As I began flipping through the September issue, I was initially
intrigued by all of the latest fashion trends and beautiful models showing off
the looks. But as I continued on, I couldn’t help but have a sinking feeling.
Pages and pages of people essentially screaming the message of consumerism at the
top of their lungs. Buy this! Wear this! You need this! Ew, don’t wear that!
Instead of feeling inspired, I felt sad. Are these really the values that I adhere
to? Do I really give a crap what some designer thinks I should wear this
season?
The answer was that yes, I sort of do. At least, that’s what
my buying behavior would suggest. I love clothes and I love to look cute. And
while I’m certainly not a trendy dresser, I love to look fashionable and
current, which means buying the latest stuff and buying it as affordably as
possible. It’s one of the parts of my life that sadly doesn’t align with my
other values of health, helping the environment and living cleanly and simply.
Unfortunately, this is true for most Americans. And, upon doing a quick Google search,
I found that our obsession with disposable fashion is not only damaging our
wallets and our self-esteem, it’s doing major global damage in ways that you
wouldn’t even believe, including our massive donations of clothing.
This is just one of hundreds of articles detailing the issue:
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/fashion/2012/06/the_salvation_army_and_goodwill_inside_the_places_your_clothes_go_when_you_donate_them_.html
So, it’s my new quest to work on this incongruent part of my
life. I want to reduce my global impact, live more simply, and stop buying in
to these messages that lead me down a path I don’t want to go. Here are some of
the steps I’m already taking:
Re-imagine your wardrobe
One of the ways I get sucked into buying more clothes is
because I lose creativity with what I already have. We all get stuck in that
rut of wearing something the same way over and over and completely lose sight
of the item’s versatility. Recently, while poking around on a clothing store
website, I saw an outfit that I just loved – flared black leather skirt, black
and white striped tee, charcoal gray blazer and chunky silver necklace. I was
tempted to buy the $200+ outfit until I realized that I had some version of
every single one of those items, except the tee, already in my closet. So, I
pulled out what I already had, snagged a black and white striped tee from
TJMaxx for $12, and had a whole new outfit I never had even thought of (and
that I now get tons of compliments on). I’ll admit that it’s a fine line to
walk – using a clothing store’s tempting website to come up with new ideas for
your wardrobe – but it can really help provide a new perspective on how to
combine pieces you already have into something that looks fresh and current.
Stick to the basics
It’s amazing what a little white or black tee can do in a
wardrobe. It goes with denim, pants, skirts, jackets, jewelry and, well,
basically everything. Instead of buying trendy pieces, I’m sticking with good
quality basic tees that I can mix and match with everything to create new looks
without buying more clothes.
Use consignment stores to sell
In the past few months, I’ve started taking my gently used,
brand name clothes to a local consignment store. It requires a little extra
effort for me as the clothes must be in-season, washed, pressed and on a
hanger, but the results have been fabulous. Most of my items have sold and I
get to split the profits 50/50 with the shop, so I’ve been getting some nice
little monthly checks to put toward items that I truly need. Plus, my clothing
is going to a new home where it will continue to be in someone’s wardrobe
circulation in my community instead of being shipped overseas or taking up more
space in an already-stuffed Goodwill.
Use consignment stores to buy
Consignment and thrift stores are great spots to find new
additions to your wardrobe or your home. I highly recommend consignment stores
for clothing. You can often snag handbags, special occasion pieces, suits and
more for a fraction of the price. I recently picked up a skirt suit for a mere
$15. It cost me an additional $15 to have the skirt tailored, but I still
managed to walk out the door with a complete suit for just $30. Plus, I helped
keep great clothing in circulation longer.
Thrift stores are great spots for finding home décor items
or for repurposing old items into new. One of my favorite home décor blogs
shows how to make throw pillows for winter using old cable knit sweaters found
at Goodwill. Use Pinterest, design blogs like Centsational Girl, and more for
ideas on how to be creative with consignment and thrift store finds.
Get things repaired
I’ve been getting my high heels repaired for years to extend
their life. When the taps go bad, the local shoe repair shop replaces them and
cleans up the shoes for a mere $6. The shoes look completely new and I get years
more of wear out of them. Some of my favorite high heels have been repaired
several times, but I’m still wearing them after 7+ years.
Consider other charitable organizations
Have a suit that didn’t sell at consignment? Donate it to Dress
For Success, which provides job interview suits to low-income women to help
them land a job and better their situation. Each woman gets outfitted with a
suit for the job interview, then once the job is acquired, she receives a full
week of suiting for the job. Have a special occasion dress? Check out the many
organizations that help low-income teens look beautiful for homecoming or the
prom. Think outside the thrift store box when giving away your clothes to
ensure it truly has a second life.
Stop f-ing buying stuff
Ok, this is way easier said than done, but I’m working on
it.
What are you going to combat the obsession with disposable
fashion and consumerism?
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