Autumn is here. Crunchy leaves are on the breeze, monarchs are abundant in the butterfly weed and grey clouds are bringing cooler days. All of this has me ready to embrace the darker colors + cozier touches in my wardrobe. Bon has long been one of my favorite inspirations for artfully simple dressing + this season is no different. The style that is singularly Bon comes in large part from the fact that many of the pieces they carry are offered year after year. What a confirmation that a wardrobe can be built slowly...confidently...for the long term...and not take itself too seriously.

These are my autumnal notes:

• navy on navy :: dark denim + indigo play well here
• tiny, cozy red touches :: yes to cozy neckerchiefs + cheerful socks
• warm wheat + deep olive create rich combinations with navy
• winter whites feel warm + light
• tie on the whimsy :: bows + bandanas add elements of unseriousness + humor
• classic pieces can be interesting + can be happily worn for a long, long time

I love recognizing pieces I already have in my closet in my inspiration! It's so lovely to feel as though the pieces I've been drawn to still excite me. Pulling out my 15 year old plaid, wool scarf...shaking out my olive pants...affirming that $4 pajama shirt purchase from the thrift store...it's all really beautiful...and sustainable in a world full of fast fashion + quickly changing trends. Brown + burgundy (pure late 90s) are the colors the industry is bringing forward this season, but there is something really beautiful about thinking that navy is what's speaking to me this season...again.

Love,
Jane

I've avoided writing about the current tariff situation for a number of reasons, but mainly because I haven't really wanted to. Who wants to read anything more about them? The more I read, however, the less I see my point of view expressed, so I'd like to see where this goes.

Who pays the tariffs?

These tariffs are taxes paid by importers (small brands, shop owners, Apple, Walmart, etc.) to the American government. (Both sides' refrains have been misleading: one side repeats that they are paid by the exporting country + the other side repeats that they are paid by consumers.) The importer can then decide whether to subtract that cost from their profit, recoup it by charging more for the product, or a bit of both. 

Many larger importers have thus far been absorbing the cost of the tariffs in order to stay competitive. This points out the vast profits they make. Other importers have raised prices on goods already in country in order to pay for the next round of imports. (People I know are doing the markups.) 

Couldn't a positive affect of the tariffs be that they get people to decrease their consumption?

An argument could be made that tariffs will lead people to put the brakes on their consumerism. I would argue that only those already at the bottom will really be forced to buy less. I also believe that simplicity offers its most sparkling effects when it is not coerced. Furthermore, the expressed goal of this chaotic agenda is most definitely not to decrease consumption. 

As a community already attuned to supply chains + sustainability, we are ready to wear what we have, mend, refashion + thrift. We will turn to our stashes of fabric + yarn for crafting. We can craft toys + jams + hats + books for gift giving. We will continue to compost + grow vegetables. And we can freely share our skills + knowledge with others.

I love simplicity. I love making. I love secondhand things + homegrown food. AND I love human sized enterprises. I love fairly traded African baskets, Japanese fabrics + British yarn. I love small brands + local shops.

Couldn't we use this to promote made-in-the-USA brands + encourage other brands to make their products in the USA?

I love brands that source materials + labor close to where they design their products. I'm elated that these brands have made the effort to make this a reality, and I do hope that more will make the switch. And...I don't think that every brand who has not already done this work deserves to die. American made brands will likely find it more difficult to source their materials + labor, if there is suddenly more competition for what is currently available. 

Whether a company is big or small, it is difficult to pivot production + supply chain midstream. Concessions may be made in other ways to stay afloat. Sustainability is challenging whichever way you slice it, but never as difficult as when it was not part of how the brand was built from the start. 

Isn't it good for unnecessary businesses to be weeded out?

Capitalism makes an argument for weeding out the unnecessary businesses in time, but who wants to live in a world where we can only shop at Amazon + Walmart? Cuz that's where that game ends up.

What can I do?

I always look for actionable conclusions, and I think mine here are these:

• do the work of contentment :: see the beauty in what I already have
• continue the fairdare :: mend, refashion, thrift, prioritize people + the planet
• joyfully + gently converse about making + creativity + makers + sustainability 
• buy + use a special piece or two from a maker or shop I love, if it makes sense 
• participate in the political process :: fill out surveys, write emails, get out the vote
• vote in every primary + election

...because I value people more than profit...the planet more than GDP...collaboration more than competition...peace more than domination...conversation more than evisceration...and contentment more than greed. 

