I like clothes. Seems like a silly thing to say, right? But I do.
There’s an odd rush that comes from finding the right outfit and pulling it off. I’ve spent the better part of my ‘adulthood’ trying to find my style and curate a wardrobe that works for me. I’ve learned about what styles work with my body type and what outfits make me feel the most confident (hello pencil skirt and flow top). I still come back to the same issue—I let my clothes pile up unironed and unwearable until I’m stuck in a wardrobe rut.
Instead of ironing things I’ll wander through discount stores and find something new and cute that I totally needed and within a few months it’d end up on the pile of clothes to be ironed that was never going to be ironed and the cycle would continue.
The more I began to pay attention to “fast fashion” and it’s impact on the environment (not to mention the impact on the workers making cheap clothes) the more I realized that my habits were part of the problem. I was 100% a cog in the fashion industry’s machine. Instead of being intentional with my wardrobe I was damaging the environment, the workers who weren’t being compensated fairly or provided a safe environment, and my wallet.
I began to read more articles about ways in which the clothing industry is harmful. Did you know it’s one of the most polluting industries globally? All of this information inspired me to make a change. Instead of spending my money on cheap clothing that will last me three or four wears or that will send micro-plastics into my water I decided to check out ThredUP and putter around for a bit.
There are a few items I’ve been looking to add to my wardrobe for a while now but they’re usually impossible to find or too expensive for the quality that I would want (seriously if I wanted a ‘good’ leather jacket I’d need to wait for my husband to die so I could use his life insurance money). Lo-and-behold, I found the exact green skirt that I’ve been hunting for years! The best part? It was only $18, and they told me it was ‘like new’ so I added it to my cart along with a cute top that was also $18 and placed my first order. I figured what the heck? It can’t hurt to give it a shot and they’ve got a 14 day return policy!
I’m honestly blown away by the quality of what I received in my first order. The items truly are ‘like new’–they’re exactly what was pictured for a fraction of the original price. According to ThredUP I’d saved $126 off of the original price tags. I could hear the budget gods crying tears of joy.
I kept thinking more about how I wanted to make a change in my own personal wardrobe by adding quality items that will last me for years and I circled back to this tiny platform of mine. Why not give up buying new clothes for the next year? There are plenty of consignment shops, thrift stores, and online resources available that have high quality, like-new clothing for a fraction of the price. Instead of these pieces ending up in a dump somewhere I’m giving them a new life! Don’t mind me while I self-aggrandize for the purpose of keeping this experiment going.
So from April 1st of 2019 to March 31st of 2020 I’ll be trying to only by second hand clothing for my wardrobe.
Yes, there will be exceptions (sorry folks but I don’t want anyone’s used undies), but when I do need to buy these items I’ll be intentional in my purchases.
Additionally, I’ll be donating all of the money that I receive from selling any of my old clothes to the non-profit Sister Song–an organization whose goal is to “build an effective network of individuals and organizations to improve institutional policies and systems that impact the reproductive lives of marginalized communities”. It may not be a large donation, but I’m hoping that these little steps that I’m taking will make a difference and inspire others to give this a try with me!
I’ll be sharing this adventure with you all on here. It’ll be a mix of new to me clothes and an effort to utilize what’s already in my wardrobe. I’ll be mending, sewing, resizing, and making what I can with what I have. Here’s to hoping I get better at taking photos of my outfits as I go!