Anyone for a slow fashion thread???

[CorianderSnell]

I’m watching Stacey Dooley’s ‘Fashion’s Dirty Secret’ thing and feeling pretty horrified ... making me feel more determined about buying responsibly.

I’ve seen no new stuff threads on here, but I will genuinely need to buy some things - eg got nothing I can wear on my feet in the rain at the moment - so want to concentrate on buying well.

I’m a terrible clothes buyer - indecisive and never really loving what I buy. I could really do with some help. I do want to have nice enough clothes, but don’t want to just mindlessly buy heaps of stuff...

So, please, join me and give me tips about good places to find more responsibly made stuff, second hand, stuff that really lasts etc.

My first mission - as I said - is winter footwear and a jumper that doesn’t stop halfway between my elbows and wrists...

Great idea! I tend to do the same.
I like Cos and Toast - but Toast only in the sales! Toast have lovely handmade British boots but wait sales ( if then). I think Clarke’s are good and boots last 2-3 years and can get re-soled.
Brora for knitwear - but again only in the sales.

I've had lovely Chelsea style ankle boots from hotter that have lasted a couple of years (I like Clark's too but hotter are super comfy). I got a Barbour waterproof jacket 4 years ago (not a waxed one) which is still going strong.

I also love this thread. I try to keep my clothes for ages but haven't really adjusted to the mindset I need to pay for the quality . I would really like to get ideas from this thread. I usually buy white stuff and fat face clothing but the quality has been awful for a while and I end up wearing sorry looking outfits.

I’ve been attempting this and I’ve found it takes time to gather a full wardrobe cos you usually end up buying expensive stuff and then not buying anything else for a while - I also wait for Toast sales! I’ve had Clark’s shoes resoled too and they defo last longer than shoes I’ve had from office.
I try and channel my granny and keep things nice! So I have leather conditioning cream for my shoes, bags jackets, I have these boot holder-upper things that stop your boots folding over and getting wrinkled. I have decent hangers and I fold my jumpers rather than hang them and I hand wash my wool. Etc etc.
More than anything it’s a mindset - recognising that you don’t need more clothes and only buying stuff like shoes when they’ve worn out, planning your wardrobe and noticing what the gaps are for stuff you are actually wanting. I used to love those ‘capsule wardrobe’ spreads in teen magazines so I try and approach my wardrobe like that.
Also DONT GO IN SHOPS! Unless you know what you want - then if you like it and it fits the bill but it. I’d say my wardrobe is now 60% actually good and the rest I’m working on by slowly identifying what I like wearing/want to wear/waiting for it to appear before me.

It’s quite a lot of effort tbh but worth it I reckon. If you can bear TK Maxand you’re lucky enough to get them on a good day they have some great jumpers in there sometimes. To my dismay two of my faves from there got eaten by carpet moths so I’m keeping my eye out. :(

I’m in! Definitely trying to move away from fast fashion. I’m finding more and more that when I go into fast fashion type shops the clothing looks ridiculously cheap. H&M and Zara are perfect examples, the quality is so so bad! (The Australian shops, I’m not sure about the UK, I see people raving about Zara on here). I actually said to myself last time I walked through H&M (taking a short cut but also having a quick look) ‘Why do I keep coming in here!?’

Have you all seen ‘the true cost’ documentary’. Very good and eye opening! I love op shopping so do that for second hand stuff. Lucky for me I found a pair of ‘nobody’ jeans at a market on the weekend. Also have a vintage Levi’s skirt and numerous other good quality jeans from op shops 🙌🏻

@CorianderSnell have you considered a capsule wardrobe?

I recorded that programme but I've not seen it. I've kind of gone back to my studenty days and buy second hand as much as I can. I'm not a zealot - I bought some Uniqlo trousers recently but sent them back - but I guess my shopping is about 80% second hand now. I'm very lucky cos I have a great dress agency close by so I can find high end / designer stuff at high street prices. I supplement with charity shops and some vintage. Plus I save up so that, when I do buy new, I can afford to go upmarket. It also helps that our local high street is shite so I don't feel I'm missing out.

