Wardrobe: Past (’21 purchases); Present (OOTDs); Future (sustainable, I hope)

As I wrote in this post, I’ve hesitated over posting another Assessment of the Year’s Wardrobe Purchases (as I did last year and the year before). My thinking on this is still tentative and tangled, but has to do with contributing to an overall emphasis on Buying; I’ve been wondering if my efforts toward sustainable fashion might be better focused on Wearing.

Partly because there’s so much judging and comparison and potential envy and resentment tied up in Buying. And these days, that judging, comparison, envy, resentment, are complicated by questions of privilege and responsibility — social justice and environmental imperatives. And I’m not even going to touch on the question of age and visibility, but it’s there as well.

Somewhere in social media last week I read a provocative comment: that a sweater bought at H&M by someone of limited means who loved and wore it for many years was a better example of sustainable fashion than the ethically-made linen tunic bought by someone with a more robust budget, donated to charity or consigned to a second-hand shop a year or two later, after being worn four or five times.

And yes, that’s a claim that could stand some poking and prodding for assumptions and generalizations, but it reinforced my foot-dragging on this “fessing up” post. I think we all, absolutely, need to be thoughtful about the implications of all our consumption. We have a responsibility to educate ourselves about the ethical and environmental costs of our retail fashion spending. But now that consciousness is being raised (as we feminists used to say, back in the day), now that a shift that has begun, however slowly, however incrementally, toward “sustainable fashion,” I prefer to keep the momentum going in my own efforts by focusing on joy rather than guilt.

That quiet steady joy that I find in the everyday use value of my clothes, the way they serve me practically but also allow me to express my creativity, my personality, the way their colours and textures and shapes please me aesthetically. Finding joy in clothes that I love also means I care for them and want to wear them as long as possible. It’s part of what I hope to convey in those “outfits of the day” posts, why I continue to post these even though they so often stir up my sense of vulnerability.

Obviously, though, those clothes I enjoy so much and am trying to wear as long as possible are clothes I once bought. So in the interest of honesty and personal accountability, I’m going to stop the palaver and share my list of 2021 wardrobe purchases with you, albeit much more perfunctorily than I did last year or the year before.

I’m content at having bought fewer garments than last year, if barely. I definitely bought more shoes. Three pairs replaced older versions of necessary sneakers and water shoes. The Fluevog boots, though, were a considered purchase (I took a few weeks at this) of a coup de foudre (a French expression which literally means “lightening strike” or “thunder bolt,” but is used figuratively to mean “love at first sight”).

And it’s this coup de foudre effect, perhaps, that has me feeling defensive about purchasing — I didn’t really need a new pair of boots; I bought them because “love at first sight”! How responsible is that?!

Well, as I think about it in light of what I wrote a few paragraphs ago, these coups de foudre purchases are often the most sustainable ones in my closet — and they work hard to sustain other older buys. Here’s an example.

This OOTD was inspired by an Instagram post by @msbeltempo, an advocate for “shopping your closet” who encourages “creativity instead of consumption” (and yes, my “creativity” here relies on “consumption,” the relatively recent consumer act of buying those yellow boots. But they were in my closet for shopping by the time I saw Alyssa’s post.

I liked the clean contrasts of this look although hers is a much more polished aesthetic than my own.

Alyssa’s inspiration showed me a way to get that big white cotton shirt into winter use (in the summer, it’s a breezy cover-up), to freshen a pair of skinny jeans I have been ignoring, and to take advantage of the mending I’ve done to that oatmeal sweater. I like my classic navy wool coat, but it doesn’t have the richer drama of @msbeltempo’s mellow brown. And here’s where those yellow boots make all the difference. Colour and drama (and proof that I didn’t need to go out to buy a gorgeous pair of knee-high black leather boots, just like hers!). That coup de foudre paying off.

Below, the same outfit with my sneakers. Am I frowning because they just don’t look as good? No matter; I was walking to an appointment four kilometres a way, and boot love had already blistered my foot the week earlier. . .

