yes, it’s a pain when you need to take care of business in the restroom. But I love the convenience and pulled-together look of a one-and-done outfit. As someone petite, I’m also generally a fan of monochrome outfits (or wearing one print head to toe) as that helps create a vertical line.

What is GoWeave?

Let’s start with the fabric, Japanese GoWeave, which Everlane touts as drapey and wrinkle-resistant. I’ve covered this in detail before in a review of Everlane’s wrap dresses, which are made out of the same material. To summarize: Japanese GoWeave is triacetate aka cellulose. In this case, the cellulose is derived from trees. To turn wood chips into fabric, they first need to dissolve the chips with chemicals.

I have iffy feelings about this. I’ve generally been avoiding synthetic fabrics under the impression that they’re worse for our planet and because I don’t want to contribute any more microfibers to our environment. I guess triacetate is not plastic, which is a pro? But it involves lots of chemicals in its manufacturing. There’s so much I don’t understand about the true impact of different types of fabrics. And it all depends on what you’re measuring as we found in the studies over plastic versus cotton tote bags.

Wearbility-wise though, GoWeave does have some advantages. The material is breathable. As it resists wrinkling or pilling, this makes it a good choice for packing in a suitcase. Everlane describes the fabric as light, but I think it’s more like a medium. There’s a bit of heft to the fabric, which does lend it to draping nicely. OK, now on to the fit.

Japanese GoWeave Essential Jumpsuit

Everlane named this V-neck jumpsuit the Essential Jumpsuit. It’s an apt name as it does seem like a wardrobe staple (that is, if you consider jumpsuits a staple). If you’re just going to have one, a sleeveless V-neck one is probably the way to go. It’s easy to dress up or down or even for the office with a blazer.

Both jumpsuits I’m reviewing today are available in sizes 00-16 and come in three colorways: black, olive, and a dusty light blue. The model above is 5′ 11″ and wearing size 0 in the olive. Here is a size 2 on 5′ 4″ me.

Everlane GoWeave jumpsuit as worn by me, a petite person, who is taking a selfie in a fitting room

I’m wearing one down from my usual size. This fit me well in the bust, but the arm opening was tight and uncomfortable — a deal breaker. So I tried my usual size, a 4, in the dusty blue.

Everlane goweave jumpsuit as worn by me, a petite person taking a selfie in a fitting room.

I was on the fence about the wide leg on the 2, but wow, the legs are way voluminous in the 4. Of course it’s also supposed to be cropped, so it’s too long on me, adding to the volume. But I don’t know that hemming would solve the problem. This is just not a silhouette that works for someone petite. At least not on petite me.

There were some things that I do like about it: First the V-neck is not too low. As someone who doesn’t like to show cleavage, I appreciate that. The design has a V on the back as well, which makes it feel a little fancier. Did I mention it has pockets?!

Everlane says the belt is optional but there is no way I’d wear this without a belt. It looks like weird onesie without a belt defining the waist.

Japanese GoWeave Short Sleeve Jumpsuit

Everlane also made a short-sleeve version. Like the V-neck version, the short-sleeve one is similarly constructed in that there’s a seam running down the center. I don’t love the center seam and the black colorway makes it less apparent. (I prefer the black anyway since it looks the best out of the three colors for my skin tone.) Above is a 5′ 7″ model wearing size 10.

Everlane GoWeave Short Sleeve Jumpsuit as worn by me, a petite person taking a selfie in a fitting room.

I tried on a 2 in this one and it seemed like the right size for me. It seems to runs a little bigger than the V-neck one. I actually like this cut better on me, but the legs still seem too wide for someone of my stature.

Everlane GoWeave jumpsuit as worn by a person with dark hair taking a selfie in a fitting room mirror, trying to show the back, which has a V.

Here’s the back, which is the same as on the Essential Jumpsuit. There’s a short zipper which is easy to zip up by yourself. I also like the sleeve length, which hit me at the elbows. The longer sleeve length makes it feel more sophisticated.

Yes, this one has pockets too!

I actually carried this one around the store for a while trying to decide whether this was The Jumpsuit For Me. In the end (after a texting consult with a friend), I felt like the leg wasn’t the best look for me. I prefer a straighter leg, or a more tailored one for a crisper look. Something like this (the leg part, not the top). So I passed. (Though I do still wonder if it would look different to me hemmed to a cropped length.)

But it could be cute on other body types. Another woman, taller than me, was also trying on the Essential Jumpsuit in the fitting room, popping out every now and then to show her companion. Dear reader, she rocked it.

If you’re new to Everlane and find my reviews useful, please consider use my referral link to make your first purchase. (Create your account before browsing.) You can see all my Everlane reviews here. Thanks!

What Fits in the Everlane Form Bag: a flay lay of the Everlane Form Bag with many items including a book and water bottle.

What Fits in the Everlane Form Bag

Published by welcomeobjects

It’s been seven months since I first wrote about Everlane’s Form Bag. In my first post about the Form Bag, I shared my first impressions on its construction and quality — and declared my love for it. But I didn’t buy it. As a way to cut down on shopping and ensure that I only buy stuff I’m going to love and use a lot, I waited. I think this strategy works well. You know you really want something when you’re still thinking about it six months later!

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In April, I ordered the burgundy. Everlane has expanded its offerings since it first introduced the Form Bag in the fall in three colorways. Now it’s available in seven colors, including an ice blue, light khaki, and bone for the spring. (I no longer see the burgundy, though.) They also make a mini version, which was first offered in the fall as a limited release. (That whole exclusive release thing felt very much like a marketing ploy, though.)

This follow-up post is all about what fits in the Form Bag and how it’s held up after a month. This is what my bag looked like when it arrived:

The Form Bag – $235

A seam runs across the bottom of the Form Bag.

The Form Bag tapers towards the top.

It shipped in an unremarkable dust bag (made out of polypropylene, I think). The cardboard shipping box itself was damaged, but luckily, my bag was not. The burgundy is just as I expected. The photos on the site seem accurate to me. First impressions? I still love the shape. It’s also as lightweight as I remembered. I put it on a postal scale and it weighed in at 1 lb 6 oz — even lighter than what I had originally guessed.

The first thing I did was check if it really fits a 13″ laptop as Everlane claims. While I didn’t buy this bag for carrying my laptop, I know other people might be considering it for that purpose. Here is my 13″ MacBook Air barely squeezing in.

