Sunja Link dress (made in Canada!!) – gift from Seven Sisters to review, more details later!!
Something random for your weekend, while you either are, or are not shopping all the Memorial Day sales:
Reader Jeanette asked on the Shopbop sale post:
So I just had a baby bout 3 weeks ago and I’m very excited to start building a minimalist, more sustainable wardrobe now that I can ditch the maternity clothes! I was really excited about the Shopbop sale because I thought this would be a good place to start. The problem is, I am totally overwhelmed by Shopbop! There is so much to look at! I found Garmentory to be similarly intimidating. Any tips for someone new to this world of higher-quality clothing? Do you tend to sort by specific designers on these sites? I’m worried I’m going to become paralyzed by indecision and never buy anything.
It’s SUCH a good question, and probably deserves it’s own post/examination of how to build a wardrobe from scratch, but I wanted to also open it up to you, readers, maybe you have some strategies you’ve employed in the past that would help? How have you approached meeting a wardrobe goal without getting overwhelmed? How do you navigate large, multi-designer sites efficiently?
I personally appreciate that both on Shopbop and Garmentory, you can “heart” your favorite items and keep them in a section to return to, shop from, and easily see when they go on sale. I’m a weirdo though, and visit Shopbop every morning at about 6:30 (after they’ve uploaded their new arrivals) while I’m drinking my coffee, adding anything I find interesting to my hearts section, so I always have a running tally. I do that every couple of days at Garmentory.
If you’re just starting from scratch though, and aren’t familiar with the designers on both sites, I think it’s worth it to spend some time looking through and just adding anything that catches your eye to your “hearts” section, or bookmarking it, or if you use Pinterest, pinning it to a board. Once you start to see some coherence and you can recognize more easily the things you love, it’ll all be a little less intimidating.
I understand feeling that way though! I get that way in unfamiliar stores or large department stores, which is why now I make a beeline straight to designers I like and I always look for the more “neutral” sections LOL It will take time to get to know what works on your body and for your lifestyle though, so be patient. Shopping for a new wardrobe should be fun, most of all. Not intimidating !!
Now, readers, what have you found to help with this? How do you discover new designers? And what strategies have helped you narrow down your personal style?
Happy weekend!!!
Just discovered a new shoe brand The Palatines through Garmentory (thanks to you!) Actually was obsessing over the Emerson Fry slides (which are not available right now) and found the brand while perusing similar styles. Do you know anything about this brand, Grechen? Reviews seem positive (small US brand, hand-made in LA) and I ended up ordering their Cognitio slide in tan (black was sold out in my size).
To be honest, I would completely avoid consolidator websites other than to explore new brand names until you are familiar with what you really want out of your clothes, as well as the quality of various brands. But then you can get great brand advice from Grechen and her fans! The consolidators are just toooo overwhelming at the beginning. Even now for me. Of course, I gave up on department stores in my teens and have since focussed on small boutiques. I follow the same practice online. Also, I have neither the time nor the money to troll online every day. It’s just too expensive! I would pick a few brands complatible with your style needs and philosophy, and explore them online over 2 to 3 weeks, giving thought to what you th ink of them over time, and then pick about 3 things, each from a different brand, to try for fit, suitability and quality IRL. Build on that knowledge to make purchases and widen your search. I will sometimes buy “cheaper” items from an unknown brand (e.g. a t-shirt) as a test before I invest in something expensive.
OT (or is it?) I received my order of a navy linen Georgia midi (size OS minus) and have been wearing it all day in heat in the 80s. (I considered the Marlene, which everyone seems to adore, however the midi seems like too much fabric for me and the regular dress seems too short given my unappealing knees. I guess I like lots of volume in tunics and knee-length, but slightly less in midi or longer.) Anyway, the linen Georgia dress in OS- fits beautifully. Still LOTS of room, still flowy …. which I would not have thought possible with linen..,.and after a day walking around, sitting for hours, and even taking an afternoon nap in bed in it, it has not wrinkled in any appreciable way at all. For all those of you who feel the lure of linen, but fear those horrific creases, run to your computers and order Elizabethès linens before the end of the season. Full disclosure, I have been purchasing her wares on and off since the very beginning. Her stylings are not always suitable for me, but I have never had any complaints about her quality. I do miss the days when her operation was small enough that I could ask her to switch up fabrics and styles, and get custom fits, but I am happy that she is doing so well. I also wish she would post pictures of the same model in the OS-, OS and OS+ sizes. Maybe I’ll suggest it! What do you think, Grechen?