I like those sneakers better with these jeans (below) — an old pair of pre-faded Levis, worn with a cashmere pullover (2015?) and a coup de foudre silk scarf (2020). . .

and honestly, I like almost everything better — even my N95 mask and my rain-frizzy curls!) with my new coup de foudre Harris Tweed coat. Which isn’t fazed at all by a bit of rain, feeling right at home in a drizzly climate, it seems.

I think that’s it, for this morning, but re-reading it before clicking “Publish” somehow brought to mind a post from a few years ago which touched on the subject of coups de foudre in clothes-shopping –and gave examples of two very different responses to the “love at first sight” certain shoes or clothes or bags evoke. The post suggests the value of considering how long that love will last, something Francine (a co-worker, back in the mid-70s) was good at and Marion (who also worked with me, in that same office) was not. And also of how that consideration and a certain restraint paid off in development of personal style. When I’ve thought of it since, I tend to think of this considered approach, the resulting confident style, as “the Francine factor.” Perhaps you’ll take a minute and read that post — it’s one I’m quite fond of.

One last image before I send this out to you, a photo of a page from my sketch journal where I’ve decided to try drawing 5-10 sketches a month (maybe even 3 or 4 a week) of What I Wore, once again trying to accomplish two tasks in one.

Okay, that’s it. Back to my Italian homework now (which consists, delightfully, of reading another chapter of Antonio Manzini’s first giallo (crime novel, mystery) Pista nera (Black Run, is the title of the English translation) featuring Vice-questore Rocco Schiavone and set in Valle d’Aosta, a region of Italy I have not yet visited. Then later today, our Teen Granddaughter arrives to cook dinner with her Granddad (I might lend a hand, but will probably focus on being a delighted diner — I think they’re making ravioli for the main course and she’s suggested Lemon-basil crepes with berry compote and chantilly cream for dessert. Oh, yeah!!)

So I’ll leave the mic on for you, and will look forward to your comments.

xo,

f

31 Comments

  1. 26 January 2022 / 1:18 pm

    I felt something similar when I wrote my January “fessing up” post. That focusing on the guilt can smother the joy that fashion brings us. Not necessarily the joy of buying new things, just the joy that fashion can bring. My old pieces that I love have brought me joy for years. And if the joy wanes I stick them in the cupboard for a year or two until I can greet them again like a long lost friend. I love trying to spin old pieces into new outfits. But I also love buying a new piece to make other older pieces more wearable. I guess there’s more than one way to practice sustainability.
    P.S. Love that oatmeal sweater with the white shirt.

    • fsprout
      Author
      27 January 2022 / 7:35 am

      Exactly. And self-consciousness, sometimes, about my good fortune in having such choices. So, once again, trying to be mindful about what I say and do but doing that with joy rather than from guilt. And staying accountable to myself, at least. Whew!
      p.s. thank you! I think you alerted me to her IG — I get so many compliments on a relatively simple combination I would never otherwise have thought of.

  2. Lesley
    26 January 2022 / 1:31 pm

    Frances, life is too short not to enjoy a few coup de foudre moments along the way. More time is spent pushing up daisies than standing looking down on them! Enjoy the boots!

    • fsprout
      Author
      27 January 2022 / 7:37 am

      True — as long as they’re just a few! And that we remember that sometimes “love at first sight” withers at the first argument about what constitutes a good movie 😉

  3. Leslie Anne Lord
    26 January 2022 / 3:03 pm

    I too like the sweater with the white shirt…my list of new things is incredibly small. It’s quite weird that I have hardly purchased any clothes. I do appreciate and enjoy your OOTD posts and your quality items will last a long time.

    • fsprout
      Author
      27 January 2022 / 7:38 am

      You have such a carefully curated wardrobe, and you still seem to find much joy from it — a great example!

  4. Carolyn R
    26 January 2022 / 4:19 pm

    I really appreciate your postings of your OOTD. I often get stuck with an outfit only being “put together” one way . Seeing others, like you and Sue B. in outfits, gives me new ideas as to what to try with items that are in my closet.
    You can tell by your facial expressions in your photos, how much you enjoy your Yellow boots and that means that they will be well loved and worn often.
    I also really enjoyed the Francine story.

