DIY: a coated denim jacket for spring

My daughter fell hard last autumn for the coated denim available from the premium brands. It's got great texture and adds a bit of edginess to an outfit. When I took a closer look, I realized that coated denim is actually the traditional waxed cotton canvas used for waterproof outerwear by sailors and hunters - think sou'westers and field jackets - and knew this would be a simple DIY. The treatment will last best on a garment that won't need to be washed all the time, so we agreed that a classic denim trucker jacket would be better than jeans, and perfect to wear now that the weather is finally starting to warm up.

I started with a dark indigo denim jacket with classic lines we found at a thrift shop, washed well (for the obvious reasons, plus, my daughter is actually allergic to the scented detergent used by my favourite thrift shop).

Before treatment.

I looked over the DIY instructions here and here, then broke out the all-natural no-petroleum Otter Wax and a hair dryer. It's simple: rub the wax on with long, smooth strokes until the fabric goes dark, then heat with a hair dryer to make sure the wax has penetrated.

It's amazing how quickly you can see the difference in texture!
In this photo, the left front is untreated, while the right front has been coated in wax.
Otter Wax feels like a really waxy lip balm on your fingertips, and has a slight, pleasant scent.

Let the wax set for 24 hours, and you're done! Here's the finished jacket (total time investment: less than an hour, not counting the shopping time; total cost: under $30, including the bar of wax which we can use for many more projects).

I coated everything but the arms and inside collar with a thin, even coat of wax, warmed the jacket with the hottest setting on my hair dryer to help the wax sink into the denim, then left it hanging in a cool dry place to let the wax set for 24 hours.

To clean coated denim, you want to avoid the use of detergents or dry-cleaning solvents that will remove the wax finish. This means the default suggestion comes from the world of raw denim: seal it in a plastic bag and throw it in the freezer to kill bacteria. Of course, you can always repeat what we did to re-coat the denim if you wash it and the wax gets stripped off.

Note: This post is part of my #30DaysOfMaking Challenge.

DIY denim Bermuda shorts

This slow fashion tutorial is so easy, even I couldn't mess it up:

1. Take your formerly-favourite boot-cut or flared jeans that are suddenly looking tired now that everyone is wearing skinnies. (Or, someone else's that you scored at a thrift shop - look for good quality denim with no inside-the-thigh damage from wear.)

2. Cut them right above the knee. If your jeans are like mine, you'll be able to tell where that is without measuring because the knees are just a little worn - but you may also wish to measure along the inside of your leg from crotch to knee, mark that measurement on the inside-of-leg seam of the jeans using tailors' chalk, then cut. (Save the offcuts. You'll use them to creatively patch another favourite pair. I'm thinking I'll use boro embroidery as my inspiration for that project.)

(Want shorter shorts? Try measuring the inseam of a pair whose fit you love, then adding a couple of inches to give you room to roll the hem.)

3. Hem as desired. For now, I've just been rolling mine up to hide the raw edge. If yours won't stay rolled up, you can use iron-on hem tape, turn them in and hem, or bind the edge with a pretty ribbon.

4. Bonus points if the jeans were too small and you updated them by inserting a ribbon panel along the outside-of-leg seam. (I did this as a teenager, and I'm planning to use the trick for a couple of my daughter's favourite pairs to extend their life.)

Et voila! You now have a pair of the on-trend denim shorts that every shop seems to be flogging this summer - and you've extended the length of time you'll wear a favourite piece of clothing.

Slow Fashion: A Working Vintage Wardrobe

It's October, and that means the thrift shops that don't usually have older vintage clothing will pull iconic pieces out of their storage and hang them for sale in their costume section. I can see why - sometimes older clothes can look very costumey - but styled with modern pieces, or even vintage pieces from other eras, they look chic instead. Older pieces also usually have the advantage of having been carefully constructed by skilled seamstresses in unionized North American workshops from high-quality materials.

