Hi everyone
I used to write quite often about the ethics of fashion and how we need to buy fewer items from the High Street. But now I think there’s not much need to do so as most of you are so discriminating, and I often hear how you are shopping your closet and taking a break from buying items. Indeed, I’ve heard that January is not just ‘dry January’ as apparently January is also a no-buy month for clothes.
But oh dear, and oops, actually I need to remind myself of the importance of sustainability and being careful and frugal when shopping for clothes. This is because last week I bought some great clothes at the charity Emmaus, where they have the most wonderful boutique type shop in a converted chapel. Talk about quality clothes. There was, for example, an Alexander McQueen item there. I dithered but it was £70 and so not my style. It was a straight up and down piece of white silk with some kind of splashed type colour on it which would have reached my knees I think. I didn’t try it on. But what was unique was the neckline the entire width of which was entirely made up from a zip – hmm. I’m still thinking about it.
Anyway, as I said, I bought some great clothes at Emmaus, but I nearly didn’t get there. This is why and is my confession of how easily one can be tempted to go off the straight and narrow. It was the usual grey and very wet day and so rather than walking into town we decided to take the car and go to a certain large supermarket to stock up on a couple of things. Whilst there I was tempted to look at their extensive clothes section. And before I could stop myself I saw a simply divine 3/4 length coat in the most amazing bright pink colour. It was the colour that was divine, I think you might call it fuchsia – whatever – it was a gorgeous colour. I tried it on and decided to buy it at, well, £48, I could just manage that. So, having tried it on I carried it around the supermarket while we stocked up.
And then, it dawned on me, the realisation that I’d been seduced by the colour and no! Why was I buying it, particularly as the coat was 100% polyester? What on earth did I think I was doing! So back it went onto the rails and much relieved that I hadn’t been suckered in to buy a fast fashion plastic coat and furthermore, spending all my budget for clothes for that month, off we went to Emmaus where I found a much better coat at £9 that was made from 100%wool.
That’s more like it!
Note that this coat is bordering on the vintage as it has a Richards label. This is a keeper.
I can dress this coat up or wear it with jeans, especially blue jeans as the colouring doesn’t come through in the photo – the stripes are blue and green.
I also bought a flouncy skirt for £9 which is now the type of skirt I really like to wear these days.
I rather like the detail of this skirt and its tweedy midriff area.
I teamed it up with a jacket I haven’t worn much this season – shopping my closet here! I bought this jacket in a brocante shop in a tiny village in France.
The skirt will also go well with some of my woollen sweaters especially the yellow ones.
In addition to the skirt and coat, I bought a silver top to wear for best, also for £9. Then two pairs of shoes; one was the boots you saw last week at £12, and the other, practically a new pair of red Nikes at £10. That means I got 5 quality items for just £1 more than the £48 I nearly paid for a fast fashion coat.
I consider myself chastened and have learnt my lesson – one can always get better items in a charity shop for far less!!
It was so easy for me to get (almost) seduced into buying something that really one shouldn’t. And we shouldn’t buy polyester as I found one estimate that in 2015 polyester production alone was responsible for over 700 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. That’s equivalent to the greenhouses gas emissions of 180 coal-fired power plants. And despite our best individual efforts to rein in spending on clothes it doesn’t seem to have any impact on the overall number of items bought as, apparently, the consumption of clothing and footwear is predicted to increase by 63% by 2030.
What to do? Obviously, it is an industry problem and one can feel that there is little an individual can do but we can all shop our closets and increase the average number of times we wear our clothes. And if we do shop, then (and I’m talking to myself here) let’s not go to the supermarket for cheap clothes, you know what I’m going to say! Shopping for second-hand and pre-loved clothing is absolutely the best option. The charity needs your money and you are saving items of clothing from going to landfill. It is such a good thing to do and a win-win for everybody including this planet.
That’s all for now, but do tell me if you’ve had those moments or are absolutely dedicated to no-buy January.
With love, Penny, the Frugalfashionshopper
Source: Fashion Revolution: Over consumption in the fashion industry
Well done! I am actually going thrift shopping for some pants for the boys today and hoping I will find something: it is not so much for environmental concerns this go around but because they are tearing up their pants so fast, I feel I am wasting my money this winter by buying them retail. I really do like the skirt you found!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Ah yes, so true, I remember how it was when my kids were young. Also they grow so fast! When the kids were young instead of charity shops there were what we called jumble sales held in church hall to raise money for various charities – I always bought my kid’s clothes from these events.
Thanks Mireille 🙂
I understand why you were nearly suckered in by the fuchsia. It’s an amazing color. I nearly always shop second hand now, but occasionally there are things I just can’t find second-hand, and then I allow myself to shop other venues. I still try to keep it to a minimum.