The big exception is shoes which I always trash no matter what I've paid so I tend to buy TK Maxx or Clarks then nurse them along with help from a cobbler.

It means doing a regular circuit so it takes time - and I appreciate that's something we don't all have - but I love clothes and love rummaging so I enjoy it. It means I mostly use small, local shops where they know me and know their stuff.

But it's not a perfect solution. For one thing I wouldn't do nearly as well if everyone did it!

Sorry you asked for specific tips not just my idle pontificating. Regarding charity shops - I used to always moan about them on here. I was wrong. Contrary to what I thought, the best ones round here aren't in the most affluent part of town. They're in an ok area but more importantly they're also on a route into the city centre and close to free parking - so handy for affluent working donors dropping stuff off. It's no good dropping in occaionally - I try and go round at least once a fortnight.
I find the real gems are often in shops supporting a local charity, especially hospices - people like to donate to somewhere with a personal connection.

I decided in the beginning of this year that I wasn’t going to buy anything new without first checking the charity shops/Ebay for second hand. I did this purely because I am concerned about the environment and yet I can’t really afford to buy ethically produced things brand new, so felt like it was just my little step towards that.

I have pretty much managed it, except a few bits that I’ve bought new because I genuinely loved them, and underwear that I wouldn’t buy second hand. I’ve lost a lot of weight this year so have needed a new summer and now autumn wardrobe.

Highlights: a black lace dress for a formal night on a cruise (£1.50 on eBay)
A green next coat, 99p on eBay
A brand new pair of Wallis jeans £2.50 in the charity shop,

I buy all the kids stuff there too, we have about 6 or 7 decent charity shops near and I do make a point of going regularly- plus, (and I feel this is important) anything that isn’t right or doesn’t fit properly I very quickly either re-donate or sell on eBay/Facebook so I don’t end up with loads of stuff I don’t wear.

Check every thing before you buy- look for pulls in fabric, marks on things (especially dry clean only because the charity shops by me don’t clean them if they are DCO), check that zips run smoothly, hems are level etc- (all the reasons why someone might donate an item that might not be checked). One thing I find is that often jumpers/knitwear is either shrunken a little or has been washed and dried badly so the sleeves are really long- this often slips through the charity shop checks!

I have a pintrest board of items that I lust over which I'll look keep rechecking and deleting items I no longer think I want anymore. For the items I do definitely want I'll search for second hand on ebay, charity shops or vintage/jumble sales. I've bought mostly second hand for several years now and I much prefer the joy of finding the perfect item after many months of searching rather than a quick couple of clicks and it arrives in the mail a day or so later only to find I'm not so keen on it anymore.

I also have my own set limits of how much I am willing to spend on a certain item. For example jeans £10 max. Boots £40. dress £5-10. If an ebay auction goes above my limit I won't bid. I know I can find another one for a price I'm willing to pay. This may seem very tight but my budget is very tight. I know I can get quality items for a low price and I'm happy to wait for it if its the right thing.

Ooh, so much helpful stuff - haven’t been able to get back to this thread til now and on phone so can’t scroll up to reference everyone but thanks for all the ideas...

Definite theme is making it an ongoing lifestyle thing and putting the effort in isn’t it? I am very sporadic with eBay and charity shops because they can take up so much time and then if something doesn’t work or you just don’t find what you’re looking for it can be a bit disheartening and lead me back to high street shops - especially if I’ve let it get to the point where e.g I have a formal night out and nothing except ripped jeans and trainers in the wardrobe. But I like the idea of getting into the habit of checking much more regularly - just a few mins every few days kind of thing - and keeping an eye out for pieces I’ve decided I need.