My laptop measures 12.8″ x 8.9″. It made it in, but diagonally. By that, I mean that it pushed up against opposite corners. Everlane says the Form Bag’s measurements are 13″ tall x 10.5″ wide x 5″. However, the 13″ height includes the closure, which is about 1.5″ tall. By my own measurements, the width is more like 12″ when including the gussets.

Here’s the Form Bag with my laptop, placed horizontally, inside.

Note how the magnets on top don’t line up. Also, compare the glare on this photo to the photo below (of the bag sans laptop) and you’ll get a sense of how the bag contorts to accommodate the laptop.

How about putting it in vertically, you ask?

Sure, you can do that, but then you can’t close the bag. OK, back to trying to squeeze it in horizontally. Here’s a few things I tried putting in the bag. (I use a pouch system to organize my purse and you can see what’s in them here.)

As you can see, the laptop distorts the bag, and there’s no way to close it with the addition of my sunglasses case. (Not that the magnets would line up anyway.)

Other bloggers say their 13″ laptops fit, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. But I’m here to tell you: It. Barely. Fits. (Not my MacBook Air anyway, which is a few years old and slightly bigger than the current model.) Honestly, I don’t think you can count that as fitting given the distortion. Advertising that this bag fits a 13″ laptop horizontally is a stretch. (Literally, too, on the bag.) Everlane should provide dimensions of what fits inside.

While this bag doesn’t really fit a laptop, it can hold a decent amount of other stuff.

The Things Welcome Objects Carries: sunglasses, Larabar, a book, pouches for my wallet and other small things (you can see what’s in them here), S’well water bottle (review), standard Baggu (review)

The items pictured above pretty much put the Form Bag at capacity. (Not shown are my keys, which I put into the inside pocket with my Baggu.)

The bag didn’t even want to close when I first filled it. But I nudged the magnets towards each other and it shut. Some people have said that the bag doesn’t stay closed when you wear it crossbody, but I didn’t find that to be true. It did not stay closed when I wore it on the shoulder with this much stuff. But when I switched to crossbody, it remained shut. The heavier or more stuffed it gets, though, the harder it is to keep it closed.

There were some days when I couldn’t fit everything I wanted into it and had to switch to a different bag, like the Pocket Tote (review). I swear I try not to carry a lot of stuff! But because I live in San Francisco, I need to layer throughout the day. This means on some days I want to add a scarf or rolled-up puffy vest to my bag. And nope, that’s not going to fit on top of all of the above. Because the bag tapers up and the top 1.5″ is for the closure, visually, it appears to hold more than it actually does.

I’ve been using the Form Bag for about a month now — not every day, but a few days a week. So far it’s held up well. A crease formed in one of the gussets, as shown above, and it’s gotten a few light scratches, but overall it still looks new. I still wish it had some feet, but otherwise I’m happy with it.

Styling the Everlane Form Bag

Styling wise, I find it easy to wear this bag. Naturally, its structured shape looks good with a polished work outfit. But I’ve also worn it with more casual outfits. I love and recommend this bag — just not necessarily for your laptop!

The structured look is perfect for a professional setting

What Fits in the Everlane Form Bag: Me wearing the form bag with high-waist pants and a blazer.

Everlane Bag // Gap Blazer // Uniqlo Silk Shirt // Uniqlo Pants [old, review] [similar, ethical] // Eileen Fisher Shoes [similar]

But it works or a casual outfit too, like this sweatshirt and jeans combo for running errands.

It pairs nicely with a shirt dress for summer.

What Fits in the Everlane Form Bag: Me wearing a chambray shirt dress and the Everlane Form Bag, a square-shaped leather bag

Everlane Bag // Uniqlo Shirt Dress // Vintage Sandals

And it works well with a cardigan for fall.

What Fits in the Everlane Form Bag: Me wearing a striped tank top, cardigan, skinny jeans, and the square-shaped Everlane Form Bag.

Everlane Bag // Everlane Tank Top [review] // Oak + Fort Cardigan //  Uniqlo Jeans [similar, ethical] // Vionic Boots [similar]

UPDATE 12/26/19 – The Mister has a new 2019 13″ Macbook Pro for work and it fits (without a sleeve). So, it’s confirmed: new 13″ Apple laptops fit, but not older models. Not sure about other brands.

Curious about more Everlane products? You can find all my Everlane reviews here.

House of Marley Positive Vibrations 2 headphone review: A pair of on-ear headphones on a wooden surface net to a stainless steel water bottle, a phone, and a purple flower in a jar.

Eco-Friendly Headphones from House of Marley

Published by welcomeobjects

I’ve talked about how the fashion industry wreaks havoc on the environment, but what about the electronics industry? According to United Nations University, a global think tank, in 2016 we created 49.3 million tons of e-waste worldwide. E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream due to our ever increasing consumption of electronic goods. And only 20% of it gets recycled, reports The New York Times Magazine.

This post contains affiliate links and a gifted item. If you shop through my links, I may earn a commission. As always, all opinions are my own and I only write about items I’m interested in. Thanks for supporting Welcome Objects!

One brand that’s doing things differently is audio company House of Marley. Alon Kaufman, the founder and CEO, told Forbes magazine that the company was created, “embodying the philosophy of Bob Marley, rooted in sustainability.” This means designing classic, high-quality products that will last so you don’t replace them often. The company also uses recycled and sustainably-sourced materials in their products and packaging, like FSC-certified wood and reclaimed silicone. And while it’s difficult to recycle electronics — you need to separate every component and material — they seem to be mindful of the life cycle of their products.

House of Marley recently sent me a pair of on-ear headphones to review. I should warn you that I’m not an audiophile who has reviewed lots of audio equipment. So, I won’t be able to tell you how this particular pair of headphones compares to other models. But, I do use headphones a fair amount in my work and I know the difference between bad and good sound quality.

House of Marley makes turntables, headphones, earbuds, and speakers with a range of products at different price points. Their cheapest pair of headphones runs less than $20 while their top-of-the-line model, the Exodus, goes for $200. The model I received, Positive Vibration 2, falls somewhere in middle, but at the more affordable end of the spectrum at $50 retail (though you can snag them for cheaper on their Amazon store).

First, a word about the packaging. The headphones came in a cardboard box with a plastic window and a plastic tray insert with the headphones held in place by twisty ties. Both the box and the plastic tray are made out of recycled materials.

