Growing up I could never pick out a certain pair of shoes that I thought were cute from a store without my mom unzipping the shoe or tilting it upside down to make sure she studied first what it was made of. If it was plastic she would politely place it back and remind me that our skin can’t breathe well when we wear plastic. 

“It can cause two problems,” she would say “stinky feet, sticky shoes, and unhealthy skin.”

It would make me feel so embarrassed and annoyed. 

I spent many times watching my mom sew clothes for us and selecting fabric and thread at stores. I wasn’t amazing at sewing, but I sure enjoyed watching her. From time to time I would help my mom sew straight lines on dresses or whenever she would sew something for our bedroom. 

Fast forward college I attempted to take a sewing class.  I didn’t finish it because I had to graduate in my current major, and I didn’t have the money or time for extra classes. But I did learn form the first two weeks from a super strict Chinese teacher, everything I could about quality clothing construction. 

Something I took with me form that point on which  sure validated what I fought for so many years and resisted to apply from my mom’s teachings. 

Over the last few years I have also spent many quiet nights reading books on clothes that match our body shapes, skin tones, and how the world of fashion is structured and functions. 

I have often been very sad unfortunately to find out that many clothes are made by women like you and me who are paid the equivalent of slave labor to make the clothes that we wear.  It has often left me perplexed by the fact that the more I study the world and its history the more I learn that our modern world isn’t as modern as we think, and how many things still exist right below are noses that we are unaware of. 

Things such as the fact that clothes are made of mostly plastic materials. Of cheap quality that is purposely meant not to last so that we can keep opening our wallets. 

How zippers and threads and the grain of fabric is often not even any longer considered when sewing clothes in our modern era. 

HERE ARE THE MAIN FACTORS THAT DEFINE QUALITY:

I understand that knowing about the problem may not fix it at all. I too feel that  I can’t quite fix this problem overnight. But here is what I have tried to do with the time and resources that I do have as of right now. 

I have spent a lot of time trying to find clothes that are a little bit better quality than the average. I can’t possibly know every brand’s skeleton In the closets when selecting them, but I do have some quality clothes brands that I like more than others. 

I also know that not everyone has a huge budget when getting their first job, starting in life, and trying to build their first closet. Life has its stages. Sometimes you just need quick clothes that are cheaper. Being paralyzed by the fear of selecting a brand is also not a great solution.

My goal with this blog is to select a little bit of everything, but try to push for sustainability and fair trade labor as much as I can when selecting items. That will sometimes mean sacrificing a low price point. That is where I will propose more than one item and give everyone an option to choose from on their own. 

For example this week I selected a wrap around women’s winter coat as a huge closet staple. There is nothing better during cold moths than a coat that covers to the knees or below that can be easily taking in and out and by tying it around the waist. It can be easily worn open by tying the belt on the back.

You can scroll through the pictures below. If you click on the photo it will take you directly to the site where it’s being sold. Some of these are already on sale for the winter semiannual promotions. Also when you click on these links and purchase one of these items it keeps the price identical for you, but I make a small kick back for referring you there. Helps me make this hobby worth it. Don’t worry I don’t know who purchases what. It’ will all be anonymous.

I have selected different price points and colors from a few different brands. I have purchased the pink one myself and I own it in different colors. It’s warm and made in a a way that really slims down the silhouette. Not to mention is made from an italian brand. It comes in different colors. It is also made out of wool which is a material found in nature and not plastic. 

You can find it by clicking here above! Next week I will share more on how to match clothes better, followed the week after by reasons why no matter how many clothes  people buy, they still aren’t satisfied with their clothes. I want to fix that issue so that article will explain it all!