As I wrote about evaluating enough in my wardrobe recently, one sentence seemed to beg for a post of its own :

This idea holds so much meaning for me. My fairdare experiment has involved so much happy discovery + this one feels particularly rich + beautiful.

Changing styles often come down to pretty minimal shifts like skirt lengths​, pant widths + trendy colors. I don't come across much written about this, but I'm wondering if personal style might ultimately be made of similarly small preferences. One can read an article about the ten items needed to have french style or collect photos to inspire goth or normcore style. But that is more about a group aesthetic rather than personal style. Personal style might just be smaller than that.

Deciding that I want to experiment with "less" means that I've spent a bit of time evaluating what I want to wear. I've tried choosing one, closer-to-perfect version of an item rather than having five, imperfect-in-different-ways versions. Living through decades of shifting styles has allowed me to recognize what works on my body + what my eye prefers. Attentive reflection has allowed my time-tested, favorite aspects of clothing to come into focus.

Here are a few examples of my own small preferences:

• I wear high waisted jeans.
• There is a certain length at which I prefer my pants to fall.
• Certain colors do + don't look good around my face.
• I will never not like deep dark indigo blue.
• I like bracelet length sleeves.

• The presence of one lived-in + worn item makes most of my outfits look better.
• There are a few, specific pieces that will always be in my wardrobe.
• A long, loose braid is the hairstyle I've worn most days for the past couple years.

Autumn clothing collections are coming out, and the weather has shifted a bit this week too. I just realized that this is the fourth (!) autumn in a row that has found me with a different job description in a different environment. And so...I'm again thinking through what is enough when it comes to my wardrobe. 

If I don't tune into intention with my wardrobe, my excitement can carry me to acquire pieces I like without paying attention to what I need or what works most effectively with the pieces I already own. This can lead to "needing" to purchase additional pieces to match or being left with holes that make pieces "unwearable". (I'm adding quotation marks, because these statements are merely style + privilege driven.)

My motivation for recognizing "enough" is to consider my impact on farmers, garment workers, a warming planet + all my fellow humans. New clothing requires resources like fibers, land, water, waste, labor, transportation. Holding on to more than I need withholds from others + contributes to those around me feeling that more is necessary. (This is not an endorsement for repeated closet clean outs. It is hope for a movement toward recognizing the beauty of less.) 

A few things I've learned over the years I've been tuned into "enough" (most of it still really surprises me!):

• I care about style, and I can create style without needing a huge collection of clothing.
• Every single season, I realize that I need less than I thought I did at the beginning of the season.
• Rarely do I need more than three of something (work pants, sweatshirts, button ups).
• Mixing + matching offers a lot of variety.
• I know which pieces I like to wear over + over...what feels like me.
• No matter what work environment I find myself in, I usually already have enough to form a sort of work uniform.

I'm asking myself if I can find contentment + confidence in knowing + committing to my personal style...a set of styles, colors, pieces I feel best in.

And so, rather than starting by scrolling fall collections or assembling pinterest boards (both of which I love doing), I start in my own closet. I pull out pieces that I can wear in the next few months, put them together + see "enough". It really is that simple. I may add a top or two to create a bit more happiness + ease. My intention is not to be rigid, but there is no urgency or feeling of lack here either now.

Recognizing enough is like a muscle that I find the need to keep in shape...a practice I need to do repeatedly...thought processes I need to keep limber. And that's pretty exciting to experience!

Love,
​Jane

Dosa designers, Alex + Steph, are siblings whose parents have almost 40 years of sewing + production experience in the Los Angeles garment industry. Doso is short for "library" in Korean, which is how these designers see their parents (who run the production side of the brand). I love this beautiful story of a family owned + run business. These elevated basics get style points for their wearability, local production + natural fabrics, many of which are also made locally in LA. I can't wait to see what they do next!

Find this + lots more fair fashion brands on our ethical clothing brands page when you need them. All lovely photos via Dosa. 

Two reasons I'm loving my library right now:
​
Enchantment : Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age by Katherine May :: A collection of beautifully communicated thoughts + observations which ripple deeper + deeper into my mind + create a path of breadcrumbs toward my own connection. 

