I haven&#;t set New Year&#;s resolutions&#;or rather, I don&#;t call them resolutions to avoid the customary February burnout&#;but one thing I&#;m trying to do this year is purchase fewer garments. I love clothes and shopping, but over the past year, I&#;ve learned more about the hellscape that is fast fashion, and I want to be more intentional about the pieces I bring into my closet. After watching a master&#;s degree&#;s worth of slow fashion YouTube, I&#;ve collected some tips for how to shop more judiciously. Here are those tips, in the form of questions. You know, for content.
In , slow fashion enthusiasts launched the #30wears campaign, which encouraged people to wear their clothes at least 30 times before discarding them. This contrasts 7&#;10 times, which is the current estimate for how often people wear a garment. This is a great benchmark for purchasing garments that will stay in your closet for a while.
Thirty wears may seem daunting if you&#;re used to aggressively decluttering every year (not me, obviously), but let&#;s hit the proverbial whiteboard for some Fashion Math&#;. I want to buy a sweater; in my current climate, I get about 3&#;3.5 months of sweater weather, regrettably. I see myself wearing this sweater about 3x a month, about nine wears each winter. Over three years, I would wear it about 30 times. But will I still like the sweater by then? Do I trust the quality of the garment to even last that long? If the answer to either of those is a meh, consider passing it up.
One of my favorite slow-fashion YouTubers Alyssa Beltempo has a great series where she styles garments in multiple ways: a button-down shirt in 20 ways, a jumpsuit in 15 ways, a midi dress in 20 ways, etc. I aim for about five ways, but your benchmark might be different.
I can&#;t tell you the number of times I&#;ve purchased a garment, only to realize it only paired well with a specific pair of pants or only looked good styled a specific way. If you value versatility in your wardrobe and your desired garment is giving one-hit wonder, pass it up.
The Anessa that occupies this dimension of the multiverse cannot be bothered to hand-wash clothing. I simply can&#;t be trusted to handle ultra-delicate clothing and to be honest, they don&#;t fit my lifestyle (more on that later). Now, some garment-washing instructions on the label are like Google restaurant reviews &#; i.e., not to be trusted &#; but you can often sense what level of care a garment needs.
If you buy something that requires more care than you can or want to give, you&#;ll end up with a drab, ill-fitting garment that will haunt your dreams. Don&#;t sacrifice your sleep &#; just consider spending your money elsewhere.
Even the highest-quality garments may need repair in their lifetime. Or a garment may need to be tailored to even be wearable&#;raise your hand if you&#;ve ever owned a pair of pants that were too damn long. Either way, you likely have or will have a garment that needs a little help.
Consider an item you&#;d like to purchase: are you willing to invest time and resources to extend its use? If you&#;re thinking, &#;No way, it&#;s not worth the trouble,&#; perhaps the garment doesn&#;t deserve a spot in your closet.
Spend some time with the garment. Is the stitching uneven or messy? Is the fabric sheer or thin when it should be opaque? If you stretch it, does it spring back together quickly? Or does it languish like a cat in the sun?
Check the tag: does it feature three, four, or even five different fabrics, most of which are synthetic? Does it contain a fabric that irritates your skin? How do you imagine it will look and feel after several washes?
Paying attention to details like these can help you rule out clothes that will quickly lose their shape and vibrance, clothes that aren&#;t worth your hard-earned moniesssss. I&#;m no expert in fabric or garment construction, but I&#;ll list some resources that have helped me develop a more discerning eye:
Minimalist-adjacent YouTuber Christina Mychas once warned against buying duplicates of a garment. Duplicates aren&#;t inherently bad, but if you&#;re still trying to figure out your style and all you have is the same blouse in five different colors, only one cut of tanks or trousers, you may feel sartorially pigeonholed.