I love your new coat, and that skirt is amazing! I’ve not seen anything quite like it. You’ve styled it beautifully.
Michelle
https://funkyfashionstyle.com
It was just such a lovely colour and we are having so many grey rainy days – the colour got to me as it was so cheerful and bright. But the material it was made from was a no-no!
Both the skirt and coat were great finds! Thanks Michelle 🙂
This really resonated with me, Penny – I also get suckered in by colors (or prints) and have to remind myself to consider other aspects of the purchase, such as fabric, silhouette, etc., let alone the sustainability angle. Nice job realizing that this coat was not something you wanted to bring home!
Thanks Sally and yes, the colour was just the lovely but the material – no!! So glad I didn’t buy it!
Thanks again 🙂
Love the coat, what a find!
I wanted to do no-buy January, but feel at the first hurdle when I spotted a couple of bits online (a cute pair of slingbacks in the sale) and a pair of jeans and trousers. I will endeavour abstain from now on! Have a wonderful week and thanks for joining my linkup. Jacqui x
It’s always a pleasure to join your link-up Jacqui!
That coat was a great find!
Thanks Jacqui 🙂
Your post made me smile. Close call, huh? Love the way you summed up the coat as you came to your senses and hung it back on the rack. Pink plastic. Would love to have had a photo, though, just so we could see what caught your eye to begin with.
Lovely outfit. My favorite piece is the skirt. Most unique. Love the look of the raw-looking edges on the lattice details of the skirt. And the tweed. The fabric is so classic but the styling is so fun and trendy.
We walked around the outlet mall here as we usually do on Sundays after church. I didn’t buy a thing. I don’t need a thing…but that doesn’t always stop me!! I was so proud, though. Sometimes when I am tempted by a pink plastic piece, I will snap a photo of it and then go home and look at the photo. Many times, just looking at the photo is enough. I don’t have to have it!!
Hi Leslie – it was like this one but it wasn’t a jacket as it was bit longer and cost £48 not the price there. But it’s the same colour! But I am so glad I put it back.
https://tuclothing.sainsburys.co.uk/p/Pink-Oversized-Double-Breasted-Jacket/140721660-Pink?searchTerm=Coats:newArrivals:department:Women:colour:Pink&searchProduct=
Question I have always wanted to ask, hope you do not mind, do you wash or dry clean the items before wear? If you dry clean the coat that would put up the cost but still obviously a good buy.
Oh no, don’t mind at all and yes, I do get most of my woollen items dry cleaned which adds to the price, but if I can wash it I do.
So the coat will be dry cleaned but not the skirt which I think doesn’t need it. And yes, it does add to the price but it’s still great to get 100% wool item.
So impressive you put it back. I get seduced by color too, but I try to remember that I can dye something I already have.
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
I was nearly seduced Jodie 🤣
Thanks xxx
That coat is definitely a keeper. I have a wool knee length black and white tweed pattern coat that I bought about 35 years ago. Mind you I live in the southern USA and we don’t have long, very cold winters, but I love that coat. So classy. It is my go to for church and special occasions.
Oh yes, it is so nice to have these classic items.
Thanks Eileen 🙂
You reminded me of how I used to buy clothes at jumble sales, often to make into something else! Love the coat, very smart and as you say so much better than a synthetic one. I have a lot of polyester clothes but they are mostly second-hand. The fabric is very long lasting so its important they get as much use as possible. I regularly send dresses to the charity shops as good as when I bought them. I now stay away from the supermarket clothing sales rails in case I get seduced by something! I’ve just bought my first dress for months from E-bay ; something will have to go to compensate. I had to return a lovely Monsoon dress because the hem at the back was 5cm longer than the front and too difficult to alter but problems are rare with my purchases. I’ve also allowed myself to add to my brooch collection but I’ll be thinning that out too. Just cheering myself up while recovering from my treatment, slightly depressing to realise my hair is even thinner on one side now, goodness knows how long it will take to grow back. Patience is a virtue they say………………….
Oh gosh Lynda, jumble sales! They were absolutely prolific when I had young kids. I’d go to one nearly every week and I bought most of their clothes and mine too from these sales. As good as charity shops are, really, there was nothing to beat that rummage through the clothes out on the tables. And the prices, too!
Great to hear you’ve added to your brooch collection which must be amazing. The thing about the thin hair is that wigs in the UK do not seem to be all that good while in the States they are very good and very reasonable too. Do you look at Atypical60’s blog? Catherine has a bald patch and very thin hair (she wouldn’t mind me saying that) but her collection of wigs are second to none and she looks amazing wearing them. She doesn’t always post specifically about the wigs but the posts are there although all her photos she’s wearing a wig.
https://atypical60.com
Now, that is so much better then the polyester coat. That skirt looks amazing! So, I did get your email just now, not for this post.
