I've noticed that I often want to add an interesting piece or two to my wardrobe at the beginning of a season. I ended up selling a few of my past season's "interesting" pieces recently, because they just don't get worn enough. I am attracted to color + prints, but I reach for my whites, denims + olives almost every time. 

When I noticed this desire this season, I wondered if I feel like my wardrobe is too boring. I looked at my wardrobe + saw so many pieces that I truly love + feel like me year after year. I think the desire for color + pattern is less about feeling boring + more about wanting to embrace playfulness.

I love the idea of outfits that say, "I am not taking myself (or life) so seriously!" Gosh, I want a little of that right now! This season, I am reminding myself that the playful pieces that stand the test of time (with me) are accessories. I might not reach for a pair of red pants super often, but I have been using my bright orangey-red canvas tote on repeat for years! 

I'm curious to find what works for me. It may be that I cycle through a thrifted, playful piece or two each season, but I'd really like to find a pieces I love like that red tote. Here's what's currently on my radar:

• a fun, little, patterned dress to wear under my white linen button-up with my comfy Birks (or juicy mules)
• a bright hat to keep the sun out of my eyes at the game +/or a vibrant little bag (that would pass the bag requirements at the concert) + would punch up my all white outfits any day of the week
• was thinking of each of these pieces on their own adding pops of color to neutral outfits, but seeing them together here has me thinking about colors playing well in pairs. Fun!

The clothes we wear really can influence how we feel, and I'm prioritizing happiness where I can.  :)

Love,
Jane

It's been a while since I've been to the fabric store + even longer since I've been by myself. It felt like a treat to have the space + time to deliberate over my choices, to take in the color combinations and to stand + imagine the weight + feel of a garment made from a certain fabric. My people are SO generously patient with me at the fabric store, but it felt light to have no one else's boredom to consider.  :)

I bought only what I went for at the fabric store, but left with all kinds of inspiration tucked away for future dreaming. A little walk around the flower shop + a quick pop in to the European market for a Coffee Crisp to bring home for my partner + my creativity really does feel like it received a refuel! Yay!  :)

Love,
Jane

I've been spring cleaning recently, which mainly involves pulling everything out, dusting + vacuuming and then...the main event: streamlining our inventory. Ideally I'd like to just know what I have, like what I have + to use it all regularly.
​

• I've been going through my basement inventory, recycling, taking a trip to Goodwill, building a few shelves, organizing things onto shelves, letting a week pass, going through it all again, driving to Goodwill again...and probably repeating again this week.
• I've been going through my closet, listing a bunch for sale (noting preferences), making trips to the post office, letting a week pass, listing again, blah, blah...

It has taken a few passes to actually streamline my stuff, my spaces + my thinking. Mixing in time to listen to the birds, take a leisurely walk to observe the crocus, daffodils or tulips, pull a weed or bake a simple pantry cake is a necessary part of the process.

A little inspiration toward streamlining:

Thoreau learned through his experiment in the woods that the physical environment is interconnected with the mental one. "I had three pieces of limestone on my desk, but I was terrified to find that they required to be dusted daily, when the furniture of my mind was all undusted still." 

A really satisfying small space.
​Listen +/or read.
No one voted for more plastic.

Hope your weekend is full of whatever you need to move toward peace. 

Loads of love,
Jane

Where am I choosing familiarity or ease
over peace?
~Megan Heddinger

We've scraped ice off of windshields, dragged comforters to the basement for tornado warnings + ridden bikes in tank tops all in the span of a week. Yup, spring is here! Dressing in the mornings isn't quite so automatic lately, and it all has me thinking about how I'll be dressing in the weeks to come. 

Button-ups are often the right answer to crisp mornings that turn into sunbaked afternoons. I'm liking them oversized + slouchy...sleeves rolled to the wrist or shoved up past the elbow...buttoned up to the top or not...undone at the bottom...tied around the waist...collared or not...crisp, comfortable + versatile.

My favorite spots to look for button-ups (other than my own closet) are in my partner's closet or the men's section of thrift stores. The tightly woven cotton shirtings used in these shirts are often washed down to soft, yet crisp, perfection. I sometimes like to remove oversized collars + always roll too long sleeves. (I'm still wearing that one most mornings!)

While the fairest button-ups are already in our closets, it's not hard to find fresh, fairly made button-ups. A few of my current favorites are from Imogene + Willie, Ozma + Waltz.

Happy Spring!

Photos via links that I could find. 

Love,
Jane

New world is only a new mind.
~ 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. :)
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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.
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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