If you&#;re interested in having a very streamlined wardrobe, ask yourself, &#;Do I already own a garment that accomplishes the same purpose?&#; I love frilly, Victorian-style white blouses, so much so that I get starry-eyed every time I see a new one. But I already own one I like. I enjoy looking like an s schoolboy from time to time, but I&#;m not craving that aesthetic often enough to merit owning two (for now). This approach doesn&#;t feel overly restrictive; rather, it allows me to spend my clothing funds on something that will expand my wardrobe.
If you&#;re interested in making more sustainable shopping choices, see if you can find the garment secondhand. Websites like Poshmark, Depop, and thredUP have made it so easy to find garments from hundreds of popular brands, either gently used or still with the tag on, and at a great price. If you&#;re less invested in this specific garment and just want something like it (a great way to shop, IMO), you&#;d be delighted by what you can find at your local thrift and antique stores, yea, even Facebook Marketplace.
One of the online conversations I much enjoy is that about the &#;fantasy self.&#; Here&#;s how ChatGPT describes the concept:
The concept of the &#;fantasy self&#; is often used in psychology and self-help literature to describe an idealized version of oneself that a person aspires to be. The fantasy self may include traits, characteristics, achievements, or lifestyles that the individual finds appealing or desirable. It is a subjective and often unrealistic image of the self that may not necessarily align with the person&#;s current reality.
People might create a fantasy self as a form of motivation or inspiration to work towards self-improvement and personal growth. However, if the disparity between the fantasy self and the actual self is too great, it may lead to feelings of inadequacy, disappointment, or frustration.
Thanks, robot correspondent! Please don&#;t take over the world. One area where the fantasy self can take over is in our closets. Our fantasy selves can help us understand what we like and choose bolder looks. However, fantasy shouldn&#;t be the sole driver in new clothing purchases.
Fantasy Anessa wears a power suit &#; a glorious, tailored pantsuit fit for a magazine cover. But real-life Anessa has nowhere to wear a glorious pantsuit. Fantasy Anessa has a collection of the thickest, warmest sweaters to rival that of an Antarctic explorer; real-life Anessa rarely experiences a winter day below 45 degrees.
This isn&#;t to say that I can never buy a power suit or another thick sweater nor that I&#;ll ever have a lifestyle where I would use these. I may need the latter if I pursue a career in cult leadership or businesswear modeling. But I&#;ll get more wear &#; and more enjoyment &#; out of pieces that align with how I live right now.
To better understand what garments would support your current lifestyle, I recommend starting with this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arVVrJn7rss.
One way to shop smarter is to better understand your unique style. This is a really fun exercise (unlike real exercise, amirite?). Stylish Internet people advise us to identify our &#;three words&#;: three words that capture your vibe. Start by listing aesthetics you like (bohemian, vintage, streetwear, work-at-home goblin, etc.). Then extract elements or themes from those aesthetics. Consider the following adjectives; do any of these resonate with you?
Classic, Edgy, Sophisticated, Casual, Elegant, Bohemian, Minimalist, Eclectic, Sporty, Vintage, Quirky, Glamorous, Timeless, Bold, Preppy, Funky, Romantic, Grungy, Androgynous, Whimsical, Feminine
Understanding your style helps you whether a garment will support or hinder your style goals.
For more information, please visit THE MIDI..
Case study: For the past year, I&#;ve been on the hunt for a semi-sheer black top, something one would wear on a night out or to disappoint one&#;s grandparents. I FINALLY found such a top, only to realize I don&#;t have the right bra/bralette/cami to deliver the effect I want. Until I can ensure I have found a proper undergarment (bra shopping is a hellscape of its own), I won&#;t invest in the top.
Perhaps this question is too specific. But my clothes get a lot more mileage when I have good-fitting, comfortable undergarments. If you have a limited budget for clothes, consider allocating some of those funds to all the extra things that make outfits feel great &#; undergarments, hosiery, even jewelry.
I&#;m not in the business of telling you there are good and bad reasons to buy clothing. Instead, I&#;ll share my experience. There have been times I&#;ve used shopping to fulfill some sort of emotional need, to ease anxiety, or to seek respite from boredom, responsibility, doom, etc. As I seek better ways of dealing with those fEeLiNGS, I say no to more garments. And while the magpie inside me is screaming that my wardrobe is incomplete without this piece, that I am incomplete without this piece, it eventually finds something else to do.
