Sokoi's Laurel linen pants are my new favorite soft pants. Soko designed these pants to be used for yoga which means I can put them on in the morning before stretching + sun salutations. I can wear them while I hang out crosslegged on the couch + when I meet Jo for coffee. I wear them to work, and I'm wearing them to a fancy concert tonight. They are breezy with a tank top + cozy with a cashmere sweater. 

This is how I want my wardrobe to work. I don't want to have to have yoga pants + work pants, fancy pants, winter pants, summer pants, grocery store pants + pajama pants. I don't want to have to change my clothes four times a day. I hope that it's clear that this is not about a certain pair of pants. This is about a certain way of thinking.

I remember trying to imagine the ideal smallest wardrobe that could work for me. The pivotal item was a pair of seasonless, soft pants like these. I think it's an interesting exercise to imagine how little I could live + function with. It empowers me to imagine living with a smaller footprint, living in a smaller home, making less money, weathering a crisis, and with greater contentment with what I have. So, yeah...these feel like magical pants!

All lovely images via Sokoi.

Love,
Jane

One day with temperatures in the 80s was all it took for me to start thinking about shorts. My eye currently likes the proportions of shorter shorts with oversized button ups + midlength shorts with fitted tank tops. But I'm interested in training my eye to appreciate the proportions of knee length shorts. I really like the idea of sitting down in shorts + having them still covering a comfortable amount of thigh. :)

It's not easy to find knee-length-shorts looks on the internet that don't involve heels, blazers or belly baring tops which just don't hold any interest for me. My preference is toward easy, worn-in + not too serious outfits. 

My notes (toward my preferences) so far:

• the shorts shouldn't be too tight (which is good for summer temps as well)
• billowy, oversized button-ups with rolled sleeves
• ankle baring sandals
• fitted, waistband-skimming tanks + tees
• hemmed shorts can skew a bit less casual

Inspiring photos via links or pinterest.

Love,
Jane

How do you update your wardrobe for a new season? 

When I was growing up, I remember going to the mall at the start of a new season + talking with my mom about what the new colors of the season seemed to be. It was fun to try a few things on, see if they suited us, and perhaps add a new color or style to our wardrobes. 

I still like to browse the new ethical clothing collections to see what new colors + shapes they have to offer each season. I also like to know that anything I purchase will be useful in my wardrobe + life. That insight comes from pulling everything out of my closet at the beginning of the season + making piles of pants, sweaters, short sleeved tees, etc. It's always helpful to see how many of each I have. I try on outfits + think through ways to wear things. 

Today, I set aside a few pieces that I like, but don't wear often. I'm thinking through the reasons I choose other pieces more often: I adjust this one all day...this neckline isn't my favorite...I feel a bit washed out in this one...these sleeves are a little too puffed. I play around with them...maybe if I roll the sleeves...maybe with these pants. A few things get listed on a resale site. I'll try wearing a couple this week in new ways (decisions pending).

These observations + actions are my data. I'm refining my style + my ability to add only pieces that stand the test of time.

I haven't shopped at the mall in a long time. These are the try on sessions that matter most to me now. Honestly, I'm sure they always have been. 

Laying eyes on all of the good things that are already in my wardrobe is really satiating. It is very good to think about updates from a place of satisfaction. Do I need updates or am I just settling back in to the pieces that make me feel good? Maybe the update I need most is to my thinking rather than to my wardrobe after all.

Love,
​Jane

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 not a person who likes rigid rules about how many items of clothing I allow myself to have. This can feel freeing, when I find the most perfectly fitting, vintage sweatshirt while on vacation. It can also feel a bit chaotic, when I'm not really sure if I have enough.

This morning, I pulled on a pair of pants that always kinda make me feel like I'm wearing pajama pants. I have two pairs of pajama pants that I like better, so I don't need these in that capacity. I put this pair on today, because my other comfy pants were still on the drying rack (clean + dry).  Do I need to keep this pajama-ish pair?

It still surprises me how little I really need to feel like I have enough. I have two pairs of comfy pants that I like to wear on my days off. Each pair has a matching top. I like to wear these pieces as sets, and I like to mix them with other pieces in my closet. It's enough.

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

I shared the top half of what I'll be wearing most in the days to come, so I thought I'd share the bottom half as well. This is the half of my wardrobe where simplicity has truly settled in. 

​It can be easier to know what I like than it is to find it. Coming across a pair of BSides jeans in my size at a warehouse sale felt like a divine moment. Pulling on those pale denim Plein jeans was like slipping into my Goldilocks jeans. They fit my hip to waist proportions. I love their high waist, straight leg width, back pocket size, and non-stretch denim. BSides jeans are made in the USA + built to last. They don't lose their shape or need to be washed often.

Over time, I've collected pairs in pale denim, dark denim and creamy, undyed canvas. This small collection has carried me neatly through the seasons more than once. BSides makes this shape year after year, so I'm hoping replacement is an effortless decision + seamless process.

I'm also devoted to my vintage army pants. My current pair did involve a bit of effort to achieve the fit that makes them my most worn pair of pants. If I could only have one pair of pants, these would be the ones without a single doubt. I love the high, high waist, the size of all the pockets, the softness of the worn fabric + that customized fit. 