Still Life by Rebecca Pacheco :: We're digging into this meditation thing...practicing...learning...opening to its possibilities...and feeling into its offerings. This book is part of that gentle quest.  

More reasons to pay attention to what goes into our clothing.

A quiet phase out that lowers emissions.

A government clothing repair scheme.

When you know what is enough, you are happy.

Sometimes ya just gotta celebrate...something. The blue, super moon last night (which will not occur again until 2037) seemed like a worthy event! A blue moon occurs when there is a second full moon in a single month. This full moon was also a super moon, since it happened when the moon's orbit brought it closest to earth.

Celebrations like this are really great for grounding us in the present moment. I also appreciate them for not coming with any preconceived expectations. No pressure...just fun! Here are a few of the things we did to make it a celebration:

• to decorate: found things found around the house
• to eat: round (full moon shaped) thai pizza topped with round carrots, radishes, cucumbers + green onions...honeydew cut into crescent (moon) shaped slices...round, blue berries (which are also a super food!)  :)
• to drink: blue lemonade with spirulina + magnesium

A few things we did to make it a ritual...we:

• discussed a moonlist together
• chose crystals (from ones everyone brought) that spoke to us...put them into a jar of water...and charged it under the moon
• wrote down things we wanted to let go of (because full moons are apparently good times to let things go) + put them under the charging moon water
• frolicked through the sprinkler in the moonlight (because the moon is in Pisces right now...which is a water sign)
• drew cards as ways to think about our past, present + future
• drank some of our moon water + watered some plants with it too

So...for us, this feels like a mix of reverence + silly fun. I think that is a pretty fantastic actually. Connections with my favorite people, my body, my spirit + the natural world were all facilitated + celebrated...and that feels really good.

Love,
Jane

Shaina Mote describes her label's approach as follows, "We consider every level of our business through a circular lens - measuring + defining growth through our ability to add regenerative value to people's lives + with respect to our planet's resources."

The brand puts this ethos into action by choosing organic + natural materials, designing timeless, well-made staples, keeping production local + visiting the Los Angeles factory at least twice a week. Shaina Mote knitwear is made in Peru using locally grown materials in order to keep the carbon footprint as small as possible. 

The commitment to these values is carried out to the level of choosing french seams for durability rather than less time consuming, conventional, overlock seams. All scraps are recycled into new materials, and garment repairs are offered free of charge.

Shaina Mote's beautiful pieces are a good example of pieces truly made to be investments in long time wearability. We often hear about pieces that can be worn over + over for a long time, but it can be hard to find actual pieces that can stand the test of time. Styles change, and garments often aren't made to last (even when they come with price tags that seems to promise otherwise). 

I recently invested in a dark denim, Shaina Mote, work shirt. I have high expectations of the clothing I buy, and the construction of this piece is fantastic. I will wear it often + can't wait to see it wear, fade + soften over the years to come.

All lovely images via Shaina Mote.

Love,
Jane

Sometimes it helps to get a booster shot of encouragement to maintain our commitments to our values. If such a boost is welcome when it comes to resisting the siren's call of brightly colored, polyester, workout wear + soft, fleecy warmth as the temperatures (eventually) plumet...this is surely it.

• Polyester is no joke. (Remember that polyester, nylon, acrylic, + spandex shed plastic microfibers with each + every wash!)
• Guppyfriend bags + filters are not the answer. (The microfibers are still made + must be disposed of somehow!)
• Recycled polyester is not a sustainable or eco-friendly fabric! (Production alone must create loads of plastic microfibers!)

There is no fixing the plastic microfiber problem while still producing more polyester product! Yes, I'm talking to you, Patagonia (whom I love for so many ways you've pointed us toward a better world)! Yes, this really fires me up! And so, yeah. It just got a whole lot easier to walk past those racks + racks of plastic clothes...again.