The automatic email failed to go out twice!! it had got disconnected – but gosh it was a tearing out one’s hair moment!
Yes, skirt is nice – thanks Nancy!
Good for you at resisting buying that coat. I just got a couple of catalogs in the mail yesterday and saw a few things that I considered ordering. There was one coat in particular which tempted me. It was red, full length and the price reduction was considerable. I am pretty sure that they would no longer have it in my size, but I decided not to even look. But I should not pat myself on the back. this past Fall I did make a few investments, a really nice pair of loafers and a trench coat which I have been wanting to purchase for a while. When I see what you can buy second hand I do start to miss the shops I used to go to years ago. They no longer exist. I have, as I have mentioned, bought a few things through Eileen Fisher, an American brand which was one of the pioneers in the idea of sustainability. The pieces work well in my wardrobe but are staples not really much wow factor. But then perhaps I am not a wow person. Actually I buy from the Eileen Fisher Renew line. These are used garments and are quite a bit less pricey than their new pieces. That skirt is beautiful ,it is so different but so many places you can wear it. I certainly hope the technical issues are under control.
Love from New York, Darby
Interesting that you don’t have charity shops in quite the way we have. These shops can be found all over the UK in every town, big and small, but they are also an indication of how poor a town is as the charities take over the shops from bankrupt retailers.
Eileen Fisher sounds a really interesting brand. And yes, the technical issue is sorted but it was rather tense atmosphere when I found out what was happening. Somehow the automatic email thingee had become disconnected. All good now!
Love to you from Lewes 🙂
Good on you for avoiding the polyester item , a bright colout sometimes does get you in.
I am always in awe of the quality of the items you find. Both the coat and skirt are simple wonderful and will serve you well for many years to come.
I am not buying anything at all at present and saving my for our trip. I am in London from My 14th to 18th , I hope if convenient I may meet up with you and Gail.
Yay and three cheers, Jill, those dates are already in my diary!
Thanks, yes, the skirt is great and the coat is good too!
See you soon!
I do wish there were good thrift shops near me. That is a goal for this summer! I am not doing no-buy January but a slow-buy one! I put things in my cart and wait a few days to see if I still want them, or if maybe they sell. It gives me time to think about whether or not I really want it.
That skirt is amazing, Penny! It is so unique and definitely you!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
There are charity shops everywhere in the UK, they’re in every small and big town, not so much in the big cities but you can still find them, and there’ll be several of them, not just one. We are very lucky but, on the other hand charities take the empty shops left by bankrupted retailers and if a town has many of them it’s actually an indication of how poor the town is. Some charities get the most amazing donations, Emmaus regularly gets designer clothes – for example recently, I saw an Alexander McQueen at Emmaus but didn’t buy it!
Thanks Marsha!
Hi Penny, Just found your email so it seems you have the problem sorted. Good!
You look lovely in the skirt ,it’s so interesting and the coat is really smart as well. You are lucky with your finds because you are nice and slim, it gets harder to find interesting things when the size you are looking for is 16 as in my case ! I rarely find really unusual larger sizes, plenty of boring M &S polyester but I don’t want those! And the posher the charity shop the smaller the sizes ! Oh dear! But I have had some lovely finds in Nearly New dress agencies, a bit more expensive but still re-cycling so I am happy. Those supermarket colourful things are so alluring aren’t they? Cheap and cheerful is hard to resist ,specially in the grey days of winter, but as soon as you get them home you hate them ,so at least they are easy to return! Best wishes from Judy in Brighton xx
I agree that charity shops didn’t always have a good range of sizes, but in Lewes one of them, (Red Cross) has an outsize section. Mind you I don’t see 16 as particularly large! I buy anything from 12 up to 16 and XL and just use a belt for those. Like last week I bought an amazing frou-frou skirt for a bloggers’ trip to the V&A and it was an XL! The waist was a bit loose but everything else about it was great.
Keep on rocking Judy and best wishes to you too! 🙂
Thanks for this timely reminder. Your new coat is definitely a keeper.
Yes, the coat is definitely a keeper! Thanks Jill 🙂
Thank you Penny (and Mr. P!) for always fixing the IT problems. It would be too disappointing for me to lose one of my favorite blogs. You are my style and shopping guru!
Thank you so much Lorraine!
Hurray. I found your recent blog, and well worth it too. I was definitely not notified of this one. I would have been tempted by a fuchsia coat too, but if not wool, not worth it. I love the Richards coat, it really suits you. And the skirt, I love flouncy but wearable! I have a black skirt (from a charity shop!) not dissimilar to this, though with tweedy vertical strips of fabric on a black mesh background and I love it. It’s practical but swishy. I do wish I had more fashionable charity shops available to me. I live in a city but apparently one with awful taste! Never mind, I’ll keep looking 😉