    • fsprout
      Author
      27 January 2022 / 7:40 am

      So pleased to know that you appreciate these postings. And that you took the time to read that Francine post. I do love the yellow boots — the test will be whether or not they show up in the blog however many years from now. 😉

  5. Wendy in York
    27 January 2022 / 12:10 am

    I enjoyed reading about Francine again . I’m not that disciplined regarding clothes but any new item is very rarely worn immediately – unlike when I was a youngster . These days I hang it outside the wardrobe in a spare bedroom to admire & touch for a little while before putting it inside to ‘ settle in ‘. I don’t like to feel self conscious by wearing a new outfit . At one time shops would put sets of clothes together so you could choose a ‘ whole new outfit ‘ & I never wanted to be part of that . There’s so much harmless pleasure to be had from clothes & they don’t need to be new . Not least following your heart instead of your head occasionally. The yellow boot syndrome ?

    • fsprout
      Author
      27 January 2022 / 7:47 am

      I don’t know why, but that image of your garments hanging patiently outside the spare-bedroom wardrobe, then “settling in.” inside really appeals to me. You coming in the room occasionally to admire it, appreciate the texture, getting used, maybe, to the idea of wearing it, thinking of what occasions it suited. A whole narrative there. And a whole other angle to “slow” fashion. Stretch the pleasure of the new addition.
      And this “yellow boot syndrome.” That works!

  6. Dottoressa
    27 January 2022 / 3:27 am

    IMO,you were brava, Frances!
    And, even my world is brighter when I see your yellow boots on photos! One has to allow oneself a couple of coups de foudre (Francine’s way) from time to time,especially now
    I agree that it is important how often one wears each piece of clothes. It depends how different is the point in the wardrobe where one is starting,too.
    So,FRugality-yes! Mindful shopping-yes! But,never forgeting the real joy in the process……
    Dottoressa

    • fsprout
      Author
      27 January 2022 / 7:48 am

      Yes, this is what I’m trying to express — Frugality and mindful shopping and being responsible to the planet. But allowing ourselves Joy as well.
      Thank you!

  7. darby callahan
    27 January 2022 / 7:42 am

    I always enjoy seeing what you, and others purchased. after reading this post I made a list of what I actually bought this past year. I did not think I bought much but the list was surprising long. Some was clearly necessary, like sneakers, as my old, very comfortable pair actually had holes in the bottoms. and underwear. I did buy two cashmere sweaters as they are the backbone of my Fall and Winter wardrobe. Sometimes I am aware of something that would expand the wardrobe I have. If I happen to see it, while not actively looking I will get it. I am trying to wear pieces that I have had for years in new ways. not so quick to put something in the donation bin as it is likely to end up in a landfill. Much of the clothing I own and wear is at the least several years old. My jeans are probably easily 10 years old. I have a blazer, black and white cashmere check, which I bought at a resale shop over 25 years ago, so who knows the real age. And there is the red silk blouse, a gift from a boyfriend maybe 30 years ago, still in perfect condition and worn at the holidays. I thought I had found something I had to have a few years ago. A couple of bloggers posted an Eileen Fisher moto jacket in a waxed cotton, so not leather, no animals harmed and sustainable brand. Just the thing to add some edge to my wardrobe. since it was a bit of an investment I went to the nearest EF store in the mall. they had it in the two sizes which might fit me. both looked awful. And keep posting your OOTD.

    • Carol
      27 January 2022 / 11:45 am

      I have that very EF jacket. Happy to say it works on me, and sorry it didn’t work for you. And thank you for the reminder to pull it out and wear it!

      • darby callahan
        28 January 2022 / 5:06 am

        it was so cool looking, I almost ordered it, but when I tried it on the sleeves on both sizes were just too long and the whole was not flattering.

  8. Stephanie
    27 January 2022 / 8:14 am

    I love the sketch of you in the boiler suit! I appreciate the quality of your writing.

    I bought only seven things in 2021 – mostly basics like tees and locally-made moccasins – but this was probably mostly due to a kind of pandemic depression and fatigue, and definitely had nothing to do with virtue. I like to sew and knit and have fun with that, so I usually make more things and made very little last year (a coat, a blouse and a pair of shorts: two out of three with fabric I have had for a long time and the third with a gift from a friend). I hope that this year will be different, a time for creative self-expression.

