New world is only a new mind.
~ William Carlos Williams
~ William Carlos Williams
Every time I use our ethical brands list, I find a few that are no longer doing business. It makes me wonder if the ones that have closed really wanted to or just felt that they had no other choice. Listening to Creativity in the Time of Capitalism makes me wonder if an era is passing. We drive past so many empty storefronts, and I wonder if Covid, the internet, tariffs + the current political climate has shifted consumers' buying to a lethal (to small businesses) level.
Of course, I believe that sustainable fashion is possible. Miranda Bennett sometimes wonders aloud if she was too purist in her ethos toward sustainability. I understand what she is saying, but I'm so glad that Miranda blazed a trail toward better. And...I'm incredibly sad that sustainability hasn't become...well...more sustainable with time. I wonder if it might be useful to think of myself as a patron to one or two brands. The artists whose names we know centuries later usually had patrons whose support enabled them to create their masterpieces. I could view my (new) ethical clothing purchases as support toward the innovative work that I want to enable. I don't want to buy clothing that I don't need, but I might be able to choose a brand or two whose work I want to see continue + invest in a piece once or twice a year. I could see this not only as simple wardrobe curation, but also as investing in the future of brand + in the future of sustainable practices. Obviously, I can't keep a small business afloat by buying two items per year. I'm just wondering if thinking of ourselves as a patrons is a sort of truth. This truth could also prompt us to think of our clothing as the works of art that they are. Just a thought. :) Lovely photos clockwise from top left via Miranda Bennett, Bliss & Mischief, Herself Clothing, Punkwasp, Miranda Bennet, + Ilana Kohn. Love, Jane
I love finding collections that feel like a readymade wardrobe. It's not that I want to replace my own collection of clothing. It's just inspiring. Every piece in the current Waltz collection earns its place. Different looks + feels are achievable with a few well-chosen pieces: a perfectly fitting button-up, jeans that can accommodate monthly fluctuations + the comfiest skirt.
I love monochrome dressing, so the dark jeans + navy button-up call to me. Likewise, the cream button-up + pants feel just right. Mix + match for variety. Throw a button-up on with the skirt...or switch it out for a fitted sweatshirt or oversized sweater + comfort easily looks pulled together. Waltz is based in San Francisco (+ made in California) + is "built on the belief that fashion should elevate the everyday experience without frills or excess." Expert tailoring + quality materials come together in seasonless pieces that will just work year after year. All lovely photos via Waltz.
Wies Made is clothing that is farmed, milled + sewn in the USA. Nice. It's an American uniform for men + women (jeans, tees, sweatshirts + jean jackets) cut + sewn in small batches in Wies Made's own family run shop in Los Angeles.
All photos via Wies Made.  "a positive...mind-set. It's possible...to cultivate this.
A mind-set shift involves changing what you notice, what you remark upon, where you place your focus. Kari Leibowitz advises concentrating on what you like about winter (cooking, cozy indoor reading, the quiet after snowfall) over what you don't. 'Appoint yourself a wintertime ambassador this year,' she advised, 'and encourage everyone around you to notice what they like about the winter as well.' I imagine this self-designation might read as irritating to one's shivering friends + family who would prefer to partake in the time honored January tradition of complaining about the weather, but I'm already the unofficial publicist for summer, so maybe a new seasonal enthusiasm would read as refreshing." ~Melissa Kirsch  A few years ago, I got a job as an organizer. Simplifying was part of the process, but buying + sorting into bins + baskets felt like the main focus. I get it. Finding new things is fun. Buying new things is fun. Having new things is fun. Storing + caring for things becomes more + more of a burden over time though.
