You must have heard…? The fashion industry has a bad reputation. Excessive waste, poorly regulated toxic dyes and worst of all in my opinion – mistreatment and abuse of the often vulnerable people who make our clothes.
But what to do when you love clothes? When you find great satisfaction in the creative process of putting together a really cool outfit? When you want to express yourself sartorially?
Of course you can downsize your wardrobe, become the king of the capsule and buy only from charity shops. It’s also good practice to research your favourite brands – do they manufacture ethically and sustainably? Are their supply chains transparent? It’s difficult to uncover this information, particularly for large companies with numerous suppliers and sub-contractors. Do what you can to call out bad practice when you discover it.
But what else can you do on a personal level? You can become acquainted with what I call ‘mindful purchasing’ through identifying and refining your personal style and purchase accordingly. Undertake some soul searching and analysis so next time you purchase clothing it’s sure to be something you love, that works for you and that you’ll treasure for years.
Do you love it?
You don’t have to minimise your wardrobe, though you may choose to. You could be like me, who has an extensive wardrobe; but I love and wear every piece (including the red velvet dress I wore on the first date with my husband and, as it happens, wore again last week).
So think…
- do you love red?
- do you love velvet?
- do you love a dress that hits around knee length and hints at the 1960s?
If yes, then you too, might hang onto a red velvet dress from decades ago! It’s about identifying what you LOVE and what SPEAKS to you, regardless of fashion. Undertake some ‘soul searching’ to develop your personal style
Will you use it?
Next, reflect on your lifestyle and personal needs… So you love the look of your legs in heels. But, like me, you have 11 pieces of metal above your ankle so you need to be careful when walking. In fact, you’re not actually capable of walking well in very high heels.
Plus you’re very active and independent. Your live your life fast. You catch the tube a lot and you need to stay safe. Heels get in the way. To be honest, other than looking at your legs in the mirror at home, you don’t really enjoy wearing heels at all.
It doesn’t mean you can’t ever wear them. But don’t buy more than your lifestyle can accommodate. You won’t wear them and before you know it, they’ll be out of fashion or you’ll develop a bunion and into landfill they go.
What suits you?
Your skeleton determines the length of your torso, the width of your shoulders and shape of your hips. Whether you gain weight or lose it, you can’t change your skeleton. But what you can do is to become acquainted with your skeleton. There are a few things you’ll notice…
If you have a long torso you’ll be more comfortable tucking your tops than those with shorter torsos are. You’ll be more comfortable in straight skirts if you have a high, square hip. If you have the low womanly hip, you’ll probably be drawn more to fuller skirts. Hips impact the shape of trousers we feel good in too, regardless of gender. Learn about the cut of clothes that suits your particular skeleton what sits well on you naturally.
And then?
You’ll be purchasing mindfully if you buy only:
- what you love
- what you’ll use, and
- styles designed for your body.
Reflect, analyse, enlist the help of a professional advisor if need be, and cease purchasing naively.
By Donna Cameron
Donna Cameron hosts ethical fashion tours for the thinking fashionista and encourages ‘mindful purchasing’ through the understanding and application of personal style principles. She has facilitated workshops on presentation and style for over a decade in both Australia and London.
In 2018 Donna was lead stylist for a groundbreaking event at Melbourne Fashion Week, exclusively featuring models with disability. In 2019 she was invited to speak on colour at the NGV (National Gallery of Victoria) in Melbourne. Donna was President of the Association of Image Consultants International (AICI) Melbourne Chapter in 2015-17, and was associate editor of GLOBAL AICI magazine, for three years.