Love,
​Jane

This is one of those brand finds that has me smiling outloud! Color! Fun! Expression! Yes! Carrie Marill is an artist who designs Punkwasp clothing + jewelry in California. Her clothing is made from "artisan" (for the sewists out there, those are Kaffe Fassett stripes) + dead stock fabrics (+ notions too). Pieces are sewn by seamstresses in Arizona. She says of her creations, "This is how I express my visual language to the world." I like it very much!

All lovely photos (of Carrie) via Punkwasp.

First glimpses of autumn collections inspire thoughts that dabble with wearing my summer pieces in ways that hint toward autumn. I get really excited, when I can actually visualize this working well + not feeling forced. The pieces I've been attracted to lately seem to work really well together + would mix well with pieces already in my wardrobe too. I'm having fun putting them all in one place + formulating outfits in my mind. 

Things to wear now: 

• lightweight tank dress 
• pale or black jeans with tanks + tees 
• soft, block printed pants with tanks

Things to wear soon (that hint at autumn): 

• black, button-up tee (unbuttoned) over a tank dress 
• a dark floral blouse with pale jeans
• a tank or tee with a plaid skirt 
• a button-up shirt with the block printed pants

Things to wear a little later:

• black, button-up tee with black or pale jeans 
• dark floral blouse with black jeans
• black, button-up tee or pullover with the plaid skirt
• a turtleneck under the tank dress 
• a pullover over the block printed pants, jeans or tank dress

(pairing these looks with my birks, clog sandals, trainers, mary janes or boots offers lots of variation in look + feel too)

This type of play doesn't usually result in many (if any) purchases, but it may spark thoughts of ways to wear what I already own or allow me to know that a thrift find will serve me well when I come across it, etc. My overarching value is the fairdare, not finding new items to add to my wardrobe.

I like to say every so often that I share things like this here as inspiration for play of your own...with pieces you are attracted to, thoughts toward your style + what is already in your wardrobe.  :) 

Love,
Jane

Click lovely photos for links.

I was recently looking for something to add to my wardrobe, which led me to peruse the ethical brands page. As I clicked along, I found a few brands no longer doing business. This always brings me a twinge of sadness + curiosity. Is this closure a planned, joyous end to a lovely chapter in their lives, or is it a final defeat in what has been a long line of crippling blows? Of course, there could be aspects of both involved.

Tonle's founder shared this in her business closing announcement, "In short, we've been fighting against the grain of a capitalist system which is not designed for mutual thriving. We had hoped to challenge these systems from within, and have done so in many ways to a certain extent. But we have not been able to be financially sustainable for quite some time, despite having an incredibly supportive customer base."

It is not encouraging to hear this. It can feel like we are on an upward trajectory, when we see long lists of ethical brands, books on sustainable wardrobes + become part of communities that value fair fashion. It's hard to know if the fact that the United Nations is taking up the cause is reason to celebrate or be discouraged about the dire state of the worldwide fashion industry. 

We can be sure that there is much work still to be done in order to give fashion any semblance of sustainability for people or planet. But...there are those who are moving the needle ever so slightly: farmers growing organic crops, garment workers who organize + people who endeavor to start ethical brands to name a few.

I am so grateful for the intense effort + unwavering principles ethical fashion brands bring to their work. I appreciate what they have been able to share with all of us, whether we wear the clothing they produce or benefit from the inspiration + ideas they set in motion.

Thank you, Miranda Bennett, for showing us that the simplest of shapes can be both extremely flattering + supremely comfortable...for using the most luxurious (+ durable) fabrics...and for committing to plant dyes!

Thank you, Tonle, for embracing the beauty of remnant fabric + championing fair labor in Cambodia! 

Thank you, WVN + Synergy Organic Clothing, for being committed to fair-trade certified labor and GOTS certified organic cotton.

Thank you MaraisUSA + Zuzii for making beautiful footwear in the USA + Osborn for creating footwear fairly in Guatemala with artisan-made textiles + leather.

Each one of these brands has shown us (humans who wear clothes) + the industry that better is possible. I truly hope that these skilled teams of creators, contributors, growers + makers feel appreciated + celebrated!

Love,
Jane

Click lovely photos for links to origins.