Simple Suggestion #108... Naturalize your wardrobe

Working at the Clothing Room at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul's distribution centre, we see a lot of clothing donations... some of which we put out for clients to access, some of which we send to other agencies, and some that goes into the round filing cabinet because it's no longer fit to wear (why people donate their paint shirts or torn jeans is beyond me. Do they really think we'll have time to clean/fix their stuff if they don't?) And we perpetually ask: what should we do with these outdated, out of style, often polyester outfits that may never come back into fashion? Does polyester ever break down?

I haven't actually been to the Clothing Room since my dizziness began three months ago, and I'm really missing it, my volunteer friends and the folks who come in to get clothes and kibbitz with us. It's been on my mind more than usual lately, because I have a few clothing items that my girls have outgrown that I could take for the sometimes empty racks there. And I'm thinking about it today because of the many bags of clothes I've unpacked there over the last few years that have given me a definite bias about my own wardrobe.

After sorting through bags and bags of some blessed deceased old lady or gentleman's clothing, and reflecting on what they left behind and how their offspring couldn't bear to send it to the dump, I've decided that I want, as much as possible, to live in natural fibres. For one thing, they breathe better, and for another, when they get to the end of their lives (or mine), if they end up in a landfill, they will biodegrade in a way that polyester and other artificial fibres don't. As for leather... it's not a great choice because of the toxins required to process it into something wearable. Of course, these days, almost everything we wear is processed in one way or another, so it takes a bit of extra effort to find wool, cotton, hemp, and other natural fibres that aren't chemically treated in ways that wreck our environment at their beginnings, or aren't made by people in poor working conditions. But if we can find it, clothing manufactured using sustainable, people-friendly methods is often of such good quality that it lasts longer than the unsustainably made equivalents, if you can even call them equivalents.

I've spent part of my afternoon today looking at clothing on sustainable clothing websites like www.globalgirlfriend.com and www.commonthreadz.com... and realize that 1) there aren't a lot of Canadian retailers for sustainable clothing, and 2) the so-called eco-boutiques are way out of my price range! But there are other options... like buying natural fibre clothing second hand instead of creating consumer demand for new items, or going to the big Fashion Clothing Swap that will be part of the Metropolis Winter Festival in Sir Winston Churchill Square on February 17th from 7 to 10 pm. There's also a "Handmade Mafia Market" happening that evening, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on February 18th. If it's a way to refresh my wardrobe in a sustainable way, it's worth the trip in my books!

Or... maybe my wardrobe is just fine the way it is, and I don't NEED to go shopping at all. Yup. I think that's probably true.

P.S. Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Try here.

Simple Suggestion #22... Shop at garage sales and thrift stores

Here are a couple of pictures from a trip to the old Salvation Army Thrift store that used to be in my neighbourhood a few years back:

A lovely, like-new wedding dress...

More stuffed toys than a child could love...

A beautiful blue bathing suit ensemble

And some in-line skates that actually fit my oversized feet. Not that I bought any of these things -- I just took pictures for "Do I need it."

As for garage sales... our best story is that my daughter, who always wanted an accordion, played one at a garage sale and walked away with a look of longing on her face when I told her I didn't have seventy-five dollars. The fellow ended up giving it to her for nothing! When we looked for one like it online, we discovered that they sell for over a thousand dollars... If you want to send me stories of great garage sale/thrift shop successes, I'd love to hear them.

The point is that not everything needs to be bought brand new. Let's face it -- fueling consumerism isn't the best pastime for people if we want to live simply and save some of the earth's resources for our children and grandchildren and everyone else. That's why I prefer to opt for retail sales resistance by buying good quality used items (if necessary) whenever possible.

It just feels right.

P.S. Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Try here.