My first impression: these headphones are quite handsome! The ear cups are a nice medium size and the wood disc at the center gives them an elevated look. I received the limited-edition Rasta colorway and I like how they incorporated the colors tastefully throughout, such as in the cable. There’s a plain black version with dark wood. But they also make some fun colorways: denim, silver, and light gray with copper ear cups.

They’re also comfortable. I find some headphones too heavy, but these are light as the ear cups are constructed out of recycled aluminum. The cushions feel plush and sit comfortably. The headband is padded on the underside and wrapped in fabric. House of Marley uses a fabric called Rewind (a blend of 30% reclaimed organic cotton, 30% reclaimed hemp and 40% recycled PET).

I wear glasses and the headphones did press a bit against the temples. So, I personally wouldn’t wear them for hours on end. That would get uncomfortable. But if you don’t have glasses, it doesn’t seem like it’d be a problem. They’re generally not too tight. At the same time, I wouldn’t take these on a jog as they’re unlikely to stay in place with that much movement.

The tangle-free woven cable is about 50″ and features an in-line microphone with a one-button remote. One design decision that I absolutely love is the fact that the cable can be detached. There’s a jack on one of the cups. Why do I love this so much? Because most of the time when an electronic product has failed on me, it’s because of a broken cable. This design is smart because you can replace the cable or swap it out if you need a different length.

These headphones also fold! See that piece of plastic on the side in the photo above? There’s a hinge there!

OK, but how do they sound? I think they’re pretty great. They’re not lo-fi or too boomy-sounding. I do wish they had a little more bass in them, though. They’re not deficient in that department, but still, they could use a bump up in bass. I think that would give them a more textured sound. The sound isn’t flat by any means, but it could be fuller.

The other pair of headphones I have lying around here are Sony’s MDRV6 Studio Monitor Headphones, which sound better to me. But that’s not a fair comparison as they have an over-ear design and retail for much more. With those, you get more of a sense of separation from the world and a more dynamic sound. With the Positive Vibration 2 being on-ear and moderately sized, you’re still going to get some outside noise if you’re in a loud situation (like the subway).

I also tried these headphones on phone calls and have no complaints in that regard. The sound was nice and clear to me and vice versa for the people speaking to me.

Overall, the Positive Vibration 2 headphones look stylish, fit comfortably, and sound good. (They also come in a wireless Bluetooth version if you don’t want to deal with a cable.) For the price, I think they’re an excellent choice — and I love that they come from a company that cares about sustainability.

Alice + Whittles ethical rain boot review: A hand with red nail polish holds up a black rain boot. There is a metal plate at the top of the boot, which reads, "Alice + Whittles"

Another Look at Alice + Whittles Rain Boots

Published by welcomeobjects

So, Alice + Whittles got wind of my review on ethical rain boots, where I compared their product to Everlane’s. (You should read that post first if you haven’t already.) They asked me if I wanted to try their boots in size 7, which they believed would be a better fit for my 6.5-sized feet. (I had tried on size 8 in my last post). I was skeptical that they would work since my feet are wide-ish and their shoes run narrow. But I have to admit that free stuff is enticing, so I agreed. They sent me their Classic Black Ankle Rain Boot.

This post contains affiliate links and a gifted item. If you shop through my links, I may earn a commission. As always, all opinions are my own and I only write about items I’m interested in. Thanks for supporting Welcome Objects!

The boots retail for the same price ($96) as the Minimalist Ankle Rain Boot I first tried. The main difference is the metal plate with the logo. On the Minimalist pair, the logo is vertically placed on the back of the boot and molded into the rubber. (You can see photos in my first post.)

The metal plate seems extraneous to me. Like, why waste resources making a metal plate? I feel this way about a lot of things. For example, I bought a nice dress once and the tag had a circular piece of metal connected to the string. I saved it, along with some other random pieces of metal and gave them to SCRAP SF, hoping that someone would be able to do something useful with it. But, honestly, I am probably giving SCRAP crap. Maybe they just ended up throwing it out. (In my defense, I also gave them art supplies I no longer use.)

Besides, most people probably don’t have a resource like SCRAP near them — or even if they did, wouldn’t think to give them random metal pieces — and would just cut the tag off and throw it away. (BTW, here’s a post where I take you on a tour of SCRAP.)

Anyhow, that’s a long way of saying I’m not into the metal plate with the brand name on it or extra touches in general. It doesn’t look bad; in fact it kind of lends a luxe touch to the boots. But I prefer them sans plate. Alice + Whittles does make an all black, no plate version, and I should have specifically asked for that pair to try. Baby blogger mistakes.

As to the construction and features, it’s the same as the other pair I tried on: made out of natural fair-trade rubber, removable insole, metal pull tab on back, and very lightweight. (Each boot weighed in at 14 oz on my postal scale.)

OK, now on to the fit. I noticed that Alice + Whittles updated their site since I first wrote about them. Now their fit description reads. “Our boots have a narrow fit. We recommend that you order up a size to your closest full size. (e.g. If you are a 6.5, order a 7. If you are a 6, order a 7).”

Hey, that’s me! A 6.5 trying a 7. I tried a boot on my left foot first and was pleasantly surprised that it seemed to fit, at least width-wise. It felt snug, but not too tight. Then I tried the right foot. Dear reader, that’s when I realized how much freaking wider my right foot is than my left. I mean, I’ve known for some time now that my right foot is bigger. But the way that boot squeezed my right foot and not the left, wow.

This made me sad, as clearly the boots didn’t fit. What a waste.

But I’m stubborn and decided to wear them all day anyway for the purposes of this review. And well, well, well, what do you know — they stretched! I wore them again the next day and they held their stretch. The right boot is still tighter than the left boot on me, but they’re not uncomfortable like they were at first. They kind of molded to my feet!

I didn’t know this would happen. I own a pair of rain boots by a non-ethical brand that are also rubber, though synthetic. The whole reason I started looking for rain boots in the first place is because those older boots are too tight for my wide feet and don’t stretch. While they seem OK when I first put them on, by the end of the day they pinch my toes too much and my feet are unhappy.

Natural rubber, it seems, have some give, even with the fabric lining of the Alice + Whittles boots.

I wore them out and about, running errands in the neighborhood even though it was sunny. (We’re not projected to get rain anytime soon.) Comfort wise, they seemed fine, but nothing special. I still prefer the more cushiony insole of the Everlane rain boots. The Alice + Whittles boots were a little big in the heels for me. This was not ideal, but after I walked around a bit, it wasn’t as bothersome as I thought it’d be either.