    My own view at this point (today at least!) is that unless you are someone sucked in by fast fashion (clearly you are not), worrying about clothing purchases in the grand scheme of the consumption that most of us undertake in the west (and people such as me, who take transatlantic flights fairly regularly), is maybe a little bit marginal in importance. The consumption I worry about most is the consumption we are tempted to do out of boredom or because someone else has convinced us we have a need we don’t actually have. It’s nice to stop and think about expressing our creativity by “shopping” what we already have. I’ve always enjoyed remixing things I have, and remain attached to the things I own, which you seem to as well. I find that that’s especially true of the things I make myself, because the materials often have a story behind them (e.g., dead stock purchased from an elderly tailor in Florence, or a luxe fabric end purchased on a walk with my partner, that I need to be creative to get a garment out of). So much thought goes into the choice of pattern and the fitting that I feel connected to them. You seem to put similar thought into the purchases you make and how they will fit in your wardrobe.

    I love the comment above about how much time we spend pushing up daisies. Touché.

    • fsprout
      Author
      28 January 2022 / 7:16 am

      You may be right about how retail fashion contributes to our environmental problems, although I’ve seen enough stats to know that the fuel (production and distribution) and water (growing fibres, production) and landfill use are significant and deserve our attention. Not to mention the impact of microplastics on our oceans. And you’re certainly right that my small, individual efforts aren’t going to do much. But I like to hope that there’s something worthwhile in pointing to and modelling possibility. And to discover and share the joy in that.

      • Stephanie
        29 January 2022 / 8:02 am

        Oh I think my comment was misunderstood. I think that retail fashion is problematic and I behave in accordance with that belief (as described above), but I tend to look at the bigger picture of how one lives one’s life in terms of the overall impact one has. I just meant that it seems that you are making an effort and that you enjoy what you own. I won’t comment again. Cheers!

        • fsprout
          Author
          29 January 2022 / 8:25 am

          Ah, gotcha! We’re on the same wavelength, absolutely, and you’re right (and thanks for noticing) that overall my consumption is pretty modest (by North American standards, at least).

  9. Carol
    27 January 2022 / 11:58 am

    Today I pulled an at-least 5-year-old (probably older, but I can’t remember) Eileen Fisher periwinkle knit blazer out of the closet and wore it to a post-birthday tea, with a black EF linen tank (3 years – they went on extreme sale and I bought multiples in black & white and they are the perfect layering piece), black Liverpool microfiber jeans (18 months) and my beloved Guiseppe Zanotti ankle boots (almost 7 years and going strong, although I wear them a LOT). Accessorized with a shawl/scarf knit last year in Iris Malabrigo Pashmina that I bought in Santa Fe a decade ago. When I was thinking about my outfit while on my walk, I had another thing in mind entirely, and then I decided I’d better shop my closet and wear something I hadn’t worn in a while, and the jacket was it. It’s a little darker than Pantone’s Very Peri, and I love the color and am happy to have added it back into circulation. It is very easy to get into a rut and wear the same things, but you and Sue and some of the Insta accounts you’ve highlighted are reminding me to mix it up a little. Thank you!

    • fsprout
      Author
      28 January 2022 / 7:18 am

      Lovely! You’re walking the talk in Portugal, all those beloved pieces that crossed the ocean for you to keep wearing them, mixing them up in different ways. And as soon as I read your description (in your second line) of your EF knit blazer, I thought — Her closet’s got her back! She’s ready for the Very Peri year 😉

  10. Genevieve
    27 January 2022 / 12:24 pm

    I love the focus on wearing rather than it being about buying. Having recently retired, this is very pertinent to me. I absolutely love your selfie in the mirror sketch!

    • fsprout
      Author
      28 January 2022 / 7:19 am

      Thanks for your encouraging words!

  11. Maria
    27 January 2022 / 8:54 pm

    Much to think about. It’s easy to get into a rut with clothes but, as you show, changing things up and getting more use of loved items can be very rewarding. I’m a fan of the colour of your Fluevog boots and the colours in the scarf are delightful. Both can take an outfit from fine to great and are wonderful additions to you wardrobe. Temperatures are consistently in the high 20s here and it’s very humid so I’m wearing linen and cotton dresses on repeat. A second layer is out of the question. When I venture out, I add some jewellery for interest and continue to rely on my bright chartreuse bag to elevate outfits – it has been used regularly for nearly 5 years now so it has justified its coup de foudre purchase. Your sketches are delightful and I hope you achieve your target.

