March-June 2020 Purchases
Very overdue post, sorry! I have been in a bit of a writing lull since this pandemic started.
I also have had some life changes happen. I accepted a full-time permanent position in April, so for the months of April, May, and June I was technically working full time on top of teaching 2 college undergrad science classes and doing my Master's research.
I am now at the point where I have one full time job, but am still finishing up writing my thesis, so arguably I have more free time but I am still finding it hard to be as active on social media and the blog. Thanks for being patient while I get back to it.
I am just going to list all of my purchases for the past 4 months here instead of by months. I am also going to add in a new category for gifted clothing.
March - June 2020 - New
- Pyne & Smith, Pinafore dress in Black (size inclusive: up to 3X)
- Curator SF Jules Cardigan in Mushroom (size inclusive: up to 2X)
- Rothy's in Fawn (size inclusive: N/A)
- Shop Frond, Wrap tank in Black Linen (size inclusive: offers up to XL, but will make custom sizes outside of their offerings)
- Elizabeth Suzann (x2) (size inclusive: yes, but no longer in business)
March - June 2020 - Secondhand
- Beaton Linen, Gathered Dress in Rust (size inclusive: up to 3x)
- Levis in light denim, need to have the waist taken in
March - June 2020 - Gifted
- The Endery, Purple Watch sweater (size inclusive: no)
- Pana Mina, Cotton Flax Dress (size inclusive: up to 4X but will make custom sizes for no additional cost)
- Son de Flor, Classic Dress in Marigold (size inclusive: up to 2X)
This brings my total clothing additions for the first half of the year (Jan-June 2020) to: 10 new items, 6 secondhand items, and 3 gifted items. A total of 19.
Reflections
I am trying not to have too many judgements about how much clothing I have acquired in the past 6 months. Part of my intention with tracking my wardrobe additions is because I have never tracked this before and I am curious to see what my shopping habits are like. So far, this has been incredibly helpful and eye-opening.
What I have liked about my shopping this year is that I am much more aware of size offerings from brands and try to support brands that go up to a 3X or higher. I have also done more intentional shopping rather than impulse shopping. For example, the Rothys, Shop Frond tank top, Beaton Linen dress, and Son de Flor dress had all been on my wishlist for 8+ months before acquiring.
I also want to talk about my Elizabeth Suzann purchase. The timing of the purchase was a bit of an impulse because I purchased the day they announced that they were closing up for good. Elizabeth Suzann had been a brand I admired for a while (2+ years) and I feel like they were one of the best, even among ethical brands because their production was done in-house with fair wages, small batch production, and they were very size inclusive. They were also not afraid to engage in social justice dialogue. I always told myself that once I finished grad school and got a job, I would make my first purchase from them of a Harper and Andy pant. Well, the day they announced they were closing was about a week after starting my new job and a couple months before I graduated. So I ended up just buying from them and am one of the last people to have been able to do so. In true slow fashion timeline - I am still awaiting that purchase but I am very excited to receive it :')
In terms of what I could improve on with my purchases - I think going forward I should prioritize Black-owned brands and brands owned by People of Color in general. In addition to size inclusivity, this should be another measure for me to consider when making purchases. I also want to buy more secondhand clothing, but this has slowed down a bit since the pandemic started because I am no longer shopping in-person.
I have also been reflecting more on my finances, especially having an income change occur in April. I am still trying to figure out how to structure my budget, but one thing I am reflecting on is how much I should put toward giving directly to Black and Indigenous folks and organizations supporting Black and Indigenous folks. If you follow my Instagram, I made a post about giving as a white person and I am trying to put that into practice. One thought I had is to give at least the amount of money I spend on clothes each year because I do spend a substantial amount in this category. If anyone would be interested in seeing me talk more about budget/finances, let me know! It's something I am just starting to get used to doing.
I hope this was interesting! Going forward, I am going to strive to post about my new clothing every quarter because that feels more manageable for me. So I will update you next time for July-September 2020.
Thanks for reading!