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Versatility in Sustainable Fashion

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I feel like "rebuilding" my wardrobe is a constant for me in the last few years. I'm hoping to get to a point where that is not the case, especiallysince I am.opting out of fast fashion. Part of that will be making sure to replace pieces as they wear out (I haven't really been good at this in the past- I need to take a page out of Jenn's book and prepare for wardrobe losses before they come). The other part of this will be choosing pieces that not only wear well (and treating them gently), but in choosing styles that will not date quickly AND are versatile.
I'm starting to realize how important the versatility of a piece is to me because even if I really love a garment, if it only works styled one way, or is only weather appropriate in one season...I am likely not going to wear it as much because I like some variety. There are all different ways for an item to be versatile- I have one dress that can be worn one way with a more conservative neckline and straight hem, or turned back to front for a deeper neckline and slit at the hem. My new striped dress looks good on its own, belted, and with a vest or jacket on top. I could also see it with layers underneath for winter. I have been contemplating another dress. At first, I thought I needed sleeves to wear it to work, but then I realized that I could layer my favorite short sleeved sweater over it at the office. I found a style that can be worn belted or loose, and would work for winter with something layered underneath. SOLD
The biggest issue that I am dealing with lately is body changes around my mid section as I get closer to menopause, so styles that are loose around the middle will have more longevity for me. I'm always learning more, but hoping to end up with a cohesive wardrobe that requires minimal maintenence shopping.

General

19 replies

Latest reply was from Angie

rachylou

Veteran

Sorta appropos of nothing… since I’ve stopped being a contractor and changing workplaces every couple of years, my churn has dropped way way down…

Sal

Veteran

I agree with all your point ChewySpag. Yes to versatility, yes to comfort, and yes to planning. I am finding my clothes aren’t wearing out as I am buying better pieces. So they last well but I have to be mindful about not getting too many.

And pieces that can span a couple of seasons are great I agree. Whilst we do have a winter and a summer, 8 months of the year suit a lot of my clothes. I am trying not to add too many things for the hottest or the coldest months for that reason.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Interesting. I think longevity also comes from knowing your own style and what you will actually wear as opposed to what just looks pretty on the hangar - it has been a long and ongoing process for me. I do like variety so am drawn to separates for my day to day life and you have a good point about some dresses being versatile enough to span seasons. Mulling this over!

Indigoprint

Veteran

I think I feel what you are saying. I have been tweeking and purging my closet for forever.
I am thinking I need to reconceptualize and accept that my wardrobe is an organic evolutionary thing. Life changes and so we accommodate.

Joy

Veteran

Remember that older ladies get very thin, which is a big change after menopause. I recently lost 2-3 pounds , which if not much, but can be a whole size.

Anonymous

I've been thinking about this a lot too, as I'm so tired of the churn. When should preference or size changes be considered permanent? If I toss all the bright colors I haven't wanted to wear in 2 years, will I crave them again next year?

With versatility, you and Jenn are lucky, since you can basically wear the same things all year- and not need two completely seperate wardrobes for winter and summer!

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

suntiger- I'm saving things because of that same fear...but I don't have much space. And yes, we are lucky in our weather- but we pay for it! lol

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Im with you on this. Am a bit surprised you’d count out things that only work for one season. To me, pulling something out of storage is a great way to get variety, and if you only wear a thing for a few months, you can wear it for years and years.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I do have a few pieces that are one season only (mostly sweaters/sweatshirts). I'm talking here about buying new workwear, specifically. In my office environment, even on hot summer days I will need some sort of layer for the air-conditioning. My knee jerk reaction was to look for lightweight summer dresses, when in reality a mid-weight dress with the ability to layer over and under would be most versatile for me. I don't have the luxury of space for seasonal storage, nor do I want a whole separate wardrobe for each season. Our seasonal shifts are small enough that a few layering pieces allows many of my pieces to be worn all year. I expect my pieces to last several years (my favorite shrug is at least 10 years old), but I don't have the goal of keeping things for decades in most cases.

