Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Slow Fashion

Brief update: Somehow I wrote this entire post without realizing that it's "Slow Fashion October", as defined by Fringe Association. I must have been subconsciously absorbed into the hive mind?! On the plus-side, it reminds me that this is a concept I have taken ownership of as it's something I've been grappling with for quite a long time. Slow fashion is a journey - just like developing sewing skills or transforming the shape of one's body. It doesn't happen overnight. It comes with obstacles. It requires intensive consideration, and then pragmatism. And it's often the purview of the privileged. 

It's all well and good to talk about spending one's income intelligently, on clothing that will last many years - ensuring quality and supporting one's national economy and being seriously chic in the process. But it does smart momentarily.

To wit: this fall I've bought 4 things*
  • A black, crew-neck bodysuit in miraculous fabric from Kit and Ace of which I cannot seem to find a pic. It doesn't get more neutral - or easy to tuck - than this.
  • A navy pair of cropped pants (link is to pic of me wearing them) that are basically lounge wear that looks like work wear, also from Kit and Ace. I wear these once a week. Alas they are now sold out:
  • And, as of today, this cashmere blazer from Black Goat:

Note: I've had my eye on this jacket since I bought the world's luxest scarf...
While I absolutely love these purchases, I've sure as hell spent more money on them than I would have, on the same sorts of garments, high-street style. In fact, I spent more money on these 4 garments than I would have, 5 years ago, on all of my fall purchases put together.

Only one item was on sale - the pants - and they still cost in the neighbourhood of 200 bucks. Note to reader: Spend on the freakin' pants! Cheap trousers are easy to spot a mile away.

The bodysuit was definitely a stretch (pun intended) and I bought it entirely because I'm at the whim of awesome fabric. It was stupidly expensive for a glorified T shirt though, in my experience, Kit and Ace stuff wears awesomely (in true "technical fabric" style - whatever the hell that means). Also, if it shows the slightest bit of wear and tear, for 200 bucks, I will return it, for a refund, without a second thought.

However, I truly had to check my anxiety at the door when I bought the boots. I mean, you never know if boots are going to work until you start wearing them and I've made enough shoe-fitting errors, over the years, to be appropriately gun-shy. Particularly given that my shoes are my car. And, as a person managing early-onset osteoarthritis (the original wear-and-tear condition), I am not fucking around with the footwear.

Here's what made me take the plunge: I do already own these boots in the suede over-knee version (not practical peeps) and those fit well. The style is flat but utterly chic. The leather drapes perfectly. They're excellent for the thin-calved among us. They go with everything. They're wearable in winter (though not so much in snow). Furthermore, I am not prepared to buy another pair, in this style, made of plastic-covered fabric, designed to represent leather. (I think we call those "vegan".) On the plus side, those plastic-wearing years taught me that the style is eminently useful in my wardrobe.

I have one complaint about these boots (having worn them daily for the last couple of weeks): Initially, they smelled strangely like chemicals (vaguely vomity, to be honest) when they came out of the box. In truth, the entire Stuart Weitzman store smells that way so I think it has something to do with how they treat the leather. But I seriously considered returning them on that basis. I left the boots airing in my house, for 2 weeks, before determining that the smell had faded adequately. I still catch a hint of it occasionally, while wearing, and I am not impressed. For 900 bucks after tax, is perfection too much to ask??? I do believe, however, that the issue will resolve itself in the near-term.

All of this brings me to today's purchase: The cashmere blazer of my dreams. It's far less mumsy looking on me than in that photo (above), in large measure because I have boobs and a waist. The notched collar is chicness personified. This is the perfect garment to wear with work-appropriate denim (or basically anything else). It is timeless. The colour is rich, but neutral. The fabric is indescribably luxurious but oddly durable-seeming (for cashmere).

Intriguingly - I could wear all of these purchases simultaneously and they would all work together exceedingly well. Don't the fashion beings suggest that you buy such that everything in your closet is wearable with everything else?

Here's the thing. I need very few upgrades, on a seasonal basis, to keep my wardrobe running. I make a lot of my own clothing (if not recently) and those items are replaceable at a very reasonable monetary price (though at a rather steep cost if one considers the value of my time). I work my ass off and I've hit a point that I'm earning enough money to afford a semi-regular splurge. Moreover, those splurges become ever less necessary as I stabilize my wardrobe with timeless purchases which reflect my (fairly stable) style. I'm not buying to scratch an itch. I'm buying to meet a wardrobe need - and I intend to do this as sustainably, and elegantly, as my means permit.

So that's how I'm handling mid-life fashion these days, not that you asked...

But what about you? Does my system resonate? Do you spend to save? Do you shop for other reasons? Do you think I'm insane? Let's talk!

*Just FYI, lingerie doesn't count. 