Love,
Jane

This cutie customization option from Noble (love, love, love) is also inspiring some zero-waste thinking! It could be the perfect fix to taking the sting out a of little stain or hole in a garment (which is on my mind after scrubbing at some washing machine residue on my white overalls- boo!). Noble's dots are stitched, but I can imagine using paint or appliqué as a foil to these little imperfections in order to keep a garment in use. The size + sparseness of the dots just works. Magic!

All beautiful photos via Noble.

Yesterday, I wrote about realizing (again) that less is enough. Today, I'm proclaiming that enough is fantastic!  :)  It is for me anyway.
 
I get to wear my favorites more often.
I can purchase things that I love (even if they cost a little more), because I don't buy many of them.
I get to support some of my favorite makers making good things in good ways out of good materials.
I have time to search for vintage things.
I enjoy caring for + mending my things in order to make them last longer.
The laundry takes less time + doesn't pile up.
I feel like me in my clothes.

In the mix above:

• my two comfy sweatshirt + sweat pant pairings
• my favorite jeans
• a vintage bandana
• a cozy flannel I've had for years

Kinda fantastic!  :)

Love,
​Jane

I'm going through my closet as the seasons finally change in a more dependable way. I've pulled everything out of my closet + after putting most of it back, I'm left with a few extra things. I have a leather belt that I haven't worn since transitioning to high waisted pants. There is a tiny box of earrings. (I've kept the same hoops in my ears for years.) I realize I have a few coats again. I stand there...kinda stuck. I don't want to allocate space to these things.

I wonder if I need to keep these items, but I don't think I want to part with them yet. I've spent years wanting to own less. I'd really like to live with very little, and yet there are things that I want to hold on to.

As I moved everything down + up the stairs recently, I felt the weight of photo albums + craft supplies + a tiny collection of Christmas things. I realize that I need to allocate space for the few things I want to keep. That's all really. I suppose that when we've minimized as much as we want to, we have to reckon with the space that is necessary to hold our things. Even van-lifers, if you watch them long enough, end up revealing some mostly unmentioned corner of a relative's basement where they have storage bins waiting for them. 

I think a few helpful ways of thinking about my stored items are to:

• decide how much space I can + want to give to them. The allotted, single cabinet or closet or set of shelves creates a boundary by which to abide.
• use them. I've always wanted our family photo albums to be accessible, so that we could look at them. We don't do that often, however, so maybe a more intentional way of living with them would be to set one or two out on designated holidays like Valentine's Day or Thanksgiving. Grandma's quilt or dishes could be used on her birthday every year. This way, these things are not just stored, they are appreciated + become instruments of celebration.
• revisit them periodically. Enough time may have passed in a year or two for me to be ready to let that belt or some more craft supplies go. (That time might also be tomorrow.)  :)
• allow them to be useful again. It's fun to see Jo + Julia wearing my rings + to know that they love them as much as I do.

Love,
​Jane

The wind blew cooler temperatures our way overnight, and as a result I pulled on a sweatshirt + comfy pants this morning instead of the breezier clothing I've been wearing for months. These pieces feel really good + even better when I take a moment to appreciate the time + effort that went into finding pieces made with intention + care.

This week I walked through rei thinking I might find a cozy layer to take on a camping excursion. I looked at a lot of fabric content tags + felt so much dissonance of purpose: a whole store dedicated to outdoor activity packed full of clothing that is made to pollute it. Polyester reigns supreme in outdoor clothing today.

Years ago, my partner worked at rei, where he learned about gortex + was smitten. Today, gortex is banned in several states, because its waterproof finish comes from forever chemicals that have been linked to cancer. In April, the Environmental Protection Agency addressed exposure to forever chemicals by issuing legally enforceable drinking water standards. Using these standards, forever chemical bans have been proposed in many states, but Republican lawmakers stand in the way of their passing. The Republican candidate for the presidency has told us that he plans to dismantle the agency + his record clearly shows us what he is willing to do.

​And so...what started as a post about lovely loungewear:

• unbleached cotton is my new black   :)
• organic cotton forever (for farmers, for planet, for garment workers, for us!)

...has made a soft turn toward what's at stake this week here in the US. Please, please vote, if your citizenship allows. There are things to dislike about each candidate...but, make no mistake, the choice is between Harris + Trump. State + local elections have great importance as well. Don't waste the opportunity to influence the future we will all live in.