kkards

Veteran

I love that you are thinking about where you are today and where you are going and trying. Yes to clothing that layers and mixes and matches. Yes to well made clothing that can span seasons and years.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

We have a 4-season climate here but I agree with Sal that many of our clothes can suit about 8 months of the year. So my clothing lists have got an autumn/winter/spring section and a summer section, within the first is a tiny subsection for cold winter, which is what we are in right now. I just had a 6-day break in some colder areas of the country, on my own as DH couldn’t get the time off, I had relatives to see. And as I put woollen thermals on under my pants and tops it felt a very long time since wearing the sandals and summer tops I love! Yet it was only 3 months really.
I have been trying to rebalance my wardrobe towards the transitional with overall good success.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

This sounds very sensible and reasonable to me. I find shifts in body, lifestyle, and climate require a real recalibration of one’s style and I am still getting used to purchasing for my new climate and suburban existence.

Jules

Veteran

That’s smart to think ahead about a changing body - I sometimes still forget at age 48 that certain go-to styles don’t work as well as they used to. Another factor for me is changing silhouettes - so boyfriend jeans and v neck tees were a uniform for years, but gradually I switched to the newer wider legged pants and boxy crew neck tees with more chest coverage (which I appreciate more these days as I have sun damage and more cleavage than I used to). I tried to revive the bf + vneck formula this year but I’m not wearing it much. I think I will wear the pieces over time, but I’m not buying more.
Versatility is a good point too - I love big tees with exaggerated sleeves right now, but they are hard to layer over, which makes them pretty limited in my climate (not ideal for the hottest days and not good for more temperate weather that requires layering).
As for menopause and weight, both my grandmothers were bigger old ladies, and my mom is too. I know some women become thinner but I think it’s genetic.

Joy

Veteran

Chewy spaghetti, you make a lot of sense. The body never stops changing. Meds and lifestyle can cause gaining and losing, usually where you don't expect it. Simple classical styles in plain neutrals stand the test of time best, but not always. I liked living in Southern California because clothing wore out and one was always dressed in a current style. Yes there was lots of churn, but constant updating was a positive. Look for ways to adapt your clothing to more than one season.

Staysfit

Veteran

Living in a four season climate makes it difficult to have items that span all four seasons. For practical purposes I have divided my wardrobe into two capsules, warm weather (spring/summer) and cold weather (fall winter). I may have more clothing overall, however, it seems to be working for me to keep numbers lower than in the past. When I add new items, I do my best to purchase sustainably made products and if not then I try to purchase something that is as well made as possible so it lasts a long time.

Aquamarine

Veteran

While there is some seasonal overlap in my clothing, I’m finding it’s shifting towards wearing my *warmer* weather clothing more than my colder weather clothing because of global warming. It used to be that t-shirts were solely a 3-month item for me, but now I can wear them way deeper into the fall (with a light topper) than I used to. So for me, it’s an evolving thing and it’s hard to plan.

Aging can go either way for body changes, as Joy has suggested. I did gain weight when first going thru menopause, and the waist does thicken, but revamping eating habits *can* reverse this somewhat. I guess I’m trying to reiterate that these factors can impact all my clothing purchase plans and flux still happens no matter what.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Thanks for starting this conversation! It’s turned on a lightbulb in my head. I tend to think of clothing as either S/S or F/W, but that actually isn’t aligned with the seasons here. Spring is cold; temps are often chilly right through June. But once it warms up, it stays relatively warm late into fall. I need to realign my thinking so winter goes with spring rather than fall. On menopause, I think that was one of the reasons for the weight I put on in Florida, along with some lifestyle factors. I was very glad when things stabilized afterwards!

Mona

Member

I can't afford to get into it now but I agree 100%. More versatile (and hopefully affordable!) clothing would be great especially since the weather and seasons has been getting more unpredictable and erratic over the years and more styles for various mid and hip sizes would be helpful too.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Khris, your SoCal climate, lifestyle, and sartorial preferences - (much like Jenn, actually!) - lend themselves well to this type of wardrobe and style strategy. It's a sound and sensible plan, and I can absolutely see you reaping the reward already. Well done