I looked at my shoe cupboard again and I do actually have some winter-suitable boots. They are big chunky men’s boots from Ugg (I have wide size 42s so many women’s shoes just don’t do a big enough size) which have lasted well - 6 years old now I think - but are very scuffed so I do kind of look like a workman in them. I’m thinking I’ll try polishing them first then decide whether I really need a new pair.

@Lunathecat - Toast is a good idea to look for shoes; I’ve only bought a couple of tops there before, but they have lasted beautifully and still look smart after a good few years

@MrsLem - I have a Barbour jacket too (waxed) and love it - it’s only on its second winter but makes everything look a bit smarter and love the fact I can send it back to Barbour to get re waxed and should be able to keep it going for years and years.

@AhoyDelBoy - I love the idea of a capsule wardrobe but I’ve never been able to make it work. I don’t think I’m fashion minded enough to buy things that are interesting but work well together, so I just end up with lots of jeans and sweatshirts because I know they work, where I would prefer wearing something a bit more interesting

@Floisme - I like the pontificating!

I’ll have to give charity shops some thought - there’s one I tend to drop stuff off at as it’s fairly easy to walk into, but never had any clothes of interest when I’ve looked. There is an area of town which is full of charity shops, several of which look like they stock good stuff, but I very rarely find myself over that way, so at the moment I don’t go in any regularly. My immediate neighbourhood has none. An upmarket second hand dress agency sounds ideal - I’m in a fairly big city so there should be something like that - just whether or not I can find something to fit in with my routines for other stuff...

Watching with interest as another guilty clothes/ style addict.

I always get really excited about clothes when the seasons change, but over the last couple of years I've shifted my mindset from "Ooh! Time to buy something new!" to "Yay - time to bring out last year's clothes and plan how to wear them"

It is hard though when shop windows, magazines and blogs start to fill up with New Stuff. But I'm definitely happier with fewer, more considered purchases. Will be watching for more tips and inspiration!

Worth reading....
www.theguardian.com/money/2016/oct/26/clothes-boots-last-forever-lifetime-guarantee

Toast are great but difficult to afford outside of the sale. Their Blundstone boots are lovely, but you can buy them outside of Toast anyway, and are really reasonable for £150. They will last years, very substantial and classic. The rest of the time I buy from Cos although I have just picked up a couple of the Morris dresses from H n Ms. Clarkes for boots are great. I too have totally changed my buying. We downsized a few years ago and I was stunned by how much I had accumulated but didn't wear. I have halved my wardrobe but there is still stuff I don't wear, so they'll go to the charity shop. I am trying to have a one in, one out policy, but it's hard! If you can sew, it helps as you can modify dresses. I have slash neck dress that I've changed to a V neck which is more flattering and things do look so much better if they fit properly, and it isnt difficult to take things in.

I've not bought from these people yet but I like the look of them: a social enterprise, British made. Community Clothing

Joining! I am always looking for affordable quality clothes - HM etc have way too thin and plain bad fabrics. I shop charity shops a lot, but shoes and boots are a challenge.

That article’s great mrssmiling! - have bookmarked it so I can refer back when looking for something.
DP has a lot of Patagonia stuff and has sent stuff off for repairs, always very good service.

I’ve stuck my nice pair of heeled boots by the door to take to the cobbler tomorrow to see if he can fix the broken strap. Will see about buying polish at the same time to clean up my clumpy boots.

So, I started making a list of the brands mentioned on the thread so far and thought I’d look though my wardrobe to remind myself what had lasted and worked for me...

... but what I realised when looking through is how little I like most of my clothes and I think that’s the crux of my problem. I’m not a teenager who spends every weekend getting a new going out outfit in Primark - not your typical ‘fast fashion’ offender if you like - but I think what I’m guilty of is buying clothes for all the wrong reason so although some may be ‘ethically made’ or supposedly higher quality/longer lasting I’m not getting the wear out of them that I should, which is why I’m contributing to the problem...