View of black rain boots from above, as worn by someone who has black skinny jeans on.

I still find the opening of the boot too wide. As in: it seems possible that rain could fall in. This might just be the prevailing design of rain boots that don’t have a Chelsea stretch panel, though. (I looked at some Aigle boots online and they seemed similar in that regard.) If you carry an umbrella over you, this is probably not a big deal on a day with moderate rain fall. But I like to wear a rain poncho so I can go hands-free. I fear water would roll right off my poncho and into the boots.

Overall, after being given a second chance to try these boots, I like them more than I did before. Of course, they’re a better size for me now. I still love the way they look, and feel like I can style them with my normal clothes. (You don’t have to stick to black, either. Alice + Whittles also makes fun colors every season. Right now there’s a bright yellow and a neutral-ish pink version, both with gold hardware.) They’re reasonably comfortable, though not the most comfortable. I’m going to keep wearing them and see if they continue to mold to my feet.

I have to ask myself, though, does the fact that they were gifted to me make me feel more fondly towards them? Honestly, I think it might a little bit. But also, if they hadn’t been gifted to me, I wouldn’t have worn them around outside and realized that they stretched.

UPDATE 5/22/19 – We’ve had some rainy days here in the SF Bay Area and I can now report that I tried these rain boots out in moderate rain. I wore a poncho and did not carry an umbrella and rain did not fall into the boots. I also purposely walked through puddles and they were watertight.

The boots have not continued to mold to my feet, so there’s a limit to how much they can stretch. They’re still a tight across the top of my right foot (which is wider than my left), but they don’t pinch my toes. I walked 30 minutes to get home the other night and they seemed fine. But I wondered how they would feel after a whole day.

If you generally wear wide widths, these will likely be too narrow for you, even if you go up a size.

Some black rain boots on a wet sidewalk, as seen from the perspective of the person wearing the boots. There are some purple flowers in front.

Racks and shelves of clothing at the Everlane store in San Francsico, showing pink, orange, and white clothing.

April 2019 Shopping Diary

Published by welcomeobjects

What I Bought

What, it’s May already? Sigh. This year feels like it’s going by quickly.

I thought I’d do a quick check-in about my consumption of stuff. After window shopping too much in February, I stuck to the wardrobe shopping list that I made. Sweaters figure heavily on that list, so I checked some out during winter clearance sales, but none of them worked out.

As to home goods, we barely spent any money on those in Q1. (Food and unexpected healthcare costs, though, were another matter.)

** affiliate links below **

I upgraded our plastic shower curtain rings to aluminum hooks from Target. (Similar to these, but with just one hook.) While the plastic ones did the job, they were strictly utilitarian. The marketing copy for the new hooks actually reads, “Ditch those cheap plastic rings and upgrade your shower.” Um, guilty as charged. I was not a fan of pulling the plastic rings apart every time I wanted to wash the shower liner. Such a first world problem, I know.

So, I was very good about not consuming much in the first three months of the year. April, though, is another story.

First, I bought two things from Everlane. I couldn’t resist the one-day sale on wide leg pants and grabbed a pair of the Wide Leg Crop. I only started wearing wide leg pants last year after coming across these. Did I need another pair of pants? No. But I pretty much only wore skinny jeans in the fall and winter and liked the idea of pants with a different silhouette, rendered in a thicker fabric for cooler months.

Variety is the enemy of a minimalist closet — and I easily fell for it. UPDATE: I ended up returning them. Review here.

The other item I acquired was the Form Bag, which I first wrote about in October. After thinking about it for six months, I finally bought it. (I’ve added some photos of my new bag to that post and will be updating it with a review once I’ve tried it for a month. UPDATE: New review here!)

I also gained a pair of rain boots (one of the items on my list). Alice + Whittles saw my review of ethical rain boots and gifted me a pair in a size that fit me better. New review here. (However, it hasn’t rained here lately, so it’s not as comprehensive of a review as it should be.)

After not buying anything (except for shower hooks) for three months, I’m feeling kind of hungry to shop. And that makes me realize how ingrained shopping is to me as a habit. (For example, I’ve been looking at Vetta Capsule and wondering which shirt: the Boyfriend Shirt or the Girlfriend Shirt would look better on petite me?) Again, I’m forcing myself to pin things I want to my Pinterest boards to think them over. I also started a board with things that I’ve tried and rejected (an idea I copied from Xin).

I did purge some items, though. Do I get brownie points for that? Looking at my shoe collection, I realized there were an awful lot that I never wear. One pair I hadn’t worn since 2011!

I decided to line them up by my entry area. Every time I went on an errand in the neighborhood, I’d put on a pair. Thus, on walks to the library or post office, I determined that all of them were either uncomfortable or no longer my style. I used to put up with walking around on the balls of my feet in order to be 3″ taller. Nah, not doing that anymore. I purged four pair of shoes and could probably stand to do another sweep.

Four pair of shoes against a white background. There is a plush pink shoe with a wedge heel, a teal shoe with a cone heel, a black kitten heel shoe, and a red shoe that's the same as the teal shoe. They are all peeptoe style.

The great shoe purge of April 2019

What I Read

Do Plastic Bag Bans Work? – A statistic in this op-ed on the global movement to ban plastic bags jumped out at me. Apparently, “the average American throws away about 10 single-use plastic bags per week, but New Yorkers use twice the national average.” What? Who are these people who don’t hoard plastic bags under the kitchen sink or in the pantry? Do they not even reuse them once as trash can liners?

I only throw them out when they’re torn and unusable. (And by throw them out, I mean recycle them. San Francisco now takes bundled-up plastic bags and plastic wrap for recycling, but before I took them to Target. Bundling them together into a basket-ball sized ball is key, I learned. Otherwise they get caught in the machines.) I only really throw them away if they’re dirty.

However, plastic bag bans can backfire, as people tend to buy more plastic garbage bags if they don’t have access to “free” ones. And those bags are thicker and use more plastic. Free is in quotes because they’re not actually free. We consumers don’t see the costs as retailers pay for them.

San Francisco and other cities have instituted bag fees to encourage people not to take them. Here, we have to pay 10 cents per bag. (And they’re not supposed to be those super flimsy ones, but sturdier ones that you can reuse.) An economist who studied the issue says that bag fees are more effective than outright bans and that New York’s new plastic bag ban is bad policy as there’s no similar ban or fee on paper bags. People will just switch to paper instead of changing their behavior to use a reusable bag.

