These lovely pieces from Rachel Pally have me considering two approaches to a pared down wardrobe:

• One piece dressing :: A dress or a jumpsuit offers a complete outfit with just one piece. These pieces make it super simple to get dressed each day. Looks can go from casual to dressy with a change of footwear. A small collection of dresses +/or jumpsuits along with a few versatile layers + a few well-chosen footwear options could be a complete wardrobe.
• Coordinating separates :: A few well-chosen separates can be mixed + matched for a variety of options. The choice of tennies, sandals, boots or flats adds even more variety. 

A combination of separates + one-piece options works too, but I do like considering boundaries + formulas from time to time. I love that there are so many lovely ways to have enough...with less.  :)

All lovely photos featuring pieces designed + made from rayon/linen in Los Angeles, California via Rachel Pally.

Love, 
​Jane

I'm on a constant mission to truly appreciate + rest in "enough". I'm a visual person + find curated collections of photos very inspiring. The images offered by well-curated shops + stylish people draw me right in. Here are a couple of ways that I'm curating images myself to aid my contentment with what I already have:

• After recently affirming my style, I made a pinterest board of outfits I can make with my own clothes. I didn't even need to go looking for new pins. The pins already on my other boards offered plenty of stock. Now I have a whole collection of images that highlights the beauty of the pieces I already have.
• I have a "desirables" pinterest board that I keep as a way to give myself some time to consider purchases before buying. It feels really good to delete items on that board, when the urge to own them has passed. This autumn, I decided to leave the things that I bought on this board as well. It's a good reminder that I have already aquired some good things this season + that they are the most desirable of all!

All inspiring images via links.
​
Love,
Jane

A lot of different people + shops + styles are inspiring to me. The ones that most inspire are often the ones that are quite distinct...defined by a tight color palette...a set of shapes...the feel of a decade or well-defined story. 

I can be completely drawn to worn denim + vintage, white tops + flowy dresses one day...and get completely enveloped in a colorful, vibrant world of woven prints the next.

My varied attractions sometimes overwhelm, because I also have a vision of a small collection of clothing that feels cohesive + that I wear over + over again for a long time.

Recently I decided to write out all of the styles (15) that I find most inspiring along with the pieces, silhouettes, fabrics + colors that I'm most drawn to within these styles. A list, for me, is often just an opportunity to empty my brain onto the page + see all the ideas in one place.

From there I could easily see what shapes + colors are repeated across various styles...what I'm drawn to repeatedly...what constitutes my style. I listed both pieces (not exact pieces or brands) + color palette on a new list. I could see the cohesion there + also a way to integrate an outlier or two. The best part? I already own a version of almost everything that I put on that list! It also brings into focus a couple of pieces that might round out my little collection...if I come across them.

For some reason, my mind needs periodic confirmation that I have my own version of style...and that I like it.  :) 

Love,
Jane

Just as I was fully committing to the fairdare...I was also enjoying the stylings of Madewell. Ocassionally I still check in for styling inspiration...and ocassionally I find a Madewell piece I like secondhand. Madewell has offered a few fair-trade denim pieces over the past few years + this season offered a few non-denim fair-trade pieces too.

I always have mixed feelings about major brands offering fair-trade collections. The fact that they offer any fair-trade or organic pieces at all shows that they have knowledge of the lack of fairness in their current supply chain + that they know how to access fair labor + materials. These pieces point out with such extreme clarity the fact that these brand continue to choose extremely problematic sourcing for the vast majority of their offerings.

There is an argument to be made, however, for supporting the fair-trade pieces that these brands offer. I see these dabblings in the fair-trade market as experiments they are doing to see what customers want. What sort of message would it send to the powers that be, if a fair-trade collection sold out quickly + the sales of the non-fair-trade pieces plummeted? 

I recently noticed that there is again a search tab for "fair-trade certified pieces" on the Madewell site (under clothing + then under featured shops). I'm not sure how many here are at all interested in Madewell anyway...and I do not ever want to move anyone toward anything other than conscious consumption. I do, however, want to offer the thought that I believe Madewell is monitoring clicks on that link. Their collection of fair-trade pieces has grown + their further transition toward fair-trade would be a big win for so many garment workers!

I just thought I'd leave that here, in case anyone wants to join me in sending a message.  :)

And just to clarify...a few ways to apply the fairdare in regards to big brands:

• wear what you already have
• look for secondhand pieces locally + on sites like poshmark, thredup + depop
• use them as inspiration for creating looks with pieces from your own closet
• click that fair-trade link to peruse only fair-trade pieces on their websites (+ send them a message)
• if looking to purchase from fair-trade collections, look also for natural fibers
• write them + encourage moves toward fair labor + materials

All lovely photos feature fair-trade pieces made from natural materials via Madewell.

Love,
​Jane

This is an exciting one, friends...plant-based stretch! We've come to depend on petroleum-based lycra, spandex, elastane + even polyurethane for stretch + recoverability in our leggings + jeans...even the otherwise cotton ones. These plastics make the clothes they are woven into much less biodegradable. ​

How exciting that the Candiani Mill in Italy has developed a plant-based stretch denim! Their Coreva denim uses a yarn made up of organic cotton wrapped around a rubber (from a rubber tree) core. This yarn allows the denim to have both stretch + compostability. 

Dutch jeanmaker, Denham has made a collection of men's jeans with Coreva. They feature no rivets + an ungalvanized button for compostability. Outerknown has made their first pairs of jeans with Coreva too. I'm sure that many more brands will follow quickly.

​Let's hope this is only the beginning for plant-based stretch!

