I've been thinking hard about whether or not I can actually do this before opening my mouth and committing myself, but my New Year's Resolution is to only buy second hand clothing. I'll leave myself some cheat items (I'm thinking six of them, and items made by my friends don't count) but I really think between thrifting, vintage stores, eBay, Poshmark, and clothing swaps, I can do this, at least for a while!
I'll tag my favorite second hand finds and outfits on Instagram under #AlyssaRewears.
I don't mean to preach or condemn anyone's shopping habits with this post. I LOVE to shop. I'll do some damage at Target. Before a big work trip my anxiety manifests itself by deciding nothing I own is good enough and impulse buying new outfits.
This is a personal goal in hopes of:
1. Doing more with less
2. Decreasing my environmental impact and first-hand sweatshop support
This won't necessarily save me money since new fast fashion can be cheaper than good vintage, and alterations add up, but saving money isn't really what's at the core of this resolution. I think I use new items to boost my self-esteem and reward myself more than I'm truly aware of, and I want to break myself of that. Maybe it'll mean a trip to the gym instead of a new garment.
Yesterday I took a stack of thrifted vintage to Lindsey at Suska for alterations so I can start the year with great fitting staples. This morning I unsubscribed from a bunch of retail emails to nip temptation in the bud. When I think of who I want to grow to be, I want to be someone who spends their leisure time working in the garden, spending time with friends, and going on hikes over walking around T.J. Maxx.
Less new stuff. More happy.
Do you have any personal style or personal financial resolutions this year? Tell me in the comments!
I did that for a few years when I was in Athens!! It's easier than it seems. My problem was that I'd buy a bunch of stuff that was *almost* perfect, because it was cheap and I figured that I could alter it a bit with my (very crappy) sewing machine (and I hate to sew). So, I ended up with waaaayy too many clothes, very few of them that I really loved. But I tend to do that anyway if I don't watch myself, because I love thrift stores. Now that I've built up a good base of adult lady basics (vs ridiculously short printed dresses), I should give it a try again!
ReplyDeleteI hear ya! Most of my shoes and boots are from eBay and Poshmark, and for every pair that fits, 3 pairs didn't and had to be re-listed. Or I set an alert for something I want, and it takes a month or more for one to wind up on eBay. It's definitely not a perfect process, and alterations can add up, but if I love something enough to get it altered, chances are it was realllly my style and I'll wear it a bunch, and not just an impulse buy!
DeleteAnd it hurts my heart how many amazing vintage dresses I chopped way too short circa 2009.
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