I think I really need to learn to buy clothes that I love, not clothes that are a bit like clothes I used to love, or clothes that seem respectable and inoffensive, or clothes that I buy because I’m in a small boutique and I’m chatting with the owner and she seems really nice...

I will stick up the list of brands when I get another minute, because I think it is useful to have a list of places to check in mind to try and get longer lasting, or better made clothes, but I think for me (and I know this won’t be the case for everyone) I need to have more of a plan for how to buy/choose well as well.

Thinking about looking at The Curated Closet as a starting point as heard a few good reviews on podcasts. Any other recommendations for books/social media accounts/websites/threads on here etc. with tips re this kind of thing gratefully accepted!

The Dr Martens life guarentee has been scrapped in that link mrssmiling unfortunately. I suspect it's because they're not made to the same standard they once were and would be replacing boots every few months, they're now fast fashion at the same price sadly.

I've just worked through The Curated Closet, coriander.

What really helped was getting all my summer stuff out of my wardrobe, along with items that no longer fit or were too damaged. It allowed me to then see what I had for autumn/winter.

It was a bit of a shock, tbh. I had about four pairs of trousers, two skirts, and a few day dresses with a few smart dresses left. My knitwear was rather sparce too. Considering my total hanging space was about 15 foot, I ended up with only enough for about 4 foot.

But immediately I began to see how items could be put together to make outfits. It's actually far easier to get dressed now. And I'm not going to buy anything this season at all, bar a jumper.

I can also see now how fewer and higher quality purchases will work with the items I have, and how precision buying can work.

I wouldn’t buy Dr Martens again - they just seem like any other fast fashion outlet now, only they’re still trading on their indie roots. I'd rather save up and give my money to Solovair. (Sorry can’t link at the moment.) They’re expensive but I understand they still make them in Northampton. I think Toast now sell them too.

I'm about to go on maternity leave. Money isn't tight as a household but I'm not particularly going to feel like splashing out on footwear and bags and coats I don't need. I've also now found that, although it's really boring, I can exist off a small collection of clothes. For maternity wear I've had 2 pairs of jeans, dungarees, some Hush joggers and a couple of casual dresses for the entire past 7 months.

I'm therefore going to see my post-baby time as a way to slowly start wearing my existing clothes as I fit back into them, starting with the ones I really like and have missed. After a few months, if I haven't been excited to get back into something, it'll be donated (and not replaced).

I do tend to invest in cost-per-wear items - my 2 leather jackets are AllSaints, my coat is Burberry, my waterproof is a Joules one, and I never ever wear non-leather shoes and bags. The difficulty I have is when I have say 3 black t shirts which all get worn over about 10 days with different things. I can't bring myself to pay a lot for basics (more than a £10 Uniqlo pricepoint) when I need a few of each thing!

Have you tried looking on Etsy? Unfortunately they opened the market to large manufacturers too but if you search “Handmade” & set the distance to local to you (if transport impact on environment etc is important to you) you will likely find great pieces & producers. Clothing & accessories. Handmade & vintage. Also try searching for “ethicalfashion” hashtag on social media.

Oooh joining in. I've been trying to convert to slow fashion for a while and that programme really encouraged it. I've lost a lot of weight so I have had to buy a fair bit but I only need a few items and I'm set until things are die on me. I've been really getting into second hand and got a beautiful wool vintage coat from eBay last week for £15. I'm going to check out the charity shops in a nearby village. Parking is free and it's on the train line direct to London so hopefully should be some good finds.

Thanks to PP who explained about caring for items. That was really helpful, I didn't think about a lot of. I'll get some nice hangers and leather conditioner etc. I also have a few pair of shoes that might be able to be rescued.

I've also gone through my instagram and unfollowed anyone who supports fast fashion (unless I like the rest of the content, like fitness posters) and followed a few sustainable fashion influencers. Hopefully that will encourage me even more.