SwoC: 10-16 Another week down!

Well, I've completed my second week of SwoC, and I'm feelin' good! Though, I must admit that I felt rather uninspired when getting dressed all workweek. I did find a TON of inspiration, and a good excuse to keep with my SwoC pledge- New York City thrift stores! Can you believe that before this week, I'd never bothered to try shopping them? I assumed that all the good stuff would be picked-over beyond hope, but I was wrong. After work one day, I stopped off at some thrift stores that stand next to each other on 23rd Street. Lo and behold, I found some fabulous stuff- most of it unworn. I found both new with tags labels like Banana Republic, French Connection, Helmut Lang, Donna Karan, John Varvatos, etc., and true vintage in great condition. The prices were a bit higher than what I'm used to, but still very affordable. It made me realize, that with the high turnover of hardly-to-never worn brands in the thrift stores, there's really never any need for me to go to the actual store.... The trick is finding just what you're looking for when you need it.

Snapshots from my visit to Portland

FO: Lil'MC's Blockie Blanket

In honor of Lil'MC's first birthday, I'd been working on knitting him a blanket. I finished just in time to deliver it in person during my visit to Portland earlier this week. The shape is a bit wonky as I picked up and knit from various edges of the growing blankie (which started with the "M" square). The little man seemed to like it, which is all that matters- he grabbed it with his fists, balled it up into a huggable form, then ran his fingers over all the ridges, smiling.

SwoC: Days 5-9

I've just returned to Brooklyn from Portland, and feel very satisfied. I had an amazing time visiting with my family and friends, I successfully kicked back and unwound, I thrifted some amazing items, and I kept to my SwoC pledge in spite of the temptations. In the remaining 4 days of my trip to Portland, my sister and I visited one more thrift store: my favorite Salvation Army. This time, I had some terrific luck in the shop department, finding some cute 70s woven sandals that I will likely add to my etsy shop since I have a similar pair, some perfectly broken-in army boots, pristine deerskin moccasins, and an interesting pair of deadstock slip-on canvas shoes. I also had lots of luck in the skirt department, pulling possibly my favorite thrift item of the trip- a cotton madras full skirt with navy buttons down the front and hidden seam pockets. I went shopping with my mom and sister, and in spite of finding an adorable bubble sleeved green linen dress, I refrained from buying. My mom even offered the tempting thought that it wouldn't count against my SwoC pledge if she were to buy the dress for me! I held strong, and I'm happy I did.

Tomorrow I'll try to get all of my photos in order and post some of the non-shopping related content from my trip. I'm still chuckling about all the great moments I had with Lil'MC, who is now a little over a year old and the best natured person I've ever encountered. He has such a strong personality, and in these months before he finds his words, his expressive face is working overtime.

To my family and friends in Oregon: Thank you so much for spending time with me this week! I had a great time and can't wait to come back to visit again.

SwoC: Days 3 and 4

I'm staying at my parents' house in Portland, Oregon now, and the loophole I left for myself to thrift shop has come in veeeery handy in the last two days.

above: my loot from Goodwill
On Sunday, my sister and I decided we would head to just one thrift store while my nephew was being watched by our mom. We decided to hit our favorite Goodwill at a *secret location* just outside Portland city limits. Man, did we score! I think a lot of the times I'm super successful thrifting, it's all about my attitude when I step through the door. This time, I didn't set my expectations too high- it was the weekend, mid-day, and I had all week to find some good stuff. Plus, we were only going to that one store instead of the 2 or 3 that we normally hit in one day, so I didn't feel rushed. Right out of the gate, we found some adorable items in the jewelry case: for me a wooden necklace with elephants, zebras and giraffes on it and a 70s patinaed gold necklace with a pendant of a tiny rose trapped in yellowed resin. My sister sorted throught the brooches and quickly pulled out an adorable old silver pin with a fork and spoon on it and a gold heart and arrow pin. The latter two items we ended up trading each other before checkout. Next we moved on to the women's blouses and pulled some great stuff. We went through the place systematically and were both completely pleased with our finds. Standing at checkout and looking at our distinct piles, our two styles were extremely evident. My sister, who is much more into pastels and charming shabby chic style, had stacks of pretty, faded cotton prints and cute kitchenwares. I think my vintage style is a bit more bold, and this was evident by looking at my stack of red handkerchief prints, lime green and brown striped cotton fabric, and navy blue gingham. I did end up buying some things that may be a bit too hip for me to pull off, but I just couldn't resist. I figure, if I end up not wearing it I can always put it in my etsy shop.

above: thrifted vintage shoes and

What I Wore May 25

First thing in the morning yesterday, my sister and I carried out our plan to shop the Memorial Day Sale at Value Village, when everything is 50% off. Again, we made out like bandits! This time, I had my eye out for items to put in my etsy store, dreams of a super-fabulous vintage shop growing in my head. While my sister headed straight for the ceramicware, I shot off towards the far wall, lined with scarves and fur collars. Among my loot, I found a wonderful wool picnic blanket in mustard and brown buffalo plaid, a mens classic wool tartan Pendelton jacket, and some delicate voile puffy sleeved girls' blouses.

above: What I Wore May 26

So, for two days straight, and not very far into my quest to not buy new clothes for a month, I've succeeded in buying a closetful of clothes! But for the purposes of my SwoC month, I'm still doing well. I supported two local charity shops, bought old clothes that had been worn and discarded by their previous wearer, and everything was neatly tossed into one large plastic bag (not wrapped in layers of elegant tissue paper and bubble wrap and shipped across the world to me).