I'm starting to build a respectable wardrobe of basic vintage pieces to mix with my modern clothing. So far for accessories, I have a great navy blue '50s frame bag, a porkpie hat and a wool felt beret, a solid collection of brightly-coloured '20s-to-'70s bakelite and lucite bangles, and some older necklaces and brooches that came my way from my mom and grandmothers. Most of my 'vintage' clothes are less authentic: a 90s-repro mod dress that looks fab with leggings, some sweet velvet or tweed blazers of indeterminate age, the 30s-style knit accordion pleat skirt and 40s-esque high-waisted trousers I bought at Winners this week. When I'm thrifting, I mostly shop for my kids (because I have them with me), so my daughter has a much more impressive collection than I do (with her 60s and 70s sundresses, embroidered Portuguese peasant blouse, full-circle square dancers' skirt trimmed with ricrac, and pink multilayer tulle petticoat). However, the other day I scored these two beauties:

...a Canadian-union-made Edwardian-style ruff-neck puffed-sleeve blouse that can be worn as intended, or back-to-front for an interesting keyhole effect, probably made in the 1970s; and a 1960s-or-70s-era full-length swiss dot slip. Both are super soft poly-cotton blends. I think I'll try to find a way to wear them to today's Tweed Ride. (Yes, it's hours away and I have no clue what I am wearing for it!) (Update: I ended up not wearing these because they're better suited to warm weather - I'll keep them in mind for the planned springtime Tweed seersucker social.)

To make all of these part of my working wardrobe, of course, I need to actually find ways to wear them for everyday, as well. Of course there's a whole world of vintage fashion blogs out there to explore for inspiration, and I'm just starting to dive into it. Here are a handful of resources I think I'll find pretty useful; the first few talk more about classic vintage shapes and how they were worn back-in-the-day, and most of the rest talk more about fitting them into a modern wardrobe. (I've updated this list as I've found more great information; newly added links are in italics.)

• Va Voom Vintage's whole darn blog, but especially her brilliant Building A Vintage Wardrobe series (I've only linked to the crucial first post), the other resources listed on her tutorials page, and her free patterns page
• Sammy Davis Vintage's list of books for learning about vintage fashion & style
• Bombshell Bettie's Vintage's blog post Building A Midcentury Wardrobe
• Mademoiselle Robot's spring/summer vintage wardrobe basics post
• Night Owl Vintage's care and cleaning advice
• Past Perfect Vintage's building a vintage wardrobe post for her mix-it-up approach
• Stylist Lisa Tubarello's rules for incorporating vintage into your wardrobe
• Sammy Davis' great advice for bringing vintage into your workplace wardrobe
• Andrea Eames' advice on incorporating vintage into a modern wardrobe, with links to a few (adorable!) style bloggers who specialize in it
• For the boys: advice from Dress That Man. (Apparently good-condition vintage menswear is pretty rare. Who knew?)
• Slow Fashioned's Spotting Fake Vintage 101 and How To Spot Quality Details
• Tangerine Boutique's advice on Choosing A Vintage Silhouette that works for your figure
• Simple Design's post on Looking Modern While Wearing Vintage

Fashion Diet Reflections

My first stint of Project 333 has wrapped, although truthfully I've been wearing a hybrid of my while- in-Japan list and my updated rest-of-the-90-days list for the past couple of weeks. Maybe because I'd allowed myself a different wardrobe with a completely different colour palette during my trip, or maybe because I had trial-run my list for nearly a month before starting, I found it very difficult to stick with my 33 items for the final few days. Both the monotony and the need to handwash so many of my items were really getting to me. Rather than fight that, I decided I'd experiment with what my next list might look like, ditching the winter-spring items and bringing out my summer stuff in light of the hot weather we've been having.

That said, I think a slow fashion Project 333 list is still totally doable, either if your items are carefully chosen for easy care, or if you're childless and the handwashing routine fits your schedule. I'll be aiming for the former as I amend my list of items.