Whether you have a ton of mini and maxi skirts and dresses in your closet or you&#;ve never been much of a fan for either style, you may just fall in love with the midi dress. Midi&#;like it implies&#;is a length of a dress or a skirt that is in the middle of a mini and a maxi. The hem usually falls just below the knees or rises a couple of inches above the ankle. This versatile length makes any style perfect for the office, church, brunch and many other occasions. But since the hem length is seen less often than your typical mini or maxi dress, they can be tricky to style.
We&#;ve put together a style guide that will help you turn your next midi look into one of your all-time favorites. Stock up on these dresses for a wardrobe of endless opportunities that can go with you pretty much everywhere.
While maxi dresses could make the cut for appropriate office attire, minis are definitely sitting out on this one. But if you&#;re looking for a sassy style that boosts your confidence, the midi dress may be your new favorite work staple. For a more formal office environment, we suggest that you keep your midi dresses fitted and monochromatic, whereas for a business casual environment, you could embrace the frills, ruffles, patterns and colors. These dresses could be an easy solution if you want to learn how to dress classy.
Long Sleeve&#;If your coworkers abide by a strict office dress code, stick to a midi dress that is fitted and either has a long or quarter length sleeve. Keep the accessorizing down to a minimum for a classic power look.
Add a Blazer&#;If you work in a more casual environment, but want to look extra polished for an important meeting, add a blazer to your favorite midi dress. Accessorizing with a blazer could also be a great way to bring a midi dress into the workplace that isn&#;t exactly &#;office material.&#;
Sweater Midi&#;A sweater midi dress with a turtleneck could also be a great work look. Add a simple belt to define your shape and keep your accessories minimal and dainty.
Midi dresses are so chic and, thanks to the versatility of them, they can be glammed up or dressed down for most occasions. They are also perfect for Sunday brunch or a get-together with your girls.
Embrace Embellishments&#;Midi wrap dresses with ruffles are so perfect for a chic day out on the town. Your dress will move with your body and flow in the wind&#;queue up Sex and the City vibes! If you&#;re looking to define your shape, try a midi wrap dress to achieve that hourglass look.
Fierce Patterns&#;Just because the midi dress boasts a modest length doesn&#;t mean it can&#;t be the main staple of an outfit that has you feeling fierce and confident. Sport a midi dress with a trendy pattern or bold color scheme. Your friends will be complimenting your sense of style.
Off the Shoulder&#;If you want to wear a midi dress, but also want to show some skin, an off the shoulder midi dress is everything you need. The modest cut makes this dress a versatile staple, but the off the shoulder detail gives it a playful and flirty vibe.
Planning a date night with your sweetie? Depending on what the night has in store, you may be envisioning an outfit with a short hemline and flirty accents. But have you thought of a midi dress? Here are some ways you can spice up this style.
High Slit&#;If you&#;re more of a mini dress kind of gal, look for a midi dress with a high slit for an ultra-sexy look. You&#;ll be feeling fiery and confident all night.
Fitted Style&#;Rather than embracing flowy dresses, find a fit that is curve-hugging and flattering. This style will still leave much to the imagination, while also showing off your stunning figure!
Do you have a gala or a work event on the books and you&#;re on the hunt for a dress that reflects your style, but will also fit in with the crowd? These midi dress styles are sure to impress:
Embrace Pleats&#;Pleated midi dresses scream &#;formal,&#; and they look so elegant. Top the look off with a glam clutch and a polished updo.
Dabble in a Midi Jumpsuit&#;Midi jumpsuits can be perfect for the girl who isn&#;t crazy about dresses. This ultra-chic fit for a jumpsuit is perfect for work occasions or a gala. You can easily dress this garment up or down to match the vibe you&#;re looking to achieve.
The company is the world’s best midi fashion supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.