11 Feb 2016

What is Good Quality Clothing?

by | found in secondhand, shopping tips | 0

With capsule wardrobes, investment pieces, or just for a more sustainable wardrobe buying good-quality clothing is important, but how can you tell if a garment is good quality?

These are some things to look out for:

Check the fabric

  • is it appropriate for the garment’s function
  • can and will you properly care for it (eg. handwash)
  • does it seem thin
  • is the weave/knit tight
  • is the grainline straight (threads run vertical and horizontal at the centre front and back) – unless draped or bias cut styles

Check the seams and sewing

  • are there loose threads
  • are the seams straight or crooked
  • are the stitches short (longer stitches = quicker to sew)
  • are the seams tight or when you pull gently do they open
  • look for high-quality finishing (eg. french seams, blind hems, etc.)
  • look for longer hem allowance

Other signs of good quality clothing

  • matching stripes/plaids at seams
  • extra buttons or thread included
  • lining on structured jackets, skirts, coats, and dresses
  • outside fabric on inside facings (areas next to front opening at neck)
  • flat covered zippers (unless the zippers are purposely exposed)
  • hook and eye on top of invisible zippers
  • straight and even buttonholes with tight stitching
  • pockets with outside fabric on area that can be seen in pocket
  • straight and even top-stitching
  • extras seams for good fit

 

When shopping online it’s difficult to tell if something is good quality. Search for and read reviews to see what people say about the construction, fabric, and quality of the garment.

 

 

 

 

22 Jan 2016

Winter 2016 Capsule Wardrobe

by | found in capsule wardrobes | 0

I’m really excited about this winter season with lots of cozy knits to wear.

This capsule wardrobe came to 30 pieces and I will likely be adding in my wedge booties and possibly a second pair of jeans but I’m going to see how it goes.

I follow the Project 333 capsule wardrobe which you can learn more about here. As usual I don’t include jewellery, athletic clothes, sleep and lounge wear, and underwear/socks in my items. I also decided this season to not include my winter coat or mittens since I don’t see them as part of my outfits but I probably could have easily included them.

The items in my capsule are:

1. grey tank – Comazo earth
2. black tank
3. sequin tee
4. black tee – MEC
5. plaid flannel – secondhand
6. grey woven long-sleeve – handmade
7. draped long-sleeve
8. grey knit top – People Tree*
9. cranberry knit top
10. tan sweater – handknit
11. mustard & navy sweater – People Tree*
12. chunky knit vest – handknit
13. Icelandic sweater – secondhand
14. check tunic – People Tree*
15. cocoon cardigan
16. purple wrap dress
17. brown body-con dress – handmade
18. black flared skirt
19. beige flared skirt – handmade
20. black knit trousers – People Tree*
21. burgundy leggings
22. jeans – Naked & Famous Denim
23. cranberry knit scarf – handknit
24. indigo scarf – handmade
25. white knit hat – handknit
26. blue knit toque
27. light grey large envelope bag – Matt & Nat (why I no longer support Matt & Nat)
28. black clutch/shoulder bag – Matt & Nat
29. cream heels
30. grey boots – Vegetarian Shoes

 

* indicates an affiliate link, thank you for your support. View the disclosure policy for more info.

27 Oct 2015

What is the best fabric?

by | found in conscious fashion, shopping tips | 0

The materials you choose are pretty important, they affect the comfort and performance of a garment, how you care for it, and also have an environmental impact, some much more so than others. There are a ton of different textiles available, all with different looks, benefits, and sustainable/ethical issues.

I created this video series to talk about common fibres and fabrics, what the pros and cons are, and what different options are available if you’re trying to make more responsible purchases.

 

Part 1 – Pros & Cons of Common Materials

 

Part 2 – Animal Materials & Vegan Synthetics

 

Part 3 – Recycled & Upcycled Materials

 

3 Oct 2015

Fall 2015 Capsule Wardrobe

by | found in capsule wardrobes | 0

It’s autumn!

After a less-than-successful summer capsule wardrobe I’m really excited about this fall one. I think I planned it well, taking into account both variable weather and holiday events/parties that happen during the season. My capsule has 32 pieces and I will still be adding in another pair of shoes and probably a second scarf. I also decided after my first year of Project 333 that because of all the extra layers I wear during fall and winter 35-38 pieces is probably a more comfortable number for me during these seasons, so I’m going to see how that goes this time around.

My capsule contains:

  • 3 tanks
  • 2 short-sleeve tees
  • 2 long-sleeve tops
  • 1 blouse
  • 2 button-up shirts
  • 2 sweaters
  • 1 cardigan
  • 1 skirt
  • 1 pair of black pants
  • 1 pair of leggings
  • 2 jeans
  • 2 tunic dresses
  • 2 longer dresses
  • 1 more formal dress
  • 4 jackets
  • 2 boots
  • 1 scarf
  • 2 bags

 

So far the weather has been gorgeous so I hope we’re going to have a lovely fall here, and I hope you have one as well!

 

 

31 Aug 2015

How to Care for your Clothes so they Last

by | found in capsule wardrobes, clothing care, minimalism | 0

Clothing care is often overlooked as an important part of a sustainable wardrobe.

This video was created for the Project 333 blog. Read the accompanying post here.

After reading about people not washing their jeans for 6 months to year (even 15 months!), I decided to do my own little experiment. I ended up not washing a new pair jeans for 11 months (they were part of 3 capsules, so I wore them pretty regularly for a good 9 months) and I was incredibly surprised at how not-gross it was. This long without washing is definitely a bit extreme, but we often don’t need to wash our clothes as much as we think.