Much love,
​Jane

When I saw the ad for Woolaroo at Outerknown, I got excited...and then I just figured it would be like other brand's partly wool, partly plastic-fiber fleece. But...Outerknown DOES have a couple of 100% recycled wool options! 

It's happening! Brands that care about the fact that microfibers are a very real problem...are making moves away from polyester fibers. They still offer partly polyester options which does not show a complete commitment, but I did want to highlight the fact that there are starting to be options for those who want their fleece without the microfibers.

A couple other longer standing 100% wool options:

• ​Engel :: made in Germany
• Ibex :: "fair workplaces" for garment workers

All photos via links.

Love,
Jane

Over the past few years, I've recognized the persistence of my personal basics as a sort of affirmative beauty. I think of this positivity as growth beyond thinking of it as acquiescence to stagnancy or disengagement from nowness.

I'm beginning to see discoveries like this one as sort of scenic overlooks along the winding road toward a destination of enough + less + fair. 

Today's recognition seems ever so related. It is just another tiny spark that keeps things interesting + makes it all feel like - yes! there is beauty here. This insight came in the form of an image of basics being worn in a way that I just hadn't been thinking of before. A perfectly hip grazing sweatshirt worn with a ribbed skirt? Yes! An oversized button-up with oversized jeans? Well, yes! These are not necessarily the basics that I see myself wearing, but they are just the spark that sets me off toward my own basics wondering how I might be able to combine them a little differently.

Lately I'm also seeing color combinations as revelatory. There are certain color combinations that hit my brain like umami - they make me aware of what eyes are for...that they are attached to my brain...that my brain can light up with pure joy! Oh, what pleasure could be derived from wearing orange slides with an otherwise neutral outfit!? Why not see lavender as a neutral? (I have bought nothing, but the mere thoughts make me feel alive.) And when I leave the house, I remember my own orangey-red bag that is years old, and it gives me a little joy jolt as I throw it on with my own monochromic look.

Yep, I'm alive. Thank goodness.

All joy jolty photos via links!

Love,
​Jane

And these pants got the same ankle bone skimming hemline as all my others. What can I say? I just know what I like...on me. 

(That army jacket benefitted from the offcuts from the same ankle bone skimming hemline on my army pants.)  :)

Taking time to get intimate with my clothing truly does reinforce my relationship with each piece. I reawaken to this connection with each intervention.

The immense value of the farmer's time in sowing seeds, cultivating + harvesting natural fibers comes into focus. I feel gratitude for the process of spinning fiber into thread that gets woven into cloth. I consider the effects that the dyes have on surrounding waterways + the origins of the buttons, zipper + thread. I can imagine myself sitting shoulder to shoulder with the people who cut + stitched the garment together. I honor all the time + effort + work that went into each of my garments by wearing it again + again. I am honored to wear their handiwork...and the little that is mine too.

Love,
​Jane

March felt transitional in weather + dressing + feeling. Some days called for windows thrown open, weeding garden beds + clipping fresh chives, thyme + daffodils. Days later snow floated in the air. That's spring...a shift that is also a back + forth.

I took the shift as an opportunity to pull everything out of my closet + reassess ...again. The feeling that I have too much clothing had been poking me. This feeling was more disturbing than its opposing feeling (that I don't really have that much) was calming. Both things were true, but once the things that I decided to let serve someone else were removed, I felt so much more at peace.

I listed for sale lots of things that I still like, because I decided that I don't like or wear them enough to hold space for them...space in my house + space in my mind. I sold shirts that I do like to wear to work. I just choose to wear other shirts more often. I listed lounge-y pants that I tried just this year. They are still in good shape, so someone else can start fresh with them. 

My objective is really to listen for peace. I'm trying to tune my dial to "enough". Too much feels just as uncomfortable as too little. I think society, consumerism, social media (whatever...something) tries to deaden the feeling of too much. Might it not be helpful to recognize the feeling of too much? What does it feel like to you?

To me, too much feels like:

• stuff is closing in on me
• being trapped or overwhelmed by stuff
• frustration at stuff always being piled up outside of its designated container, drawer, closet, spot
• the ever-present pressure to clean more, do more laundry, pick up more
• nothing is working
• my space is too small
• visual clutter
• tightness or heaviness

To me, less feels:

• expansive
• light
• easy
• simple
• freeing

Forever tuning the dial to "enough",
Jane