Last time we visited California (for a week), I took (wore) only these pants + never wished I had anything else. I wear them with tanks, tees, sweatshirts, birkenstocks + trainers for comfy, casual days...and I wear them with blouses, cashmere sweaters + mary janes when I need to look a little more dressy. I hope to always have a pair of vintage army pants in my closet (or on my body).  :)

Just to be crystal clear, this post is not about the particular pants I love. It's about settling into simple...finding things to love + wear...interrupting the type of consuming that is never satisfied + constantly searching for better. Loving what we have, finding "enough", experimenting with less...these are the practices that simplicity, sustainability, style, ethical wardrobes, zero-waste, minimalism are made of. Talk is cheap. Action brings change (out there + in us). 

Who knows what the future will bring in terms of style shifts. I don't know that I'll care. I don't know that I won't. I do know that four pairs of pants is not too few. :)

Love,
Jane

Since my last post, I actually tried all of the white tees that I mentioned. I thought I'd share my own particular findings in case they might be helpful in any way (or just for my own remembering).  :) Each of these tees has some real ethical cred, so now I'm in it for the fit, feel, durability + cost.

Imogene + Willie :: While I like the shape of these tees, the fabric on the novel tee felt too heavy + loosely woven. It felt like it would lose it's shape + be a little too warm. It's also the priciest of all the tees I tried, so I'm not sad to rule it out. The fabric and stitching on the drop tee felt a bit delicate. I might consider the drop tee in the future, but for now I'm looking for something a bit more sturdy.

Buck Mason :: I was looking for white tees this time + found the slub easy to be too sheer. I could see the color + seaming of my nude bra through this tee. I do like the shape of these tees + think I might like one in navy when it restocks.

Le Bon Shoppe :: These are my winners. The weight of the tees from Le Bon Shoppe (I have a few of them in different styles) are a step above what is typically on offer these days. I like the stitched down neckline that doesn't flip + stretch over time. For me, the vintage boy is a front tuck tee + the little boy can be left untucked. I ordered the little boy tee one size larger than the vintage boy tee. I would prefer the sleeves to be less fluttery, but they are not a deal breaker. Oh, and I already have an everyday tee in white to round out my Le Bon white tee love.  :)

I'm not happy about the miles these tees traveled back + forth...AND I want to find tees that I can be devoted to for a long time. I think I've found them. A few simple, white tees are making me very happy at the moment! :)

Love, 
​Jane

As the weather warms, my thoughts are turning toward what I'll be wearing in the months to come. I've been thinking through what I like to wear most, what I already have, "enough", and appropriateness for movement, occasion, age + all the rest. What I come back to again + again is the simplicity of a white tee + jeans. 

I could use a new tee or two, and I'd like to just get the job done. I'm trying to do less searching + mulling...and more acting decisively. So, without further ado, here are my current contenders for preferred white tee:

Imogene + Willie - made in Los Angeles from organic cotton
Le Bon Shoppe - made from organic cotton in Los Angeles
Buck Mason - made in their factory in Pennsylvania from American-grown + spun cotton

Of course, I'd like for every one of these tees to be made of American grown, organic cotton...but since I also want to like the shape and cost, these are the ones I've chosen this time.

I love the idea of having a sort of uniform that I can reach for knowing that I will feel great in whatever piece I choose. I love the idea of having a few go-to pieces that I can return to again + again + restock as needed. I'm hopeful that I'm going to land on a go-to white tee this spring.

Lots more fantastic tees right this way, if you're looking. As always, feel free to share your favorite tees in the comments! We'd love to hear about them!  :)

All lovely photos via links.

Love,
Jane

It's that point between seasons, when I can look back over what I've worn + not worn in the hot months. I pull things out for cooler days ahead + see a couple pieces that I now feel comfortable letting go. This process brings me to list a few things for resale. 

I love that resale has become an accessible way to make sales + purchases. I love that the stigma has been removed from wearing secondhand clothing. We are keeping things in use + out of the landfill! And...I like to use this process to reevaluate my purchasing mindset, because it is never my goal to sell things that I haven't used up. 

When I sell things, I always go through a process of wanting to get some money out of them...feeling that I am always on the losing end of the money exchange...realizing that I just want to get those pieces worn...and wanting to choose better next time.

At this point in my fairdare journey, I know that each of my purchases was made with intention. This is just a great opportunity to reeducate my intention with new insight!

This time around I'm letting go of:

• a dress + jumpsuit that I love. I thought they would work with my job, but black linen just doesn't. I'm going to let someone else wear them more often than I would.
• a jacket that I thought was perfect for layering up for outdoor exercise. It would be on someone with a little bit different body type.
• a dress that I just never wore.
• a dress that I never wore + was able to return.

A few lessons I can take from the things I'm letting go of:

• Black linen doesn't work with my job.
• Longer sleeves just feel too hot in the summer (even with bare legs).
• I might just not be a dress person right now?
• I need to figure out whether I will choose to wear a new item rather than my favorites. 
• Whether or not an item can be returned is a worthwhile consideration.
• Coming to peace with a sort of uniform is not boring. It is a gift.

Sustainability always rests on "less" + "enough". Resale is great, but only as long as it stays in proportion with use. The goal is not to purge + sell. The goal is to wear + use up.  ;)

​Love,
Jane