There is so much buzz going on around us right now about responsible shopping. I know I’ve touched on this before, but there are new readers all the time and I feel like some of this stuff can’t be said often enough.

I watched The True Cost recently, the documentary that “pulls back the curtain on the untold story and asks us to consider, who really pays the price for our clothing?” It’s streaming for free right now if you have Amazon Prime. If you can’t watch the movie, at least watch the 2-minute trailer. It will get you thinking.

I’m still working on blog posts about conscious consumerism, and ethical and sustainable fashion…but each topic is a BEAR and I want to do them justice. But the more I learn, the more I learn how much MORE there IS to learn and it just seems never-ending and overwhelming. I want to be able to present the topics in the clearest way possible.

But for now, I just wanted to talk (once again) about the importance of shopping intentionally. When we shop willy nilly, we’re not helping our bank accounts or our wardrobes…and we’re certainly not helping the environment or the people on whose backs the fashion industry is built (more on all that in future posts).

Yes, we all need clothes. We can’t go around naked. We need to be able to dress appropriately for our roles in this world, whatever they may be. And fashion is fun. Style is a fun way to show your personality. So we can’t just go without clothing.

But…I probably don’t have to go very far out on a limb to say that the vast majority of us have FAR more than we need. Myself included…and I pride myself on maintaining a pretty small wardrobe. If we want to start helping the planet…and the people and animals and plants on the planet, we need to start thinking about what we actually “need.”

There needs to be A Plan. So you don’t just buy everything you like. Because we all like LOTS of things, but there’s no need to have Every Single Thing, and there’s a high cost involved when we try to have everything.

The way I plan is by keeping a list of items I’m looking for to round out my wardrobe. I don’t go into a store or online just to “see what I like.” I  try to keep the perspective that what I like is irrelevant, I only want to buy what I need (I know, I know, I don’t NEED any of it! But we are going to buy clothes), what will work with the pieces I already have. The list is on my phone and my computer and is updated seasonally. Right now, I have items I’m still looking for this winter, I already have items on the list for spring/summer (based on what I know was lacking last summer) and I even already have items for next winter, because I realized there’s no need to buy everything I want at one time. Buy one this year, another next year.

The List is mostly Very Specific. And then I just look for those items. Sometimes I’ll put something on the list that is not so specific, like, “1 or 2 non-bulky winter sweaters” vs. “faded black (not grey) cropped straight leg jeans.” Or sometimes I’ll find a very close substitute…so even though navy cropped trousers were not on the list, ankle-length dark wash skinny jeans were. So I bought the navy trousers when they were presented to me (in a Trunk Club box), and checked the jeans off the list because the trousers are doing the same job the jeans would have. But for the most part, I stay very true to the list.

What goes on the list in the first place? Only things that will go with items I already have. I very rarely concoct an entirely new outfit in my mind and shop for it from scratch. An unfortunate example of poor judgment on my part in this area was the Spanx faux leather leggings and the navy Loft poncho turtleneck I envisioned looking great with them. And it does! But I really broke my own rule. For shame. Hopefully that one mistake this winter will keep me from making others in the coming year.

It is time-consuming when you start. Because you really need to do a thorough inventory of your wardrobe – which is the perfect time to cull any items that you really don’t wear anymore for whatever reason, and try to get them in the hands of someone who will wear them, so they don’t have to go buy new things! Once you’ve inventoried what is working for you in your closet, you can assess what holes there are, what items are needed to complete as many outfits as you need. And it’s “the holes” that go on The List. Carry the list with you. Memorize it. Understand it. Respect it. Don’t go “off-list” and buy some one-off item that doesn’t go with anything in your closet, because then you’ll just have to buy more things to create an outfit and…..AAARRRGGGHHH it’s a big self-defeating cycle (circle? cycle?)

So, this outfit here. The cognac crossbody bag has been on my list for over a year – my black one (vegan leather) is cracking and looks awful. I did buy that other one off Poshmark in 2019 but it didn’t really work well for me so I will re-list it online to sell. I’ve been looking for leopard flats for probably a year – I knew this color pattern would go with so many of my fall/winter outfits – outfits that didn’t have an appropriate shoe yet. The navy pants are in place of dark wash jeans that have been on the list since I noticed that my long-wearing Charlotte Russe skinny jeans are just about to wear through at the inner thigh. And the chestnut v-neck top is a non-bulky winter sweater that I wanted for those winter days when I’m overheated in the morning while getting ready for work and I just can’t bear the thought of putting on one of my chunky knit turtlenecks.

Phew! That’s a lotta words! The point is, the more intentionally we consume – not buying more than we need, or shopping recklessly so we wind up with things that never get worn and end up in a landfill or 3rd-world country – the less will continue to be produced, which is better for the planet and the people on it…now…and in the future.

And I get it, shopping is FUN! Having new things is FUN. But we do need to think of the cost. At least consider it when we’re making our purchasing decisions.

What I’m Wearing

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