I also made a couple of additional changes to my list during my final month. I bought shorter trench coat on sale, more suitable for cycling in, and swapped it in in place of the white trench coat. Here's a photo of me in it from the Critical Lass ride report on my other blog. I still haven't finished sewing my LBD so I subbed in a black wrap LBD in its place, and I still hadn't worn one of my skirts more than twice so I subbed in a polkadot one in its place. I happen to be wearing those in this photo too, with my rubber boots and black tights.

Here's what I learnt about myself during my first Project 333 stint:

• I need to have easy-to-launder items for my core everyday wardrobe, because my lifestyle doesn't allow me to hand wash things all the time. 
• My personal style tends toward casual, vintagey, and artsy. I basically live in tops with interesting details and either jeans (or shorts) and flats or a skirt layered over leggings with knee-high boots. I almost never wear dress slacks, and limiting my wardrobe choices does not change that tendency. 
• As someone who frequently makes her own jewelry, I really chafed at not being able to change the look of an outfit with a different set of accessories - even if most of the time I wear the same signature items.
• I photograph much better in navy than in black.

All in all, I loved doing Project 333 - it gave me a great framework for figuring out my personal style and my wardrobe needs, and I'm looking forward to doing it again. However, rather than doing Round 2 of Project 333 right away, I took a look at the many other fashion diets out there, and I'm going to try a 30-for-30 Remix Challenge instead. (Follow the link to Kendi Everyday for all the details on how to do it yourself - Kendi has written a cunning workbook that I kind of wish I had read before starting Project 333.)

I like the simplicity of the 30-for-30 Remix Challenge idea: take 30 items, make 30 outfits, with no time frame or other rules. You can choose to not shop during the challenge, if you wish. If an event comes up, you can take a day off of the challenge and wear something outside your list, although you might not want to. Shoes are included in your 30 items, but not outerwear or accessories, which has the potential to be a real monotony-killer and make it easier to transition the outfits that come out of the challenge between seasons. The emphasis in 30-for-30 on creating different looks by remixing what's in your closet also appeals to me. During my first Project 333 I tended to get stuck in a rut and only wear my items one way, so the challenge to find ways to wear my clothes differently will help to shake me out of that rut.

I haven't made my list of 30 items yet, but think I will keep some of my Project 333 rules going during my 30-for-30, as well. I won't count undergarments, pajamas, lounge wear, or workout clothing as part of my list. I'll keep my Bonus Rule #1, of letting myself swap out items for very similar items as the seasons change, although outerwear not being part of the list will mean I don't need to use that option much. I'll continue to strive to bring the slow-fashion cred (Bonus Rule #3) by including as many handmade, local, sustainable, second-hand, or vintage items as possible. Bonus Rule #2 won't be needed since I'm not planning any trips to exotic destinations. That I know of.

I am also adding a 4th Bonus Rule that I cannot buy anything that isn't on my need-to-buy list at the beginning of the 30-for-30 Remix Challenge - and that anything on my need-to-buy list should be part of the 30 items. No shopping FTW!

Little Black Dress Party a big success

We are so happy with how the first Little Black Dress Party went! It was small but mighty, with about 25 attendees raising $1132 for our charities, the Akanksha Foundation ($283) and Literacy Without Borders ($849) while mingling over delicious appetizers and martinis at Devlin's Cocktail Lounge.

photo courtesy of Marilyn Kontz

Everybody loved the accessory swap table and the silent auction. Thanks to everyone who donated their gently-used-but-rarely-worn treasures on the accessory table to find new homes, and huge thanks to our silent auction donors, Aminah Syed {Photographer}, Black & Bold, Caprice Consignment (on 99th Street), Devlin's, Jilly's Home and Lifestyle, Rebel Hips Belly Dance Studio, Edmonton-area Etsy vendors Everyday Diamonds and Stray Wires, and our twitter friends @recyclenazi and @GenoaK.

The incredibly talented Aminah Syed set up a photo booth which proved extremely popular - check her blog post at the link for more great photos.