    • fsprout
      Author
      28 January 2022 / 7:20 am

      I love picturing that gorgeous chartreuse bag, getting better and better with the years!
      Thanks re the sketching — encouragement appreciated 😉

  12. Annie Green
    28 January 2022 / 9:02 am

    I love that rare moment when you see something and think: you for me. But it is rare. Most of my life I have sighed, stared and moved on. Budget or bodily limitations have held me back a good deal of the time though I still recall a silken bomber jacket I saw on a rack in 1975, one that could not be mine. I like a coup de foudre. Most of the time I consider how much I can afford and what I need. Sometimes I find that something I adored and bought has not stood the test of time and I look at it now with bewilderment – what was I thinking? What did I see? And then there are items that hit you between the eyes, you buy them and love them forever – a beautiful cardigan I bought in Amsterdam 12 years ago, for instance, as gorgeous now as it was then, always eliciting comments when I wear it. An upcoming party may call for me to buy some material and make a tunic top in extravagant silk. Or maybe not. The key is taking the time to weigh it in the balance, something that rarely occurred to me when I was young.

    • fsprout
      Author
      29 January 2022 / 8:39 pm

      Oh, everything you say here! I’ve done a fair bit of sighing, staring, and moving on, but then was able to indulge myself a bit in the years after the kids had all been launched and I was working full-time. But you’re right that sometimes I’m bemused by a piece I’d once swooned at. Luckily that’s been balanced but those treasures that still make me happy. Taking time to weigh the choice, as you say. That seems to be the trick — and probably a better sense of my own style, less influenced by what’s currently in the air.

  13. 30 January 2022 / 7:23 am

    Your coat and boots seem to me the essence of Mater. I do not imagine you’ll ever be done with them. I admire your year end summary. I don’t think I could remember what I’ve bought if I tried, nor assemble the details from credit card statements. The year was a blur.

    Add to your thinking, the $ you spent during a pandemic, if it went to smaller makers or retailers, perhaps allowed someone to make their own sustainable choices. There is no calculator, sadly. Probably musing out loud and instigating musing by your readers is the best possible effort.

    • fsprout
      Author
      31 January 2022 / 10:17 am

      Your second paragraph — this is important to me, although I’m aware it can become a justification for over-indulgence. But almost all my purchases were from small, independent shops in my neighbourhood, trying to buy and sell ethically. And also, “musing out loud and instigating musing by [my] readers” — I’m so glad you think this is “the best possible effort” because that’s my assessment as well. For me, at least. Others will be more activist and we surely need those types, but it’s not my comfort zone (nor my skillset, for that matter).

  14. Duchesse
    2 February 2022 / 8:59 am

    As you know I do this too, but go a step further than the list, I also note the price and whether the item was new or secondhand, (Also if on sale, the original and sale price.) Because, I am looking for pleasure but also value. (You likely know the prices even if you did not write them.) I have also found my “coups” during the past two covid years are sometimes proxies for loneliness or worry, so I’ve learned to park the instant rush to see if several days or weeks later I still have that swoony feeling. I had a hard time with the writer who pitted an H&M sweater against the linen, with the inherent assumptions about wearability and the status of the buyer. In my experience, thrifts are glutted with H&M and the like, so how many women are getting years and years out of the acrylic sweater>

    • fsprout
      Author
      2 February 2022 / 7:42 pm

      Yes, you were doing this long before I was. I do know the prices I paid but wasn’t interested in sharing those.
      I understand your skepticism about that comparison, but since all of my daughters still regularly wear H&M or Zara or Le Chateau sweaters they’ve had for years (not necessarily acrylic, and, to be fair, the daughter you’ve met has bought a few of hers at “VV Boutique”) I was ready to grant the point. Especially since I’ve occasionally been the woman who’s bought the pricier garment and then moved it along within a couple of years. Not often, but it’s happened.

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