All photos via links.

Love,
Jane

Plastic microfibers come up quite a bit around here, so I thought you might be interested in hearing about this all natural puffer jacket by Older Brother. I feel like it is less pure innovation and more a blending of ancient + modern elements. The outer fabric is hand beeswaxed, organic cotton. The colored jacket + vest are naturally dyed with chaga mushrooms, wood extract + iron oxides. The puffer fill is made out of cruelty-free tree fill. Not a plastic microfiber in sight! And these jackets are made in California.

This puffer is a bit pricey, but it's a beautiful example of what can be done when we, humans, put on our thinking caps + do what it takes to make it happen! Bravo, Older Brother! Lead the way!

All lovely photos via Older Brother.

Love,
Jane

The other day, it happened. I bumped right into "enough". I was opening the door for another morning walk...just like I'd been doing for months...when it hit me.

It was the day that the weather changed. We'd need something warmer to wear on our walk. I pulled on my leggings + a long-sleeved layer and off we went. As I opened the door, I realized that I had everything I needed...even when the circumstances changed...and that felt really good.

When summer arrived, I'd tried to add another pair of workout shorts to my collection of one. I ruled out the ones made out of plastic, even though it was recycled plastic. No more microfibers, if I can help it. There was a pair with a waist band that was sure to twist + annoy...another pair that was so hot that I felt relief as soon as I removed it. Others were never restocked in my size. But, you know what happened? I hung my single pair of workout shorts over the doorknob on the back of my bedroom door every morning after my walk + washed them each weekend. And it was enough.

I rotated the three tank tops + three pairs of socks I had. Enough.

Taking note of that moment of clarity is important, because all of my feelings of not having enough...wanting just one more...come not from need but from boredom with what I have or fear of something that hasn't happened. I'm not saying that having more than one pair of workout shorts or leggings is bad. I just think that it is very useful to recognize "enough". Because I would get bored with two as well. Because I am more likely to use up every bit of one. Because resources are finite. 

And so, I smiled at "enough" + promised to remember that feeling...even when I'm not feeling it.

Love,
​Jane

Each of us can come to this exercise with a different goal in mind when answering this last question. Around here, we talk a bunch about "less", but that may not be everyone's goal. Maybe you want to be able to fit everything you own into your closet. One person might like to have quite a lot of variety to choose from. Another may want to embrace a specific uniform. Each of our ideas of "enough" is different. Great! Let's just get intentional with defining it a bit.  :)

With those questions answered:

1. Pull everything out onto the bed.                                                                                        It's always a good thing to see just how much clothing we own (perspective).   
2. Select the number of pieces you decided on for each category.                                      (Focus on work/school clothes first. Lounge/pajamas/athletic wear may be able to be selected from what's left over.)
3. Take stock.                                                                                                                            -Don't have as many pieces as you thought you needed?                                                     Maybe live with what you have for a while to learn if more is necessary.                    -Have lots left on your bed?  (We're talking in-season pieces now.)                                     Let them go or box some up + live with what's in your closet in order to see if you        need any of those hard-to-let-go-of pieces. Do set a date to decide, though. 
4. Address out-of-season clothing.                                                                                           -Let go of any pieces that didn't serve you this season or that are worn out.                 -Store the rest away (in your suitcase?).
5. Make a "shopping" list...but only address the major holes right away.                        (You'll refashion/swap/thrift/make/buy better after experiencing the season           a bit first.)

This post will be linked at the bottom of the fairdare page.

​Love,
​Jane

Day 7 :: Wow! Today's high is going to reach only 49°F. I might still venture out to crunch through the leaves + soak up some sunshine. Afterward, this outfit has just the cozy feel I want on a stay-at-home Sunday. 

I feel like I've only scratched the surface when it comes to the ways I could wear these two pieces. I could have styled them up a whole lot more, but these looks are a pretty good representation of how I dress. I like to keep things simple + feel like I can switch things up easily with the switch of a pair of shoes. 

This bonus look is a good example of that. Wearing flats rather than trainers or Birks elevates this look just a bit. I imagine wearing this for a morning of work in a coffee shop...post Covid.

These vintage army pants are just another example of how one item can be super casual when worn with a white muscle tank + sandals...and then about as dressy as I need to be when worn with a white button down (or cashmere pullover) + flats. Our clothing can often serve us in so many more ways than those for which we give them credit. When I talk about wearing my clothing over + over...I mean it.  :)

I can wear this "pajama" top with every one of my fitted pants: jeans, white pants + army pants (not to mention shorts). I can wear it as a layer over a tank, tee or slip dress...or under a cardigan or jacket. Again, the shoes I chose would change the resulting looks as well. The pants are a dreamy summer weight that will get lots of use with tanks, tees + sandals. They will also serve me well as a cozy partner to sweatshirts, sweaters + socks in the cooler months. I might not wear them to work, but I'd wear them to most any other casual setting. It's all in the mindset. I think of these pieces not simply as pajamas, but as a perfectly legitimate top + pants.

Day 6  :: A week of pajamas continues.  :) Today is windy with a forecast high of 71°F. This might just be the perfect day to venture out to the cider mill for some hot apple cider + then to do a little thrifting. Then again, it's the weekend...during Covid times...so we might just avoid people + stay at home...again. Anyway, a girl can dream.  :)

Also...a few things I've enjoyed lately:
​Clothing as a tool of service.
Just in case there is any doubt.
What's at stake.
​Food for thought.
Just to live + enjoy simply...life.

Have a lovely, safe weekend, friends!

This post is part of this series.

Love,
Jane