February’s action in the slow fashion challenge I’m taking on this year is to do a wardrobe audit to clear out un-used things that could find a better home. Since I did a lot of de-cluttering last year, for me, the audit mainly means taking stock and re-visiting things I like but have neglected. A good test was the wedding I went to last week in Australia.
I initially wanted to get something new to wear for it. Maybe because society encourages us to buy new dresses when we’re due to attend a wedding and things like social media scare us from being seen wearing anything twice. Or maybe because I haven’t actually bought a new dress in ages and quite fancied one. But from a conscious perspective and in line with the slow fashion challenge, I knew I didn’t want to just buy any dress or outfit. If I were to buy anything it needed to be sustainably and ethically made, it would need to be something that I knew I would wear many times and something that would last, or I would buy something second hand.
I’ve kept my eyes open and did some browsing in the January sales but didn’t really find anything that excited me. Maybe because mid-winter isn’t the best time of the year to buy a dress for a summer wedding in Australia. But maybe because my conscious lifestyle journey over the last couple of years has somewhat turned me off shopping. I still enjoy fashion and finding something I like, that fits within a conscious edit, but it’s in a much slower manner. It’s not about shopping for the sake of it, even if there’s something I need. It’s not about shopping because of an impulse, or because the sales are on. It’s much more about taking the time to really consider what I want, and why, and being sure that each item is one I will treasure and that I feel happy spending my money on. And on this occasion, I didn’t find anything that felt right.
Getting re-excited about your own clothes
Doing a wardrobe audit is a good exercise to do, on a regular basis. At the beginning of the year, or ahead of each new season. It gives you a chance to remember those items that you’ve forgotten about since last summer and it’s a great opportunity to get creative and re-excited about the clothes you already own. And maybe it’ll help you from buying new stuff as you’ll realise you don’t actually need new skirts for summer as you’ve already got loads of nice ones that maybe just need a wash, a new button or to be paired with some tops you haven’t thought to pair them with previously.
So this is what I’ve done, for the slow fashion challenge in general and ahead of my Australia trip in particular. As I hadn’t found anything I liked in the shops I decided to ‘shop’ from my own wardrobe instead, and when putting something together for the wedding outfit, I had a few rules/guidelines to follow. All items needed to be items I really like. They needed to be comfortable enough to wear on a hot summer’s day and to dance in. And the combination of items should be one that I hadn’t worn previously (probably the easiest way to get around the not-wearing-anything-twice-issue for those who might be struggling with that as even though you’ve worn a dress before to a wedding, if you add some new shoes, accessories and a blazer, you’ve got yourself a new outfit).
My choice fell on a jumpsuit with pretty lace at the back, a flowery kimono, and summery party shoes – all from at least 3-5 years back and worn loads individually (but never together for some reason!). And I added a vintage clutch bag, vintage earrings, and vintage sunglasses for a bit of old-school glamour.