Cotton Totes vs. Plastic Bags – Another interesting read was this story about how cotton tote bags may be worse than plastic bags when it comes to environmental impact — putting the issue of plastic litter in our oceans aside. This story has a chart with bag types and the number of “reuses necessary to have same cumulative environmental impact (water use, energy use, etc.) as a classic plastic bag.” For a cotton tote, they calculated that it would take 7,100 reuses. For organic cotton, it’s 20,000 times! For a polyester bag (and they specifically listed Baggu as an example), it’s 35 times. So I feel good about my Baggu because I’ve definitely surpassed 35 uses with each of them.

Banks & The Gun Industry – I also read this story in the New York Times about banks that invest in the gun industry. That prompted me to close my account with Chase, which was rated an F. (You can check how your bank rates at IsYourBankLoaded). I still have a credit card with them, though, so as soon as I find a replacement card, I’ll be getting rid of that too. (Let me know in the comments if there are any with good rewards that you favor.)

The customer service rep who took my call didn’t ask why I was closing it, so I went out of my way to tell him and asked him to make a note of it. Like using a reusable bag, it’s one small thing I did on my own. But I’m hoping others did as well and they’re getting the message.

Welcome Objects 2019 Wardrobe Count To Date
Additions: 3 items = 3 items total for the year
Subtractions: 4 items this month = 27 items (more or less)

Lo & Sons Backpack Review: a flat lay of a navy backpack with some items such as an umbrella and water bottle.

Minimalist Travel Backpack Review: Lo & Sons Hanover and Hanover Deluxe

Published by welcomeobjects

I’ve been in the market for a new backpack for travel. When traveling, I prefer to keep my hands free for opening doors, wheeling my suitcase, or what have you. While I already own a backpack, it’s not big enough to schlep all the stuff I bring when I travel. As I mentioned in a prior post, I bought a lightweight backpack from Muji last year, but failed to test it before taking it on a trip. Turns out it didn’t fit me well and strained my back. So, in search of a replacement, I turned to Lo & Sons, an ethical company that specializes in travel bags.

** this post contains affiliate links **

Lo & Sons has a cute brand origin story, which is that the founder, Helen Lo, was frustrated by not being able to find practical but stylish travel bags. I love this line from their website: “Unfortunately, the options were either too heavy, too frumpy, too tech-y, overpriced, overly designed, or pocketless black holes.” Same, girl, same!

Like Helen, I shopped around but found nothing right for me. When you google “travel backpacks,” what comes up are large backpacks that take the place of your carry-on suitcase. That’s not what I’m looking for. I’m talking about a backpack in place of my purse, the “smaller item to place under your seat” on the plane.

Looking at more regular-sized backpacks, what I found was that if they were lightweight, they tended to be ugly outdoorsy ones, like this. If they had a more minimalist aesthetic they didn’t always have good laptop protection, like this one from Everlane. And if they were built for laptops, they weren’t for travel and lacked a suitcase sleeve like this one from Incase or this from Timbuk2. Here’s my criteria for this backpack search:

  • Reasonably lightweight, preferably under 2 pounds
  • Sleeve that goes over the handles of a suitcase so that you can set the backpack on the suitcase
  • Outside pockets that fit a water bottle
  • Minimalist aesthetic

So, that’s how I ended up at Lo & Sons. (I’ve been eyeing their leather belt bag for a while now and noticed that they also made backpacks.) They design for travel, without any loud logos — which, as you may recall from my review of the Everlane Form Bag, I’m not fond of. They also care about sustainability.

Lo & Sons makes four backpacks: the Hanover, the Hanover Deluxe, the brand new Rowledge (released just this week), and the Edgemont, a convertible tote-backpack that I will review another day. I tested out bags by loading them up with all the stuff I’d usually carry on a trip:

When Welcome Objects Travels: laptop, a book (and sometimes a magazine too), my journal, a meal and snack, water bottle (review), spork (review), sunglasses, down vest that packs down, Baggu reusable bags (review), and pouches for laptop power supply, cables, my wallet, and other small things (you can see what’s in them here).

The Hanover

This bag is the smaller of the two. It’s constructed out of 600D Recycled Poly, which is made from recycled water bottles. They also make it in a Ripstop Recycled Poly, which is lighter, thinner, and has a bit of a sheen to it.

Closeup of two backpacks next to each other for comparison of texture. Backpack 1 is blue and backpack 2 is black and the fabric is shinier.

600D Recycled Poly and Ripstop Recycled Poly

The backpack has a main compartment, one flat exterior pocket, and a hidden pocket at the side with a key leash.

Yay for a key leash!

All Lo & Sons backpacks feature removable padded inserts, which are held in place by six snaps on the inside edge of the bag. If you want want to carry your laptop (up to 13″ in the Hanover), use the insert. But you can also remove the whole thing, which is handy if you want to transfer the contents to another bag quickly. The insert has organizational pockets. In addition to the slip pocket for the laptop, it has two other slip pockets, plus one elastic mesh pocket that can hold a water bottle or umbrella.

The insert for the Lo & Sons Hanover backpack.

The Hanover is decently lightweight at 1.75 lbs for the 600D Recycled Poly. It weighs just 1.3 lbs in the Ripstop Recycled Poly. (Also, I just want to say that I so appreciate that Lo & Sons actually lists the weight of their bags. Many sites don’t tell you this crucial piece of information.) The insert by itself weighs 9 oz.

The Hanover Deluxe

This backpack, as you might guess from the name, is bigger than the Hanover. Also made out of 600D Recycled Poly, its additional features include side pockets and a 3D front pocket (with key leash, 1 zip pocket, and 2 mesh pockets). It doesn’t have the hidden side pocket, though. The padded insert is similar to the Hanover’s, but it has an additional mesh pocket and can accommodate a 15″ laptop. It weighs 2.2 pounds with the insert weighing in at 10 oz.

The insert for the Lo & Sons Hanover Deluxe backpack.

Comfy, padded straps with mesh.

