We’re officially one month in to the Slow Fashion Summer Challenge! For those of you who may be unfamiliar, Slow Fashion Summer is a project spearheaded by the group CollAction, in which participants are encouraged to stop buying new clothes for the entire summer (June 21-September 21). According to the official rules, you can swap, make, and thrift, but you can’t buy anything new. The point of this project is to bring attention to the fact that the garment industry is hugely wasteful and harmful to the planet, but that collectively, we can reduce the impact of the fashion industry by reducing our rate of consumption.
(Just a side note: in my original post about the Slow Fashion Summer project, I incorrectly identified Fashion for Good as the creator of the initiative. Fashion for Good was actually just promoting the project for CollAction to help it get some more attention, so, my bad!)
I was tepid about the project at best when it began, but I wanted to make the commitment because I thought it was important.
And then my black pants fell apart.
I didn’t know it then, but I know it now: black pants are the keystone of my wardrobe. Without them, the whole thing comes tumbling down. In the short weeks since my pants died, I’ve been manically searching for a new pair, and then beating myself up with guilt over the fact that I am not supposed to shop until September. I had a good chat with my dear, wonderful friend Kellie (who, when she is not counseling me about pants, is SLAYING the ethical fashion blogging world over at The Wholehearted Wardrobe) and she encouraged me to be nicer to myself. If I needed pants, I should just buy the damn pants and stop agonizing over it.
So that’s what I did. And I know it’s against the rules. I know it goes against my big bold statement that this challenge isn’t worth anything if it isn’t hard. But I was unhappy, and the point of this entire blog is to document my journey of creating a wardrobe that makes me happier. Just like a diet, if I’m restricting and restricting in the name of purity and perfection, what I’m actually doing is starving myself, and spending all my time thinking about buying or not buying clothes instead of living my life. I try to eat intuitively, eschewing food rules and letting my body tell me what it needs, so it stands to reason that I should let myself dress intuitively as well. My gut kept telling me that I needed black pants, so I obliged it, and I finally feel like I can move on and focus on other things.
You’re probably all wondering which black pants I bought, so I’ll tell you. But I also need to come clean and tell you that those pants weren’t my only purchase this month. Here’s everything I’ve bought so far during my somewhat failed Slow Fashion Summer:
Scarpa Climbing Shoes
I started indoor rock climbing this summer and it has been the most fun/terrifying exercise experience ever. Climbing does require proper footwear, and renting gets expensive fast, so I invested in these and I don’t feel bad about it.
Taylor Swift Reputation Crop
Call it what you want, but I love T-Swift, and I got to see her live for the first time when her Reputation stadium tour came to DC. My best friend flew down from Rhode Island to go with me. We got matching t-shirts. I have worn it to bed every single night since then.
Vetta Peg Pant (from the Casual Capsule)
I feel heart eyes when I look at these pants. They are the perfect style for the office, and from what I’ve read, the cotton is thick enough that I can probably wear them well into the fall and the mild days of early winter in DC. I searched every corner of the internet for the perfect black pant, but I kept coming back to Vetta – a company that I have admired for a long time. Vetta is an ethical clothing company that uses sustainable materials, fair labor practices, and promotes a small, intentional closet. All their pieces are crazy versatile and can be worn in multiple ways. These haven’t come in yet, but when they do I’ll be sure to provide a review here or a flash review on my Instagram.
(This probably goes without saying, but Vetta isn’t paying me for this and I am not affiliated with them in any way. I am just an enormous fan girl and I am legitimately obsessed with their clothes)
And finally…..
Vetta Boxy Blouse (in white, from the Relaxed Capsule)
I didn’t need this, but I’ve been eyeing it since the day this capsule was released and when I knew I was going to buy the Peg Pant, it honestly hurt my heart to think of leaving the Boxy Blouse (and that sweet, sweet first time purchase 10% discount) on the table. This top has been all over Instagram, which, while we all know can be a bad thing that causes us to consume more than we normally would, can also be an awesome thing, because you get to see the garment on all kinds of different women wearing it in all different ways. Tied up. Buttons in the front. Buttons in the back. With jeans. Over a dress. This is the top of my DREAMS and I am salivating a little bit RIGHT NOW just writing about it. I have no chill when it comes to Vetta. I am so sorry.
So, all this is to say that I haven’t been successful in my Slow Fashion Summer challenge so far, but I’m not going to continue to guilt myself about it. The purchases I made were mindful, intentional, and useful for my everyday life. These aren’t items that are going to be sitting in the back of my closet, shaming me until I eventually get rid of them. They’re going to be on my body constantly, climbing rocks, rocking out, and working my ass off.
How’s your Slow Fashion Summer going? Have you made any purchases, and if so, how are you feeling about it?
Goblin Shark 