Strike a pose. Photo courtesy of Marilyn Kontz

Gorgeous girls. Photo courtesy of Aminah Syed

Nicki wore a hair garden worthy of a tribal fusion bellydancer with her satin LBD.

Marilyn wore a Uniform Project LBD from Bright Young Things (which I had shrunk in the wash, much to my dismay) with a great straw cloche from Le Chateau. This is the dress from the slow fashion website that inspired this party, and you can really see it well in this shot where Marilyn is dancing with Premee:

Photo courtesy of Aminah Syed.

Christy, the mastermind behind the Garbaganza! recycled-materials costume project, found a studded purse on the swap table that matched her bolero jacket - which is embellished entirely with items that were originally headed for landfill. Her earrings were made from soda-can tabs.

#yegLBD organizers Deborah and Asia with garbaganza!'s Christy Boulter. Photo courtesy of Aminah Syed.

My own outfit is all from my Project 333 list: thrifted vintage mod-style shift dress, an amethyst-and-moonstone necklace that I made, and an organza-and-zipper floral headband handmade in Canada by Loralie and bought from local fashion mavens Black & Bold. You can't see them in the snap but I paired them with purple tights and my button booties. (I ran out of time to finish my sewing, but will wear my UP LBD sewn from the Classic pattern in bamboo viscose to the next one.)

(Yes, you read that right.)

We had so much fun that we're going to hold a second Little Black Dress Party! We're even going to let the boys join the fun this time.

#yegLBD2 will be held on Thursday, October 13th, 2011. Mark your calendars...

Project 333 update, month 1

So I'm well into my second month of my first Project 333 stint. My first month went okay... not great, just okay. My single biggest challenge wasn't boredom, it was keeping up with the laundry so I'd have something clean to wear that was occasion-appropriate. I particularly found I didn't have enough shirts or jeans - the things I really wear almost every day.

I have also realized that this much black typically does not photograph well.

(I'll update this post with photos as soon as my camera is working again.)

Items I still have not worn - all but #17 will be swapped in an effort to improve the laundry challenge and incorporate items I needed to add to the list for the sake of honesty:
8. black polyester dress slacks
12. green velvet blazer (thrifted)
14. cream handknit cardigan (handmade)
17. UP LBD - not yet sewn - but I swear I will soon
18. green dress, worn only once (eco fabric)
30. shisha-mirrored belt (handmade)

Items I am subbing in
8. black linen capris (eco fabric)
12. navy blue blouse from Anthro
14. purple floral headband worn for #yegLBD (handmade in Canada)
18. navy blue ikat-print dress (from consignment store)
30. brown leather-and-woven-elastic belt from Anthro

Items I am putting away because the weather has gotten too warm (but may need again if we get a freak May snowstorm):
1a. winter boots
2a. wool peacoat
32. gloves

Slow Fashion: the Little Black Dress Party

I'm helping to plan the coolest little fundraiser ever: the Little Black Dress Party, on the evening of May 5th. We've been talking about it on our Facebook event page and on Twitter using the #yegLBD hashtag.

The Uniform Project expressed as a formula, via.

#yegLBD is a slow-fashion fundraiser inspired by the Uniform Project, wherein Sheena Matheiken wore the same little black dress, creatively styled with vintage or handmade accessories, for a whole year to raise money for the Akanksha Foundation (who educate underpriviledged kids in India). At year's end, a series of people followed in Sheena's footsteps for a month at a time to raise funds for other deserving charities. Here's Sheena's talk at TEDxDubai, to help you understand why we were so very excited by the Uniform Project:

Inspiring, right?