How the Hanover and Hanover Deluxe Compare

The Commonalities

  • Same water-resistant material: 600D Recycled Poly (except for the 1 Hanover in black Ripstop Recycled Poly)
  • Adjustable shoulder straps with memory foam padding and mesh on the underside to ensure that they stay in place
  • Removable inserts
  • Zipper pulls (plastic) with stretchy parts that allow you to thread one into the other (a small security measure to make to harder for someone to open your bag)
  • Sleeve for suitcase handles (there are zippers at the top and bottom of the sleeve so you can keep the sleeve closed when you don’t need it, or even treat it like an extra pocket)

Securing the zipper pulls.

Size comparison: Inserts for the Hanover Deluxe and the Hanover.

The Differences

  • The Hanover Deluxe is larger (18″h x 12″w x 6″d) compared to the Hanover (16.25″h x 11.5″w x 7″d)
  • Thus, the Hanover Deluxe can carry a 15″ laptop as opposed to a 13″ in the Hanover
  • The Deluxe is also heavier by 7 oz (2.2 lbs vs. 1.7 lbs in the 600D Recycled Poly)
  • 1 elastic mesh pocket in the insert of the Hanover, 2 in the Hanover Deluxe
  • Flat front pocket on the Hanover vs. the 3D pocket on the Hanover Deluxe
  • Hidden side pocket on the Hanover (not available on the Deluxe)
  • 2 side pockets on the Hanover Deluxe (not available on the Hanover)

Lo & Sons actually has a pretty great comparison on their website, complete with charts and photos of how they look on people of different heights (on women and men). I took some photos anyway to show how they compare on, well, me. These photos were taken with all the items from the first photo stuffed in them.

Hanover backpack // Everlane sweater // Allbirds shoes [review] I’m 5′ 4″ in case you were wondering.

I think the Hanover looks better on my petite frame. While the Hanover Deluxe measures just half an inch wider than the Hanover, with stuff in the side pockets, it looks much wider.

I loaded up each backpack several times to try them out, walking around my apartment. They both felt comfortable. While the Hanover Deluxe was a tad heavier, it didn’t feel that noticeably different from the Hanover.

In the end, I went with the Hanover Deluxe because of the side pockets. I always travel with a water bottle, and I like storing it in an outside pocket (not inside close to my laptop just in case of a spill, though this water bottle brand has never leaked on me.) I also like stashing my prescription sunglasses in the other side pocket for quick access.

How the Backpack Fared After a Day of Travel

I’ve taken the Hanover Deluxe on a few trips since I first got it in December. So far, it still looks new. Fitting it under an airplane seat is no problem. (However, you might need to take a water bottle out of the side pocket if you’re in the aisle seat as those spaces are narrower than the space under other seats.) I have no complaints about the organization of the bag. It has just the right number of pockets and compartments for me.

One minor quibble is that there’s not a way to adjust the side pockets or cinch them to secure them (though a cinch would also detract from the clean, minimalist look). They can accommodate a large water bottle, but that meant my skinny S’ip bottle had a lot of wiggle room. Inside, the only thing I’d add is a Velcro strap over the slip pocket for the laptop to keep it even more snugly in place.

Even with the amply padded shoulder straps, my shoulders hurt after a day of travel that involved public transit to the airport on one end. I wish the bag were a little lighter, but to be fair, most of the weight comes from my stuff. At 2.2 pounds, the Hanover Deluxe weighs in reasonably light compared to other backpacks. I’m a small person (and one who holds a lot of tension in my shoulders too). So perhaps there’s no backpack that wouldn’t feel tiring to me after a day of travel. I own a smaller backpack for commuting, one with a padded back, and when I carry a laptop and adapter in it and walk for half an hour, it also hurts my shoulders.

There is one more bag that I’m curious about and that I didn’t think to try initially: the Away backpack. It also has a minimalist aesthetic and good organization with three compartments. But it’s a little heavier at 2.8 pounds and also more pricey at $200. At $148, the Hanover Deluxe is a little cheaper, though not what I’d consider cheap. (The Hanover is $128.) Lo & Sons holds sales from time to time, though. I snagged mine during one, which brought the price down to fit in my $100 budget. If you can’t wait for a sale, sign up for their mailing list and you’ll get a 15% off coupon right away.

Overall, I like the Hanover Deluxe and think both backpacks are good options to consider. I really appreciate the simple design, thoughtful organization, and how minimal they look. They seem well made, too, like they would stand up to the rigors of travel or everyday use. I’ll probably update this post in a year or more to let you know how my backpack has held up.

UPDATE 11/13/19 – Lo & Sons has updated these backpacks! There’s now the Hanover 2 and Hanover Deluxe 2. Design improvements include adding a little zip pocket to both bags on the the top that fits a passport. The external side pockets on the Hanover Deluxe 2 now come with zippers so that you can expand them (or not). Adjustable pockets was one of the things I suggested above. Now I want the updated version! (But I will remind myself that I should just use the bag I already have.)

UPDATE 4/13/24 – It’s been more than five years since I bought my Hanover Deluxe and it’s still going strong. Obviously it didn’t see much travel for the first two years of the pandemic. But now that I live in NYC, I use this backpack not only for travel, but regularly for my Trader Joe’s runs too (sans insert). This bag still looks great and I continue to be impressed by the quality. Lo & Sons also introduced an even fancier version of this bag, the Hanover Supreme, in November 2023.

Everlane vs Alice + Whittles ethical rain boots: Stock photos of four pairs of rain boots, one in each quardrant of the square image.

Ethically-Made Rain Boots: Everlane vs. Alice + Whittles

Published by welcomeobjects

I’ve made it to April without buying any clothes. Well, to be more accurate, I mean that I haven’t kept anything that I’ve bought. As I mentioned in a recent post, I’m trying to stick to a wardrobe shopping list to cut down on frivolous spending. I’m also being picker, and that’s a good thing. Not settling means that I’ll be happier with my choices and less wasteful in the long run, I hope.

** this post contains affiliate links **

One of the items on my shopping list is rain boots, preferably ethically-made. In the United States, that basically narrows it down to Everlane and Canadian brand Alice + Whittles.

In my research I also came across some ethical European brands, like Aigle (which makes boots by hand in France), but while Zappos used to carry them, they no longer do. You can still snag certain styles like this one from third party retailers on Amazon. (But I’m trying to minimize Amazon shopping. And maybe it’s irrational, but I’m kind of wary about third party sellers on Amazon. In particular, I worry about how difficult it might be to return something. Since I have a hard time with shoes, the likelihood that I’d return a pair is high.)