Shouting Love from the Rooftop

Cinder has found himself a new girlfriend- Sunny. She's a pit bull mix who belongs to our neighbor. After a month-long courtship, Cinder and Sunny now happily romp around together. They're a perfect match.

SwoC: Day 2

above:
plane reading and
travel-ready clothes

Later today I'll be flying to Portland to visit for a week. I'm looking forward to the slower pace of the northwest for a little while. I'm also really looking forward to hitting some thrift stores with my sis.... I mentioned this in the comments of one of my Wardrobe Remix pictures, but I haven't disclosed it here and I think I ought to before I get called out-- I purposely worded my pledge to exclude thrift shopping because I knew I'd be going to Oregon during my SwoC month. Also, I feel like thrifting doesn't really count towards the kind of clothing consumerism I'm avoiding this month because it is the reusing of old, unwanted clothes as opposed to supporting the "throw away fashion" that H&M, Forever 21, Zara, etc. dish out. Anyway, I'm allowing it- in moderation.

My SwoC project, along with packing for my trip, have brought out some silly fashion creativity in me. Yesterday, as I was carefully paring-down my list of items to pack, I started throwing on random combinations of the clothes edited out of the travel bag. Below is one oddball result. I'm wearing a racer back tank top upside-down as a hood/cowl thing over a knitted babydoll dress and pencil skirt and leggings. I doubt I'd ever wear this combination in public, but I like that I'm starting to look at different ways to use the clothes I have in my closet. (And I am oddly attracted the the upside-down racer tank- expect to see me wearing this some way, some time.)

above:
messing around with clothes-
Rogan for Target organic cotton racer back tank in yellow leopard burnout
?? cotton knit sweater dress in navy
?? fatigue green pencil skirt
H&M sheer black leggings

SwoC Day 1

It's almost an hour in to my work day- a day that would normally be filled with stolen moments trolling my favorite online clothing retailers. But today is different! Today's the first day of my month of Style without Consuming (I felt the need to come up with a shiny label for this project).

This morning, instead of opening up my email and clicking on all the sale links sent to me by Gap, Old Navy, Anthropologie, Ralph Lauren, Bluefly, Banana Republic, Smart Bargains, eLuxury, etc., I scrolled down to the bottom of the page and clicked the "unsubscribe" link. The first time I did it, it was a bit painful. What will I do without knowing what cute clothes I can get for a deal today? But after a little wince, I was over it. Admittedly, I have not unsubscribed to the Racked newsletter or Daily Candy. I'm justifying by saying that they both provide great information on things other than clothing sales, and anyway, my friends rely on me to tell them what sample sale they need to hit after work. I'm not saying I won't unsubscribe later if the temptation is too much, but I'm not ready to do it yet.

I went to make myself a morning cup of coffee, and was complimented by a coworker on my outfit- primarily made up of my new khaki safari dress from Rogan Gregory's line for Target. I thought for a moment about how much I wanted to go buy the version in black as well. After all, it's made from organic cotton so would I really be breaking the rules...? Yes. I would. I reminded myself of the various black, summer, work-appropriate dresses hanging in my closet and surrendered the fantasy.

Back at my desk, an email from Nylon magazine popped up with a link for one of the SoCal surfer girl labels, mentioning some sort of "design for humanity" launch. I took the bate and clicked the link, but instead of going to shop the products I scanned the blurb about how the line would benefit Surfrider Foundation, and had an idea...! With the money I'll be saving from not buying new clothes, I should make a donation to one of the many good environmentally-focused organizations out there. Now I was feeling empowered. I even got ahead of myself and thought that maybe I should extend SwoC to a 6-month gig. Maybe I will....

Pledge

Let's face it: I'm a born shopper. Living in New York City has been a verrrry risky endeavor for me- there's good shopping at every price point here. I'm also an avid online shopper. I've joked about my shopping habits and "shopping therapy" many times, but recently, as my awareness of environmental issues grows, those jokes aren't so funny. I'm obsessively recycling and reusing packaging, buying organic when I can, limiting my use of electricity and water... but I haven't been reducing my fashion consumption. Even before coming to New York my closets bulged at the seams.

So now, after avoiding it for some time, I'm pledging to not buy another piece of new clothing.

For a month. (baby steps here, guys)

I am also pledging not to buy anything, clothing or otherwise, online for a month. (The packaging that comes with buying something online is ridiculous. I recently bought a $3 ceramic cup on sale at Anthropologie.com that was wrapped in tissue and cushion-y paper 10x the cup's volume. Not to mention the carbon output of having the item shipped from warehouse to my house.)

Am I afraid of what this new challenge will do to my daily outfits for Wardrobe Remix? No, actually, I'm excited to see what I'll come up with! I've noticed that I don't get to type "remixed" next tothe listed articles of clothing that I wear nearly enough. I still have items in my closet with the tags on them, so I have a backlog to work through. I will be pulling inspiration heavily from this project, which I read avidly as it unfolded, and will now reference once again during my own adventure.

I am, however, afraid of how I'll feel through this process. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that, but those jokes I make about retail therapy have truth to them. If you're curious to see how I do with this, please stay check back! I plan on posting more regularly in order to record any realizations or rants that I encounter along the way.