So, the idea of the party is that we all shop our closets and wear our LBD (or an equivalent basic) accessorized to express our personal styles, have a fabulous night out with our friends, and raise money for both Akanksha and a brand-new locally-based charity called Literacy Without Borders. LWB will partner volunteer teachers from developed and developing nations to set up literacy projects with lasting community-based support: 

How: By sharing its knowledge of effective approaches to literacy and harnessing the commitment of local volunteers, Literacy Without Borders helps communities adapt literacy models to their local customs. This way, each community will be more likely to create truly meaningful programs, better positioning their members to implement and direct the programs on their own. LWB Ambassadors are deployed as a pair to communities in development for a period of 18 months with the goal of bringing together the people within each community who are most passionate and able to develop sustainable literacy initiatives in their community.  Initially, these local volunteers will work closely with Literacy Without Borders’ Literary Ambassadors to adapt a literacy model that best suits the community, and eventually, they will run, direct, and teach the programs on their own.

 Our little party could truly make a huge difference for LWB, since they're at the stage where they're applying for charitable status, printing their first marketing materials, and embarking on their first pilot projects. We're so excited to be working with such an amazing charity during their formative moments.

Uniform Project's charity-of-choice the Akanksha Foundation, formed in 1990, educate underprivileged children in 58 centres and 6 schools in Mumbai and Pune and publish curricula for use by other educators, and cohosted the InspirED Conference on innovation in education in 2010. Photo via.

Mmmm, martinis. Via the Devlin's Facebook group.

We're also really excited to be having our party at Devlin's Cocktail Lounge, an upscale martini bar on Whyte Avenue. They're going to create a special drink and appetizer menu for the evening just for us, and the room's cozy-but-luxurious feeling will give our party the perfect atmosphere. It's going to be a fun night of socializing, with photography by the incredibly talented Aminah Syed (seriously, how lucky are we?); a silent auction of items generously donated by local, independently-owned shops; and an accessories-swap table.

Our giant tip jar is ready to go. Well, I might redo the Sharpie.

If you're in Edmonton, tickets for the Little Black Dress Party are now on sale at Eventbrite. The $30 ticket price includes a martini and an appetizer, and every penny that doesn't cover your food and drink - more than half of the ticket cost - will be donated to the Akanksha Foundation and Literacy Without Borders. It's a small room so be sure not to wait to get your ticket - we're sure to sell out.

If you're not in Edmonton, why not hold a Little Black Dress Party of your own?

Slow Fashion: Doing Project 333

I've mentioned previously that I was simplifying my wardrobe and planning to do the Project 333 fashion diet. Here's Project 333 in a nutshell:

• When: Every three months (It’s never too late to start so join in anytime!)
• What: 33 items including clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes.
• What not: these items are not counted as part of the 33 items – wedding ring or another sentimental piece of jewelry that you never take off, underwear, sleep wear, in-home lounge wear,  and workout clothing (you can only wear your workout clothing to workout) 

I tested out my 33 clothing and accessory choices for the month of March, and I'm doing the April-to-June session. Since the weather will be changing from mild late-winter to early summer temperatures during the 3 months, and I'll also be travelling, I'll be using three bonus rules:


Bonus Rule #1: I'm allowing myself to rotate in three warm-weather items and rotate out three cold-weather items (which will be stored away, not donated as some other participants have done - I'll need them again next winter). I'll be otherwise dressing in layers, so careful selection of my three switchable items should be sufficient to cover the -25C to +25C temperature range of 'spring' in Edmonton.


Bonus Rule #2: I'll also call time-out on my 33-item wardrobe and use a different, even more limited wardrobe for my 15-day trip to Japan in May (which will mean dressing for much higher humidity than Edmonton ever experiences, and temperatures comparable to early July where I live). What's coming to Japan with me will be the subject of a separate post, and I foresee my Japan trip wardrobe as the basis of a summertime Project 333 list. I do know that my main neutral for the summer will be navy instead of black.