Before I go into my review, there are some things you should know about my feet. First, I’m a half size: a 6.5. This is relevant because most rain boots come in only whole sizes. Also, my feet are a little on the wide side. (I sometimes wear wide widths, but mostly I wear medium widths in brands that tend to run wider.)

Everlane Rain Boot

Materials: 100% rubber (Everlane didn’t indicate if it was natural rubber, so it’s probably synthetic.)

Aesthetics & Details: Everlane’s rain boots have a rugged kind of look that I’m not into. They have a pronounced cap toe and a chunky aesthetic. That’s a strike against it for me because I want something that works with an everyday outfit. (I’m not the kind of person who generally carries around another pair of shoes to swap into.) The black colorway seems the sleekest-looking to me since the cap toe blends into the rest of the shoe. Everlane’s boots do have a lot of details that feel well thought out. It has Chelsea stretch panels and pull tabs on both the front and back that make them easier to get on. The treads are also pretty substantial — it doesn’t seem like you would slip in these.

Fit: Everlane says to get your usual size if wearing them with thick winter socks. “With other socks, size down. Half-sizes, size down from your usual size.” I’m a 6.5 and tried both a 6 and a 7 with thin socks. I found their recommendation accurate. The 7 was too big for me in the heels. The 6 felt like the right size to me: snug without much gaping at the top. However, they also felt a little too tight for my slightly-wide feet. For someone with narrow feet or a more average width, this probably wouldn’t be a problem.

The sales associate told me that she found her pair stretched a little with wear. I don’t doubt that this happened for her, but I’m not entirely convinced this would work for me. (As you can imagine I have tried to stretch a lot of shoes for my wide-ish feet and results vary. It’s better just to get something that fits well in the first place.) More alarmingly, though, she said that one of the tabs on her first pair ripped off. (Everlane replaced them, but that does make me wonder about the quality of the construction. I will say, though, that whenever I’ve had a problem with an Everlane product, their customer service has taken care of it right away.)

Comfort: The insole seemed pretty comfortable and I was surprised to find that they had a slight bounce to them. However, the boots were also on the heavy side and felt kind of clunky.

Price: $75

Where to Buy: Everlane website (shipping is free with two items) or visit one of their retail stores (at this time, only in San Francisco and New York.)

Alice + Whittles Rain Boot

Materials: Natural fair-trade tree rubber. I really wanted to support Alice + Whittles because of the way they source and make their shoes. The rubber they use come from trees in Sri Lanka and they only work with farms that undergo regular audits by the Fair Rubber Association.

Aesthetics & Details: I love the minimalist style of these boots! They don’t scream rain boots and I could see them working well with the rest of my wardrobe. The insole is thin and removable. (A reader shared that she put her own insoles in hers.) The heel is short, just 3/4″, and the treads on the bottom are a light zigzag pattern as opposed to the deeper treads on the Everlane boots. There’s a small metal pull tab on the back. The Alice + Whittles logo is also tastefully discreet on the back of the boot (though there is a flashier version with the logo on a gold metal plate.)

Fit: Alice + Whittles says, “Our boots have a narrow fit. We recommend that you order a full size up!” A full size up from my usual size would be a 7.5, but since these boots only come in whole sizes, I ordered an 8. The width of the 8 ended up being good for me, but it was too big everywhere else, especially length wise. I slipped into them easily because there was so much room. The opening at the top was huge (as you can see from my try-on photo looking down at the boots). Perhaps this is the case because they’re just too big for me. It seems to be part of the design though, as they appear that way on the models on their website too. I don’t understand this because it seems like rain could fall right into the boot with such a large opening.

Comfort: These boots were very lightweight, which felt great. However, the insoles were average in comfort compared to other rain boots (ethical or not) that I’ve tried. The soles seemed stiff, and I think they would probably tire out my feet. To be fair, comfort is a hard thing to gauge when the shoe isn’t even the right size for me. But, compared to Everlane’s boots, they were less comfortable.

Price: $96 – $110 for a short boot. Shipping — to the US and Canada only — is an additional charge. If you opt for the cheapest shipping option, called standard shipping, Alice + Whittles is “unable to replace packages that are lost, stolen, or damaged.” You have to upgrade to $20 secured shipping (via UPS pr FedEx) to ensure coverage in the event of loss, theft, or damage. Am I an unreasonable consumer for thinking that a company should always use shipping that covers these unfortunate situations? Something else that struck me as unfriendly is that “sale items are only eligible for an exchange or store credit.” No refunds! Full price items can returned for a refund or exchanged once for free. [Update: Shipping is now free for orders over $110.]

Where to Buy: You can buy directly from Alice + Whittles for the largest selection, but a few other retailers carry smaller selections. I found a burgundy Alice + Whittles rain boot marked down to $64 (final sale, though) on Athleta.

And the Winner Is…

As you can probably guess, I didn’t go with either of these brands since they didn’t fit me. However, if forced to choose one of these brands, I’d go with Everlane for comfort and a better fit. I’m not settling for style or comfort, though, so it might be a while before I find a rain boot that works for me.

UPDATE 5/3/19 – Alice + Whittles heard about my review and sent me a pair of rain boots in a smaller size to try. Read my update here.

How to take care of your clothes and make them last: A close up of the sleeve and bottom hem of a blue sweater

How to Care for Your Clothes and Make Them Last

Published by welcomeobjects

Ah, the first day of spring is here. The weather is warming up, which means it’s time to put away winter clothes. Seems like a simple task, but I’ve gotten it wrong. So, today I’m sharing what I’ve learned about cleaning and storing clothes. I am by no means an expert. In fact, I confess that I hate doing laundry. For many years I didn’t pay attention, which meant I ruined things. Cue self loathing over shrunken shirts, pink clothes that used to be white, and other laundry mishaps.

** this post contains affiliate links **

Last year, I pulled out of my favorite dresses to wear, only to realize there was a stain on the front.

What the hell?! I was positive that I had laundered it before putting it away. And yet, here was this brown stain. Did I not wash it thoroughly? Was something dirty stored next to it and somehow the dirt/food/whatever transferred? After soaking it in a mix of laundry detergent, water, and vinegar, and then soaking it again in an OxiClean solution for six hours, the stain lifted. Whew.

After that I went on a closet cleaning frenzy, determined to prevent this scenario again. I cleaned everything. Here’s what I learned.