20 comments:

  1. Ahahahahaha - OVER $900???? I.... we.... we are at different points in our lives, I'll put it that way! Which is well and good, because you WORK for your money and you should enjoy it! I keep thinking of you in your new job - hope it's going well over all and not too exhausting in the short term!

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    1. Trust me - that price tag was almost a deal breaker. I considered the purchase for a while. And it paid off - the shoes are endlessly comfortable and they look great. But man, they'd better last! The new job is a real change. I'm (maybe) starting to feel like there are concepts I've seen 2 or three times before. I'm pretty shocked by how tiring it is - I have been known to come home practically catatonic. I am ever more respectful of those career career-advancers. It takes so much energy.

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    2. Gillian, I'm with you, but it's sure nice to dream about a day when I could spend that on the perfect pair of boots. ;)

      I need to suck it up and spend some grown-up money on shoes. I don't walk as much as Kristin, alas, but I still like to cram in an hour on my breaks if at all possible, and I keep destroying the cheaper shoes and boots. :(

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    3. That exactly what I mean - the mid-priced shoes (not even the cheap ones) don't last! And then I can't find them the next time I need to buy. If these shoes last 3x longer than the others (and are replaceable) they will have served their function! I wish you a wonderful pair of high-end boots in the near future T - on mega sale to taper the horror :-) BTW - not sure if you have Marshalls but it's way better than Winners for finding those amazing deal, high end shoes. Alas, it's hit and miss.

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    4. Sadly, no Marshalls out here. (Along with no IKEA. ;) ) And since I don't shop for clothes any more I'm almost never in a location to scout for deals, either. :( you are too right about the mid-price shoes, though! Many of them don't last either. I should make it a habit to haunt my local Winners as it's not far from my Fabricland... I could get lucky. (Really, I should put my mother on the job, she has the most fabulous boot collection and she knows exactly where to go.) thank you for the kind wishes! I send them back to you over the reno! 😂

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    5. Wow - it's like the hinterland :-) Honestly, they both support fast consumption (Marshalls and Ikea) - and while I appreciate having access to them - I rarely avail myself of either. So you're just saving yourself a lot of trips to a furniture place where spouses fight and deal with the stress by eating really cheap hot dogs at the exit.

      Def avail yourself of your mothers skills! And thanks for the return vibes. I'm absorbing!

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  2. I'm with you in embracing slow fashion and eschewing fast, cheap, poorly made and never fits me anyway fashion. A few wisely chosen quality pieces each season to fill a wardrobe gap... Saves me money and time in the long run.

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  3. I'm 100% behind the well-earned work clothes splurge - especially that stuff will have several lives.

    The Goat blazer is delicious and if I were working still I might want to own it in the Prune, just because.

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    1. I'll have you know that colour is spectacular in real life (I tried it on). I just don't wear that shade - but it's beautiful.

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  4. I am the world's worst shopper. Thank goodness I sew. I have noticed that over the years I spend more on fewer items and have a growing collection of investment pieces, like you. And I think that's a good thing - I do better with a smaller wardrobe of things that I love rather than a large wardrobe of so-so things. At the moment I am looking to replace my favorite go-anywhere, wear-with-everything leather boots (may they rest in peace) and it is proving to be difficult.

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    1. Seriously, replacing boots is the worst. The worst. Once I find the perfect brand of shoes or boots (and I think I'm getting there, in the last decade), I am hooked.

      I want a brand of good quality that I know I can replace. In a few colours, preferably! This style of boot is a staple in my wardrobe and I'd been a year without it (I couldn't stand the feel of the other ones and I'd worn them into the ground so into the bin they went.)

      I know that these boots are pricey but they are also well-made and very comfortable, very ergonomic. And they look spectacular. To get this constellation of features, you have to pay (or so I've learned). At least in Canada, where shoes are very pricey.

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  5. Yep. Bought a navy v-neck pullover today and a black cardigan, boring AF except that they're both Bompard cashmere classics (budgeted for buying them here deliberately). Could have bought at least 5 "more fun" high-street-style pieces for the price, but these please me on a longer term basis. They're indulgent in their texture and somehow I draw a sense of impunity from them. Another recent splurge was a new M0851 bag in a seasonal colour that's still classic enough -- prune -- and has a bit more pizzazz that my thoroughly functional Small Weekender (this one has "handbag straps" as well as the cross-body.
    Absolutely agree with you spending some of your hard-earned bucks on clothes and boots that reflect that career success. Go you! So glad to hear the learning curve is levelling out a wee bit. . .

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    1. Nothing's more wonderful than finding the gorgeous, high-end staples in their home country! I love Bompard and you are going to love wearing those pieces for many years a) cuz they're going to last and b) you'll remember your trip every time you put them on.