I have been educating myself about ethical and minimal designers, and I find sites like Garmentory overwhelming, too. I wish they would consolidate their pieces and remove the SOLD items more quickly. Lately, I’ve been slowly going through Grechen’s “Five Questions” post and reading all of the comments. I keep a separate tab open and look up “new to me” designers that her readers mention. I’ve found some great pieces that way. Also, I browse Pinterest and find outfits and styles I like, then go back and visit the designer’s site to get a feel for their entire collection. Kathryn makes an excellent point about picking 2-3 designers and learning about them for a few weeks. 🙂
At age 55, I’m probably one of your oldest readers, but I still love clothes and how I present myself to the world through my wardrobe. The best way to figure out a style that’s authentic to you is to make mistakes! Seriously! If I hadn’t purchased items that were NOT me, I never would have figured out what IS me.
My favorite tools now are Pinterest and Instagram. I love to create boards, for example: summer style, winter style, boho, shoes, jewelry and any other things I’m drawn to. Once you start pinning a lot of items, you can discern a pattern and get to know your genuine style.
Grechen’s blog has been helpful since her style is something that I find appealing. One of the biggest things she’s taught me is to buy the best that I can afford, and to wait for the “right” piece to come along…be choosy! High quality is better than a ton of clothes.
Thanks so much for posting, Grechen! It’s a big help to hear how your other readers build their wardrobes and use these sites. In a reply to my original post, Grechen asked me some questions to help get me started:
“What sorts of styles do you like? any designers so far that speak to you? are you more “minimal” in terms of aesthetic – do you like tailored? slouchy? art-teacher chic? LOL”
So far I’ve gotten started over the past year by paring my clothes down to (mostly) things I actually wear. I’ve also parted with anything in the brown color family because I gravitate more toward black/gray/white/ silver. The only problem is I have barely anything left! I would say my style is casual. I love jeans, v-neck t-shirts, and comfy sweaters. I have a curvy frame so I like things that are somewhat fitted, but not tight (hope that makes sense). I would like things that are plain and minimalist so that I can wear layered looks and combine a smaller amount of clothes in multiple ways. I’m hoping this will be a good way of being able to afford higher-quality items. I work in a medical office where I can wear scrubs or business casual. It would be great to have some pieces that I could wear in the office or at home (black pants, maybe a simple dress). I’d also like to buy from designers that have a socially responsible supply chain and use sustainable materials when possible. I’m hoping that will help me narrow down my options. If anyone has any specific designers that they would suggest based on the limited info I’ve provided it would be VERY welcome!
I may skew a little older than some readers and I am a relatively new mom too, though my baby is now officially a toddler. My thing is following a local consignment shop on Instagram – they use friends as models, and I can gauge pretty easily whether something is in my size and will flatter me before I even get to the store. They are very selective in what they take and I’ve been exposed to tons of new designers, some of which I know are all over Shopbop (the store has a lot of APC and Acne) in this way and get to want only stuff that’s already become someone’s sold-off stuff. So it’s a live ‘Slowre’ in some ways — it works for me, as I’ve stopped buying first-run clothes excepting underwear and workout gear and have even managed to get my shoes second-hand. I hope this works for someone else!
You can actually get the Emerson Fry slides over at Seven Sisters! http://www.sevensisterspdx.com
Thanks Jillian! (Unfortunately they don’t ship overseas and I don’t live in the US.)
whoa. late, sorry!!
i love the palatines, and actually just ordered a pair of the open-toed slides in tan from garmentory over the weekend!!
So cute! Love it! Making simple changes in your spending patterns like buying used clothing instead of new will make a huge difference and will certainly making staying within a reasonable budget much more simple. Very nicely done! Thanks for sharing your ideas!
Now is the perfect time to start your minimalist wardrobe! I love how educated you are on the topic and I especially love how you share all of that knowledge and information to us! It is always wonderful to try something new! Thanks so much for sharing, you wrote an awesome post!