Some of the recent posts, and the Blue Collar Red Lipstick blog, have gotten me thinking. As many posts have covered, the idea of "ethical" shopping is problematic, because what's "good" on one scale may cause issues on another, etc. etc. But with that in mind, I want to at least try, on my terms. And I like a challenge. So... for the rest of the year, I'm setting the following clothes-shopping rules for myself. I don't think they'll be too onerous, but they will make me think a little harder for each purchase, which is never a bad thing.
Purchases must match at least one of the following criteria:
1) Secondhand: Thrift store, Poshmark, TheRealReal, and eBay are all fair game.
2) From a brand or seller that's making a serious attempt at transparency and sustainability: Not limited to this very short list, but the ones that immediately come to mind are Amour Vert and Everlane.
3) Produced in the US: This is potentially a rabbithole, since I don't know where the fabric or raw materials came from, but it's a guideline for myself. For example, my local dance community is friendly with a lovely designer up in NY who does a lot of our costuming, and all her products are sewn in NY (though her goods would also fit into category 4 below...).
4) Bought directly from the artisan(s): Etsy and potentially local designers count.
5) Bought with a gift certificate that was given to me: My mom usually gives me Express gift cards around my birthday and Christmas. If someone gives me a gift, I can use it. It's okay if I go a little above the gift card amount; for example, I ordered four pairs of Express pants recently in the hopes of finding one or two great pairs and returning the rest, and I went $11 over the gift card amount... no biggie.
I'm making the following exceptions where I don't necessarily have to abide by the above rules (but awesome if I can). It's hard enough to find the right versions of these things, so I'm not holding myself to the same standard for these categories.
1) Underwear
2) workout gear
3) Shoes
4) The Perfect Suit, should I happen to encounter it
In addition to the rules above, anything I buy also has to be a slam dunk for my style, and be a great fit (or easily tailored to be a great fit)... no settling. I have my style moniker, and I've been playing with the idea of themes/style avatars that go well with the moniker and help give it concrete shapes that I can easily picture, so that should help guide purchases.
We'll see if I can sustain this for a year... if so, I'll see how it went and decide if this is an ongoing thing or too dang hard. So far so good... I bought nothing in January, and in February have only spent that $11 over my Express gift cards, and ordered a new sports bra and leggings from Athleta (gear exception).
Does anyone else have rules for how they shop?