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  6. I really appreciate this, particularly your being forthright about money. I have been following the "Slow Fashion October" discussion on the Fringe Association blog and on instagram with interest and thinking about it in relation to my life and wardrobe. There is much to be both inspired and frustrated by. One of my first comments was that I wished more discussions of sustainable/ethical clothing engaged honestly about money--what people truly spend,and why--since I think part of the conversation is about grappling with our habits of spending very little on clothes, relatively speaking, and, for those of us with budget constraints, figuring out what is right to spend (and how to come up with it). Anyway, even where my budget is quite different from someone else's, I am fascinated by and appreciative of transparency around what others' wardrobes cost.

    And I love the boots!

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    1. G: Thank you so much for your comment. I'm not squeamish talking about money - though I aim not to be vulgar! :-) Fact is, we're all on a continuum of "spendability for sustainability" (for want of a better term). My spending patterns now are very different than they were 5, 10 and 20 years ago. At those times I earned less money and had different expenses (and in the future - hello upcoming renovation of extreme proportions - I will have different expenses yet again).

      I want to be a conscious consumer. I want to buy things that have been well-made by people being paid an adequate wage (not that I can confirm this in most cases). I want those things to be beautiful and to feel wonderful. I want them to stand the test of time so that I don't have to replace them frequently (or at all) and contribute to the excess in our society. I also want to treat myself - to acknowledge the trajectory of my professional advancement (which has been steady - but in no way flashy).

      And I do wish that more people spoke about what it means to be sustainable. Unless one is very wealthy, we're all going to have to stretch to put our money where our mouth is!

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  7. I just discovered your blog (whilst looking for tips on knitting L'Enveloppe--the left sleeve was driving me batty, but I think I've got it now. Your comments on her instructions are spot.on)--I immediately added your blog to my feedly! I am really thinking a lot about slow fashion, and making wise choices, but I find, moving toward middle age, that my style is shifting a lot, and in weird ways. I make a lot of my clothes, which helps, but I still find myself casting around each rotation of clothing to "find" the right uniform for it. (I do project 333, which helps keep things reasonable, but I am really bad at predicting what I want to wear in a particular season. This rotation was spectacularly off) I'd love to make the high-end purchases count, but I get burned a lot even on middle-end stuff, and would never dare (plus with four growing children, way out of my budget anyway!) I'm glad you've found what you like!! I'm eager to read more of your older posts.

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    1. Hi Juliana: Welcome and thank you for reading! That L'Enveloppe is a great little garment but, man, the instructions were suboptimal. Happy to know that my commentary has helped you.

      I do believe that the inclination to be sustainable is half the battle - though maybe the easier half :-)

      I, too, sew and knit a lot too - and it would appear that the sustainable "extremists" live within this category of crafters. I wish that I could make everything beautifully with the best materials - and I move in that direction - but the truth is that I have an insanely busy life right now with a teenager and an upcoming serious home reno (we're going to have to move out) and an intense job. At the moment (and for the foreseeable future), I don't have time to spend weeks constructing that perfect pair of denim trousers (though I so wish I did). So, when I buy, I want to make sure that I'm doing so in the best possible way. I want those things to last, to fit perfectly, to stand the test of time.

      Alas, fast fashion rarely affords one those qualities in a purchase, so spend, I must.

      I'm endlessly amazed by how fit seems to improve in accordance with price tag. It's not a constant, but the pricier the garment, the more the consumer expects - and fit becomes non-negotiable.

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  8. This post really hits home for me as I've been on the same trajectory over the last couple of years. There have been a few times when I have walked out of a store and shaken my head, wondering if I had really gone off the deep end with the amount of money I had just dropped. But, I too, am building a slow fashion wardrobe of classics that will last and last. I own the same Stuart Weitzman to-the-knee boots in black that I bought on sale last year (still pricey!) and I have spend a lot at the Toronto Ca Va De Soie store recently (such gorgeous knits!). Based on your praise of Black Goast, I'm thinking I should make a trip there too!

    I completely agree that with less time to spend browsing stores and shopping, I need to buy with longevity in mind. I just pulled out a pair of really great ankle boots that I've owned for three years and they still look great. It's a relief to not have to go out shopping every year for a new (fill in the blank) when things last and last!

    Also, feel like now that I've broken the money barrier of spending more (much more) on really great quality, wonderful pieces, I can't go back. When I look at the mid-range fashions on offer at a lot of the chains in recent seasons, the difference in quality and feel of the garments and shoes is unbelievable to me. And every time I pull out one of my stellar pieces and put them on, the feeling is indescribable. It really helps me feel great from the inside out! Here's hoping I'll be able to sustain buying fewer, but better, pieces in the future as well. Mid-life fashion can be great!

    Helen

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  9. Helen: It's good to know I'm not alone! Oh, I love Ca Va but seriously, when you try black goat, it's its own kind of luxe. They're both great stores that complement each other, but I think there's better fibre value (if slightly less design) at Black Goat. And it's totally comparable in price. Mid-life fashion CAN be great!

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