In my opinion, honest organizing is steeped in simplifying. Unless we want to have to keep buying more shelving + bigger houses + more storage units...we actually want to see our current spaces as friendly boundaries to our accumulation. Sometimes, when I know I will be tempted to overeat, I picture an appropriate amount of food on a small plate. Then I picture the size of my stomach + am aware that this small plate of food will surely be adequate to fill my stomach. The same concept can work for thinking through the size of my person + how big of a space should be enough to contain me + my things. We have to do this re-minding ourselves, because most of the input we get out there is not prompting us in this direction. A few simplifying thoughts are coming to mind as I'm going about cleaning + reorganizing this week:
Love, Jane  It's dry skin season, and I've been experimenting with zero-waste moisturizing again. A few products + a simple set-up is making my skin happy these days. In addition to products that work, I'm prioritizing:
 A few lovely moisturizing options:
 Until recently, I'd been using Everyday Oil to cleanse/moisturize my face + Aloe Lotion as body/hand lotion. I felt like I needed a heavier moisturizer for my hands (so much hand washing!) + want to keep my collection of products minimal. Now I'm happy using Everyday Oil for my face + on my body. I'm using the Kate McCleod Lotion Bar for my hands. With the passing of time, I've become more sensitive to scents, so I use Baseline Everyday Oil + the Naked Stone Lotion Bar. It feels good to have moisturized skin. It also feels good to keep the number of products I use small + the waste produced to a minimum. :)
Love, Jane  I kinda relish the opportunity check in on my habits. I like to get honest about what's working + what could use some renewed effort + focus. During our little getaway, my partner + I took some time to do this side-by-side + together. We know each other's desires + struggles, so we can support each other + challenge one another too. Conversations with friends offer the same comfort + support, and I value all of these opportunities immensely. My partner + I set the tone by revisited this interview as a way to get our minds moving in the right direction. We took our time + stopped to chat whenever the conversation raised a thought within us. We took some time to write out words + phrases that we want to embody. I find it most productive to focus on the positives...what I want to move toward. Immersed in words like wholeness, love, imagination, wonder, gentleness, enough, simplicity, interconnection + harmony...things feel possible + hopeful. My list of words + phrases covered two pages in my journal. It feels healing + empowering to know that there are that many good words to write + fill my mind with. :)  After sharing our words + the context we were thinking from, our morning + evening routines became the focus. What do we want out of our mornings + evenings? I want my mornings to supply good words, connection, whole foods + movement.
 In the evenings, my priorities are connection, whole foods + movement.
In light of these thoughts, we listed some experiments to do in the next few weeks along with some questions we'd like to answer as we move through them:
Phew- this has gotten long, so I'll leave a few questions here in case they might be helpful. :) A few questions I find useful:
I'm looking forward to having some answers + some new, lovely, sustainable habits that move me toward wholeness + harmony! Love, Jane  An interest in tiny living has offered me insight into thinking through "enough". I love imagining new ways to live abundantly with less. It's exciting to awaken to the knowledge that so much of what we see as normal + necessary might just not be. This weekend, we spent a couple nights in a tiny cabin in the woods not far from home, and it was beautiful in so many ways. It was good to get away. We spent time reading + talking + cooking + walking in the woods. We fell asleep looking at stars + got woken up by the brightness of the moon.
I like to imagine living longer term in the small spaces we find ourselves in + this spot offered some intriguing tiny home insights. The layout felt much more considered than hotel rooms 3-4 times its size. There were unobtrusive, intuitive spots for coats + shoes, bathroom towels, food, trash, cleaning supplies + luggage. Nothing felt crowded or in the way. With a few little changes, I would love having a place like this to vacation + or even to live in as a single person. My dream version would involve switching the bed to a murphy bed that comes down over a couch + trading the table/chair/bench space for shelving. This would give it a little more spacious feeling + offer a bit more storage. A countertop oven + laundry would probably be on my list of desirables for longterm living.
A few simple supplies we brought + enjoyed having:
I'm looking forward to car camping again when the weather warms up, but this was a lovely, little, winter getaway!
Love, Jane  A few easy reads that I've binged lately (+ feel like books anyone could appreciate):
The Friends by Fredrik Backman :: this will surely become a movie or series that won't be better than the beautifully written book Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel :: my partner checked this one out from the library + when Jo saw it, she said it was her favorite book...so of course, I read it too The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer :: nature, Native wisdom + economics. beautiful. The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard :: folklore for these present times Microadventures by Alistair Humphreys :: check out the book or the blog...it'll get your mind moving in the direction of "yeaaaah, I can think of good adventures to sprinkle into the weeks ahead!" It can be hard to find good books to read sometimes. I've just been in a good spot lately...which is nice, because winter is for reading! As always, I'd love to hear what you've been reading + loving lately too! :) Love, Jane |
on a journey toward zero-waste, simplicity, + compassion :: daring to choose fair one choice at a time
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