While clothing has never been a budget priority for us, since I've lost 75 lbs, I've realized I need to slowly but surely update my basics! Bras are too loose, leggings are baggy, skirts don't stay up, t-shirts are massive, and my winter coat I used to love is one I now swim in. Oy!
I am feeling (& looking) healthier and happier and - to be perfectly honest - sexier, but I admit, weight loss created a financial and ecological conundrum...updating my wardrobe in a smart, mindful way.
So with that, I thought I'd share my top three basic strategies...
RESALE! Not gonna lie, I don't find what I need at resale and thrift stores. While I used to ADORE them in my younger years, locally the choices are few, quality and basi lacking and to be honest, fluorescent lights in resale shops make me crazy. What works for me? Taking advantage of what more and more retailers are wisely offering - secondhand versions of their own products. Patagonia WornWear takes the cake for me in this category. Not only did I find a sleek black waterproof puffy jacket (my first ever, as I'd always felt like a marshmallow in them before) for a fraction of the price, we found a quality raincoat for my husband when his old Columbia jacket lost its mojo after a decade. In addition, these are doubly sustainable because it's already coming from one of the world's most sustainable clothing companies. And hey, who the fk can afford their stuff full price? (I know we can't!) So this was functionally, aesthetically, financially AND environmentally smart.
Texture Clothing --- Uzura -- - Jungmaven
BUY HEMP + ORGANIC COTTON CLOTHING! Ooh la la I love the feeling of hemp clothing, which are ridiculously sustainable, particularly when made domestically. When blended with organic cotton, it's equally awesome. Polyester can kiss my ass. Rayon can kiss my ass. Fossil Fuel Fast Fashion can - you guessed it - kiss my ass. With that, here are three small businesses I support:
I splurged on a li'l red miniskirt with a front pocket by Texture Clothing when I met the owner at a Maker's Market in town. My favorite thing ever when riding my bike is to put a skirt over leggings (both cute + adds padding), and hers are made with a combo of hemp & organic cotton. I can't wait to get a longer one as well!
Also, I've fallen in love with the hemp apparel at Jungmaven, who have THE cutest bralettes ever made again from the hemp/OC combo that fits, feels, and looks excellent (literally wearing the olive one with the high waisted bottoms as we speak, y'all).
Finally, for tops & bottoms, I've bought a couple items from Uzura, based here in the Northwest, who makes hemp/OC tops and bottoms, including a red heart t-shirt I totally dig, both for her design and fitting my curves. I discovered her shop on Etsy, then found her own website online and bought her black floral skirt there to make sure she (NOT the getting-more-skeezy-by-the-day Etsy) gets all the proceeds.
(NOTE: I once posted about Thunderpants, but removed it. Not only do all of their bras look like sports bras, after a couple years the patterns fade, the men's boxers ride up, and as an extra bummer, their service left much to be desired...including greenwashing when they disputed the fact that tissue paper they wrap product in is NOT truly recyclable - here's why)
SUPPORT ETHICAL, SMALL & LOCAL BUSINESSES!! As I mentioned above, it matters who you support - not just the product you buy. A bamboo shirt from Amazon cancels itself out, y'all. Choosing to support a unionbusting, environmentally destructive, small-business destroying, tax-evading monolithic corporation while claiming you're being sustainable? Nope. Not gonna fly. Doesn't work that way, folks. You gotta do your homework about companies, and not just click on their 'About Us' page. Accountability matters. How they treat labor matters. And if they walk the talk when it comes to the planet? It fucking matters. You can wait a normal amount of time for shipping, so stop being lazy and step up to the plate.
“You are not Atlas carrying the world on your shoulder. It is good to remember that the planet is carrying you.” ~ Vandana Shiva
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