 

Laundry and clothing care resources:

How To Care For Every Item In Your Closet
Guide to Common Laundering and Dry-cleaning Symbols
Are You Washing Your Workout Clothes Properly?

 

16 Jul 2015

Summer 2015 Capsule Wardrobe

by | found in capsule wardrobes | 0

Wow so I’ve already been doing Project 333 for a full year! If you haven’t seen my recap/look back at the year you can watch it here.

Going into my second summer capsule I had a much better idea of the pieces and outfits I wanted, and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. All together I have 31 items (I like to leave a couple open if I find there’s something I need to add in) and like in my previous capsules, I didn’t including jewelry.

My summer wardrobe has:

11 tops – 4 tanks, 1 crop top, 4 t-shirts, 1 lace top, and 1 button-up shirt
6 bottoms – 2 skirts, 3 shorts, and 1 pair of pants
2 light layers – 1 cardigan, and 1 jacket
5 dresses
3 shoes – 1 pair of flats, 1 pair of sandals, and 1 pair of heels
2 bags
2 accessories – 1 belt, and 1 hat

 

Hope you’re having a lovely summer!

 

 

6 Apr 2015

Spring 2015 Capsule Wardrobe

by | found in capsule wardrobes | 0

So happy it’s spring!! I’m really looking forward to this season and a new capsule wardrobe!

This one was more difficult to plan, I’m not sure what to expect for weather so I hope there will be enough options for warmer or cooler weather. I’m excited to wear more dresses and I also included some more prints which I think will be fun to play with and create outfits around.

I have 30 items and am planning on adding 3 more. Here is what’s in my spring capsule:
(most of my pieces are older or thrifted, but if the item is currently available then it’s linked)

Tops
1. Black org. cotton tank   – The White Briefs
2. Dark green draped tank   – DIY
3. Grey cotton draped tee
4. Beige org. cotton oversized tee   – Stewart+Brown
5. White chiffon & jersey top
6. Cream blouse   – Amour Vert (and dyed by me)
7. Grey org. cotton knit top  – People Tree*
8. Plaid men’s flannel shirt   – secondhand from my brother

Dresses
9. Black and grey silk tank dress
10. Brown ombre wool knit dress
11. Purple draped wrap dress
12. Black floral flared dress   – made with a retro Butterick pattern

Bottoms
13. Red chiffon maxi skirt   – thrifted
14. Black flared skirt
15. Mustard velvet shorts
16. Blue ikat print silk pants   – Amour Vert
17. Dark-wash denim   – Naked & Famous

Sweaters/Jackets
18. Beige cotton cardigan
19. Black bamboo wrap cardigan
20. Red plaid hoodie shirt   – DIY
21. Denim jacket
22. Green oversized sweater jacket   – designed and made by me
23. Light grey button-up sweater   – thrifted

Accessories
24. Brown braided belt
25. Rusty orange scarf   – craft market
26. Black vegan tie-dye bag   -Matt & Nat (edit: why I no longer support Matt & Nat)
27. Beige vegan cross-body bag   – Angela Roi

Shoes
28. Grey vegan lace-up boot    – Vegetarian Shoes
29. Beige vegan wedge booties   – Novacas
30. Grey vegan lace-up sandals   – Bhava

I will likely also be adding a pair of flats, a hat, and a chambray shirt to complete my 33 piece capsule wardrobe.

 

Interested in creating your own capsule wardrobe? The Project 333 Dress with Less Microcourse* is a great guide to help you build it!

Also you can watch a recap of how my winter capsule wardrobe went here.

Hope you have a wonderful spring! 🙂

 

* indicates an affiliate link, please see my disclosure policy for more info

10 Jan 2015

Winter 2015 Capsule Wardrobe

by | found in capsule wardrobes | 0

It’s time for a new capsule wardrobe! Since it’s winter, this one is a lot darker and cozier. I’m looking forward to comfortable sweaters and warm layers. This capsule has 30 pieces and I plan to add the final 3 after a couple weeks to see what I find I still need.

I also created a video that goes into more detail about the clothes I chose for my capsule, and how I put it all together. You can watch that video here.

 

My fall Project 333 wardrobe was a lot more challenging than summer, simply due to the fact that you wear so many more clothes in the fall/winter, but it was still a great experience! You can watch a recap video of how my fall capsule wardrobe went here.

 

23 Oct 2014

Fall 2014 Capsule Wardrobe

by | found in capsule wardrobes | 0

After doing Project 333 this summer (you can watch an update of how it went here) I’m doing it again for fall!

It was harder to put together the fall capsule wardrobe because I love to layer and of course wear a lot more clothes in the fall, but I’ve been wearing it for a few weeks now and so far it’s going well. It’s fun to create new outfit combinations and having a capsule wardrobe made packing and moving overseas with only a couple suitcases way easier (I live in Berlin now!).

I chose a variety of garments all within a neutral color palate, and accented with red, blue, and purple tones. In addition to the items shown in the video, I added a jean jacket and a pair of burgundy leggings which brings my total to 33. I also unfortunately couldn’t pack the ankle boots or the small black purse (my bag was just at the weight restriction) so I’ll be on the hunt for perfect vegan replacements.

During the move I spent a month in Edmonton (where I’m originally from) and the local media was interested in my capsule wardrobe and the Project 333 challenge – so exciting! I was interviewed by the Edmonton Journal, you can read the article here. I find it immensely encouraging when people are interested in and want to learn more about sustainable fashion options, reducing consumption, and slow fashion ideas in general! 😀

Right now I’m getting settled in to a new life in Germany, and plan to get into a routine of making more videos. So please check out my youtube channel.

 

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