James Perse leggings (5+ years old)
Jungmaven Hemp/organic cotton tee (secondhand)
Elizabeth Suzann Clyde trench (small)
Dansko clogs
Random thoughts…things to remember:
- most of us really are trying very hard to be better ourselves, and to make the world a better place. give us the benefit of the doubt.
- having a sustainable or “ethical” wardrobe isn’t about buying clothing/accessories from “sustainable” or “ethical” designers; it doesn’t have to be about buying anything at all. It is about creating a wardrobe that is useful, aesthetically pleasing to you, and contains high-quality items you can wear until they are no longer useful to you. Hopefully then, you can pass them on to someone else who will care for them, or they can be recycled into rags, and if they are natural materials, can be composted, or even left to decompose (not so for synthetics).
- there is no us or them. only us. we are all together here; plants, animals, people.
Also,
I wonder:
At 46 can I turn myself into a jacket person? I’ve added three jackets to my wardrobe recently, but I have never really worn jackets much – I prefer cardigans. This ES jacket is wonderful though, and like a cardigan, but not as “cozy” I would say. It is very utilitarian in aesthetic and purpose, but it is very good at what it does: adds a layer of warmth, and holds everything you might need to run to the post office, or just carry your phone and a can of sparkling water up and down the stairs…
If at the end of the day we will consider Instagram/twitter/facebook a net gain, or loss? I think the answer depends on your personality and how you handle temptation in the form of influencer marketing, and also how you interpret messages and photos that are supposed to be authentic, but are largely staged – images the poster claims are “real life” and “imperfect” but are in reality highly curated and edited. The more I stay away from Instagram (I don’t really use facebook or twitter at all) the more content and happy I am. That is the truth for me.
What will this coming year bring? I have no idea, and I am open to it.
Yay for 46. I’m happy to be here 🙂
Happy birthday! I am really interested to hear if you have an opinion on Everlane’s new alpaca sweaters. I sort of want one but also think they look very delicate.
thanks stephanie! when i first saw that they were launching alpaca i was interested, because i really do consider alpaca to be superior to wool/cashmere for the treatment of the animals and the environment they live in anyway, but yes, they do look delicate, but also fuzzy (which i don’t like), and they have nylon and wool in them! alpaca on it’s own is perfectly fine; i don’t think it needs to be blended with anything at all, and i think they did it only to get the price down to under $100, which i appreciate on the one hand why they did that, but I also think is misguided.
haha.. a lot of thoughts actually! i thought i might try one before I saw that they are blended….
Every time I see a gorgeous jacket on another woman, I have to remind myself that I am not, at this moment, a jacket person. I have a couple still in my closet and if I actually wore them, I would allow myself to look at new jackets. But until then…..
I LOVED jackets in the late 80s – I used to buy men’s plaid suit jackets from thrift stores and wear them over jeans. Pegged, of course. These days, I’m a cardigan gal…..[dang, when did I become a “gal”?] Hope the birding was fun!!
Happy Birthday! I hope you had a fun bird-watching trip. I love the jacket. To me, a jacket is good if it’s comfortable – nothing tight, fitted, or restrictive. Love the Jungmaven striped tee, too. I want to get one of their tees. Did it come in to slowre?
I’d love to believe that most people are just trying to do better, but the state of politics in our country has left me feeling discouraged. I think it’s going to take a long time before things are kinder and better.
the jungmaven tee came through a while ago – maybe a year? – and i couldn’t resist. it’s too big for me, but i love it for wearing with leggings and to bed. their tees are great, and the hemp is so soft – it’s really like a linen jersey IMO. fyi the blended hemp/cotton tees are a little thicker and cozier. the 100% hemp ones are pretty lightweight.
we had an amazing time 🙂
A very happy Birthday to you Beautiful lady! I am a jacket person all the way and a cardigan person for that matter. It can be very frustrating being a jacket person and living in Florida where it is currently 80 degrees outside. I got a taste of real fall up in Maine in early October and not only did I love it but I realized how much I miss leaves changing colors, cool air moving in, wearing layers and not being sticky all the time.
As for social media, I had a wild moment and permanent deleted my Facebook and Instagram page last week. I felt like I was spending too much time just flipping and scrolling through, time I used to spend reading actual books. I want to read more books and less about other peoples lives. That and I felt like With the exception of a few, most everyone was trying to sell me something, an item, an opinion, a lifestyle… something. And I grew weary from it. Also, when I would post things I have this dialogue running through my head of “ am I bragging? Or am I sharing something cool that happened to me?” I always felt like it was something cool but I was afraid it came off as a brag, and I just decided it was better to share one on one and not with the entire online universe (not that one iota of the online universe knew who I was).
I’m glad your birthday trip was magical we all need magic in our lives 🙂
I love a good cardigan! I wear them all the time in fall and spring as an outer layer. I just don’t reach for jackets very often. Every time I try and “experiment” with a jacket, it just sits in my closet. I think I’m just having PTSD from when I worked in an office:)
Happy Birthday, Grechen! Glad to hear you had a wonderful trip!
I hear you with the online bragging feeling — whenever I want to post something on Facebook or Instagram I pause and ask myself “who is it that I really want to share this experience with?” Most of the time it’s friends and family whose phone numbers I have — no social media necessary!
Well said, Countess! I’m so tired of social media. I really DO like Instagram and Pinterest, but I get too worked up by Facebook and Twitter. I had decided to put FB in limbo after the election, but I’m not sure about Instagram. I have to develop the discipline to limit myself and, as you sai, read REAL books and have a REAL life! I just joined a book club at my library and I’m reading “Commonwealth” by Ann Patchett. And I’ve got a sweater to knit. Real life, here I come!
I was intrigued too by the alpaca. In fact I actually took an Everlane survey and suggested they produce an alpaca sweater (they probably already started doing that before my suggestion, lol). But 30% nylon?! Seems like a lot.
I’m sure Grechen is right about the wool/nylon content partially for keeping cost down. The other issue with alpaca is that since the fibers are so long, and lack the elasticity of wool, it can tend to droop over time so it’s really difficult for 100 percent alpaca to keep shape over the life of a garment (this would particularly be true for that rib they released). Also alpaca fibers are so lofty, it’s quite warm. That’s why it’s often blended with something else, although NYLON….?
Thanks for these reflections on social media. After this past weekend, I am seriously considering taking a LONG or even permanent hiatus from Instagram. I operate online and in life with the motto, “always assume ignorance, not malice,” so it was really hard to be on the receiving end of people who assumed malice of ME. I’m still having trouble sleeping. Online “social” spaces are so much a part of my life, but they can make people, including myself, behave in troubling ways.
Yes! Me too Leah. I always try and give people the benefit of the doubt, and also assume ignorance before malice. Mostly because that’s how I want to be treated. But also because i think if you start from an assumption that someone has malicious intent you will more than likely find it somewhere …