You are currently viewing How I’m Working Towards a Slower Wardrobe this Year

Writing this post of the heels of my 5 Easy Ways to Help you Stop Shopping post seems like a good idea, and not one that I had planned. But sometimes, good things happen in pairs. And my decision to truly embrace a slower wardrobe this year seems serendipitous in a way.

I recently revealed in a post on Instagram that I added 6 new items to my wardrobe in 1 month, from December 4th to January 2nd. I had actually ordered 8 but I sent 2 of the items back. I found myself constantly checking The Real Real (a secondhand consignment shop) for their latest additions and adding things to my favorites list, knowing that as soon as they hit the right price, I would buy them.

What were those final purchases that made me decide on a slower wardrobe this year?

Here are 5 of the items (the 6th is a pair of grey wool pants that I have yet to alter):

A white woman with dark blond wavy hair is standing in front of a white wall and wearing a black crew neck sweater with beige pants and black platform boots. She is slight turned away from the camera and her right hand is in her pocket. The pants and boots were the first items I bought in my month long shopping spree that led to my resolve to embrace a slower wardrobe.
I added these khaki pants and these platform boots first. Both were ordered on December 4th. Both are secondhand. The wool sweater is vintage and I wrote all about how I got rid of the mothball smell here.
A mirror selfie of a white woman with dark blond wavy hair who is wearing a grey and white checkered shirt with black jeans, a black belt and black platform boots.
The second thing I bought was these secondhand Agolde jeans, which I ordered on December 6th. The plaid top is from Outer Known and it was a Christmas gift from a friend.
A white woman with dark blond wavy hair is standing in front of a white wall and wearing a long white dress with a dropped pleated waist and long sleeves with black platform boots. She has both of her hands in her pockets.
This dress and the wool pants were purchased at the same time, on December 30th.
A white woman with dark blond wavy hair is standing in front of a white wall and wearing a long brown dress with a belted waist and three quarter length sleeves with black platform lace up boots. She has one hand in her pocket and she is holding a black backpack with the other hand.
This dress was the final purchase that I made. I ordered this item on January 2nd. It was at this point that I knew I was falling back into bad habits.

I don’t regret any of these purchases. I know that they are pieces that I will keep and wear for a very long time, which is always the main criteria for a new wardrobe addition.

But purchasing at this rate, even if they are secondhand items, is not sustainable.

How the Idea for a Slower Wardrobe Took Shape

I felt like I was spending all of my free time looking for things to buy. And this feeling was all too familiar. It’s this feeling of “needing” something new that I have worked so hard to quiet over the past 5 years.

I can justify all of this by saying that 2020 was a shit year, and it was, and if I shopped more than I had planned, it’s okay. It was obviously a coping mechanism for the past 8 months of isolation as I’ve stayed at home as much as I possibly can.

But if I’m being honest, I’m so tired of buying things that I don’t need. Of spending money on things to add to a wardrobe that I’ve already spent so much time curating. It feels excessive. It is excessive.

An image of my quote that says "we don't need more, we need to want less." It is a reminder to embrace a slower wardrobe this year.

There are people facing real struggles right now, so my bemoaning the fact that I bought too many clothes over the last year seems very privileged. And it is privileged. It is such a privileged problem to have too many clothes. But it’s also a major problem in our society.

We’ve been trained to buy, buy, buy, no matter what situations we’re in. We’re encouraged to go and buy something to celebrate. We’re encouraged to buy when we’re bored. We’re encouraged to buy for every new event. We’re encouraged to buy when we’re sad.

To truly slow down our clothing purchases, we need to rid ourselves of this way of thinking.

What My Steps for a Slower Wardrobe Resolution Look Like

After doing a lot of thinking about the current state of my wardrobe this past weekend, these are the guidelines that I have come up with for a slower wardrobe in 2021:

✨ I have decided that I will not purchase any more clothing this year, either secondhand or new. I will replace essential items such as underwear or socks, if needed.

✨ I will permit myself to sew new clothes as I desire using the fabric that I already own or with fabric that I can find secondhand (home decor items such as bedsheets, curtains, show curtains and table clothes will be my primary source). I must use my existing stack of fabric first…

A stack of fabric that I currently own. As I embrace a slower wardrobe this year, I can make clothing made with these fabrics.
From bottom to top: thrifted cotton shower curtain, thrifted cotton shower curtain, thrifted cotton table cloth, thrifted silk curtains, cotton gingham from Joann’s, cotton floral from Joann’s, Ecoviscose from Blackbird Fabrics, black cotton from Stone Mountain & Daughter (bought to make curtains), deadstock cotton plaid from A Thrifty Notion.

I have had most of this fabric sitting around for a while. I also have a vintage quilt that I would like to make into a coat. I experience a lot of indecisiveness when I’m trying to find the perfect pattern for a particular pattern for fear that I will choose the wrong one. I am trying to get better about this so that I can actually make a couple of special garments this year.

✨ I will enjoy the things that I already own. I will rewear them. I will style them into new and exciting combinations. I will experiment with different capsule wardrobes. I will try different clothing challenges.

A collage of 3 images side by side where I have styled the same grey and white checkered shirt 3 different ways with black jeans and black combat boots. This is one of the ways I will be embracing a slower wardrobe this year.
1 shirt from my Winter Capsule Wardrobe styled 3 different ways.

Are you working towards a slower wardrobe this year?

If you are and you have an instagram account, please use the hashtag #slowerwardrobe so that we can connect.

Until next time,

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This Post Has 7 Comments

  5. Mary Carey 02/25/2021

    Love this. I have always been a compulsive shopper. Slowing down is such a great idea. And getting my bills paid off.

    1. Gillian 03/02/2021

      I have been in the exact same place. The first step is definitely making the decision to slow down and consume less, which it sounds like you have done. That’s amazing! The next step is to remove the temptation to shop. You can do this!!

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