Laundry Tips

1. Sort not only by color but by fabric. When using the washing machine for clothes, I wash in cold water. (My go-to detergents are Seventh Generation or Method because they’re biodegradable, though they still come in plastic bottles which I’d like to cut down on, so I might switch to powder.) I try to group items not only by color, but by fabric too. Synthetics go into a Guppyfriend to catch the microfibers. (I just got it, so I’ll review it later. EDIT: Here’s the review.) And if something has a zipper, like pants, I zip them shut so that the teeth won’t rub against other clothes. One thing that I do now that I never used to is read the care labels. Lifehacker has a nice chart explaining what all the symbols mean.

2. Avoid the dryer. No matter what the chart says, though, I hang up or lay flat to dry. (Except for socks, underwear, towels, etc, in which case I throw in some dryer balls to help keep things separated and to increase airflow.) The dryer is what does the most damage to your clothes. According to this study, high heat can damage the fibers. Heat can also cause shrinkage. Not only does avoiding the dryer help your clothes last longer, but it saves energy. I use this drying rack from IKEA and to maximize room, I also hang clothes on hangers all around the edges. You can find similar ones like this. (But I don’t recommend this accordian style one because there’s not enough room for the clothes to spread out.)

Detergents I use for hand washing: Forever New and Soakwash.

3. Use the appropriate detergent for the fiber. I’ve read that fibers from animals, such as wool and cashmere, are naturally acidic, so you can’t just use any old detergent on them. Some might have a high PH level that’s too harsh. In any case, when hand washing more delicate garments, I go for something gentle. I used to use Woolite because that’s what my mom used. But Woolite has a kind of slimy feeling to me. For lingerie, I’ve switched to Forever New, a citrus-based biodegradable powder that dissolves in water. It was formulated especially for lingerie. For everything else, I use Soakwash, an all-purpose detergent that works with pretty much all fabrics, including wool, cashmere, and silk. It’s biodegradable, phosphate-free, dye-free, and sulphate-free. It’s also doesn’t require rinsing, which took a little getting use to.

Be careful with silk, though, because it’s not always colorfast. Sometimes when silk is labeled dry clean only, this is why! (Sadly, I speak from experience.) One trick you might have heard about silk is to give it a rinse with a little bit of white vinegar to restore its luster. Then, rinse again with water. Another material to be extra careful with is wool. Make sure that you can wash it in water. Some wool shrinks in water! Again, if the label says dry clean only, then that might be the reason why. These days, I read labels when considering whether to buy a garment to see if it’s something I can wash myself or not.

With all hand-washed items, never wring water out. It’s alright to give things a good squeeze, though. For larger items like sweaters, I put them on a clean towel, roll the whole thing up, then squeeze. Lay flat to dry. If the sweaters dry with wrinkles, I use a steamer briefly on them.

4. Try a steamer. For those few things that can’t be dunked in water, I use a handheld steamer. (The Wirecutter recommends this one.) Sure, there are some items that I take to the dry cleaners (like blazers or certain dresses), but I really try to minimize using the dry cleaners because of the chemicals. In fact, sometimes a steamer does a better job. Once, I took a pencil skirt with a stubborn stain to the dry cleaners, but they couldn’t get it out, even after two tries. My steamer did, though. Turns out the stain was a water mark. I’ve heard from a shopkeeper acquaintance that a professional steamer is  amazing and can get wrinkles out in no time. If I had room, I’d get one of those because I really, really hate ironing.

5. Wash clothes sparingly but definitely wash them before you put them away for storage. I should backup here and say that my very first step in preserving clothes is to not wash them that often. The physical process of washing clothes can weaken the fibers. Over time, this causes fabric to thin. So, to extend the life of my garments, I generally rewear them. After a day of wear, I air them out and hang them back in my closet. (Tips below for how I keep it all organized.) Since San Francisco isn’t too warm for the most part, I can even get away with rewearing a T-shirt several times. I only wash something when it starts to smell or when I’m putting it away for storage for a while.

Clothing Storage Tips

1. Use cotton storage. The biggest change I made to my closet was in how I stored things. First, I decided to invest in some proper garment bags. I had random bags from department stores and other places, but they were made out of plastic. I wanted something made out of natural fibers to allow the garments to breathe while still protecting them from dust and bugs.

I found these cotton ones at the Container Store and bought several. Because they have a 4″ gusset, you can actually get several items into one bag. I also bought some cotton shoulder covers to put over some of my coats that I don’t wear year round.

For storing sweaters, I did something my frugal immigrant mom would be proud of. While many lovely storage boxes exist out there for sweaters (like these with windows), I am not paying $30 per box — especially since they only have a two-sweater capacity. That adds up fast! I ended up buying some large square pillow cases. After depilling my sweaters with an electric defuzzer, I fold and stack them neatly, then put them in a pillow case, folding the edges underneath. (Sorry, Marie Kondo, but I’m not storing sweaters upright.) Again, the idea is to keep them from dust and other dangers but to let them breathe.

I’m also a fan of these canvas storage bins, which are relatively lightweight and come in several sizes. While they are open at the top, I usually drape some fabric or a dust bag over the top. There’s a pocket on two sides to slip in a label, and they’re moderately priced. Everyone’s got a storage bin labeled “winter glamour” filled with faux fur, right?

Closeup of a canvas bin with faux fur in it. There is a label on the bin that says, "winter glamour."

Fabric Storage Bins – $9.99 – $14.99

2. Keep your clean clothes separate from ones you’ve worn. This is kind of a no-brainer, but I wasn’t doing this before, so I reorganized my entire closet. For the most part, I organize by type of item, and then color. So all my skirts are together, all my tops, etc. (The exception to this rule are my dresses, which are organized by style, not color. For example, all my sheath dresses for work are next to one another.)

Within each section, once I have worn an item, I move it over to an area within that section consisting of other items I have worn. How do I remember what I’ve worn and what I haven’t? I separate them with empty hangers. Clean clothes are to the left of the hangers, and worn clothes are to the right.

Well, there you have it. My practical tips for taking care of your clothes. Part of cultivating a sustainable wardrobe means taking care of the stuff you have so that they will last longer. It’s also nice for your pocket book. Hope this has been helpful. Do you have any clothing care tips?

First Image: rocknwool/Unsplash

UPDATE 5/2/22 – Made a little Reel about my sweater washing and storage process. Because I moved and have less closet space now, I switched to storing my off-season clothes in stackable plastic boxes with some cedar.

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