Bonus Rule #3: Putting my basic list together was actually pretty easy once I had cleared out my wardrobe, and really wasn't that different from figuring out what to pack for a long trip. The key was in making it so a lot of the items can be dressed up or down, and keeping all the basics black or dark grey. So I decided to make it a bit more challenging for myself and really bring the slow fashion cred:

• 8 items were bought at local (from my city) independently-owned retailers
• 3 items are made by me, from supplies bought at local indie retailers
• 1 item was handmade by an artisan in my city
• 5 items were second-hand or vintage (thrifted or swapped or eBay or Etsy)
• 7 items are made of sustainable materials or upcycled materials
• 3 imported items were handmade using techniques traditional to the region where they originated

All these items are marked with an asterisk (*) in the list below, for a total of 18 out of 36 items - some of them fall into more than one category. Most of the remaining items, while not local or sustainable or handmade, are timeless in their design and durably made of good-quality fabrics.

Here are my 33 + 3 items: 
(OR denotes the items I'm allowing myself to swap as the weather warms)


1. black knee-high winter boots* OR black knee-high unlined boots
2. purple woolen peacoat OR white trench coat
3. black rainboots OR black leather sandals
4. (skinny) black organic cotton leggings from Cotton Ginny Ricki's
5. red-violet cotton-modal waterfall cardigan by Kersh (from The Bay)
6. red-violet/black/cream paisley-print faux-wrap blouse from Rickis, thrifted*
7. red-violet soy-cotton skirt by Nomads Hempwear*
8. black stretch-polyester dress pants from Ricki's
9. dark-indigo-rinse bootcut cotton denim jeans from Gap
10. black denim trouser-cut cotton denim jeans from Gap
11. black-grey-checked stretch-cotton pants from Gap
12. green velvet blazer by Lady Hathaway, thrifted (needs rip repaired)*
13. dark grey recycled-cotton-blend fleece double-breasted jacket by EchoRain*
14. vintage cream handknit popcorn-stitch cardigan, gift from my mother in 1990, from Cape Isle Knitters in Maine (similar to one currently being sold by Anthropologie)*
15. black cotton seersucker skirt, thrifted*
16. reversible black/grey bamboo-cotton blend skirt by EchoRain*
17. black dress, to be sewn (by me or a local seamstress) from Uniform Project pattern and locally purchased eco-fabric*
18. green bamboo-cotton long-sleeve dress by Movement*
19. moss-green cropped hemp-cotton blend pants by Nomads Hempwear*
20. black V-neck cap-sleeve cotton tshirt from Gap
21. teal cotton torn-ruffle-hem long-sleeve tshirt from Anthropologie
22. black scoop-neck ruffle-detail cotton tshirt from Old Navy
23. black snap-pocket spring jacket, swapped*
24. hat made from old menswear by local designer and Etsy artisan SugarSoul*
25. statement necklace I made, amethyst and moonstone beads*
26. statement necklace I made, mix of thrifted and new sterling silver chains*
27. vintage handwoven silk ikat scarf from Uzbekistan, via eBay*
28. black leather-and-suede faux-buttoned pumps*
29. black leather everyday shoes (need polishing)
30. vintage mirror-embroidered-and-beaded hip belt, via Etsy*
31. mod-style polyester-blend little black minidress, made in Canada, thrifted*
32. black fleece gloves
33. black leather crossbody purse for everyday use
...plus underwear, socks and hosiery, pajamas and workout clothes (which can both double as loungewear), and everyday jewelry that I practically never take off (my eyeglasses, and 3 rings, 3 hoop earrings, and a necklace that were gifts from my husband).

I have been wearing my 33 items as a test since Sunday March 6th. Since the temps were still dipping to -31C with the windchill, I cheated a little during my trial run and wore my down coat instead. I also spent a chunk of the month sick or caring for sick children, or recovering from a car accident (I'm OK, it's just a mild case of whiplash), and so spent more time in my lounge clothes than really would make a fair trial.


My observations from my trial run: 
- Items 5, 6, 7, 14, 18, 19, 31 need to be handwashed and hung or laid flat to dry, which may pose a challenge.
- I changed item 4 because the original version's wide legs read as yoga pants instead of leggings and needed folding to go inside my knee-high boots
- I probably have too many (6) jackets & cardis and not enough (1) dressy blouses. I probably need a classic white blouse. I rely heavily on black t-shirts as blouse substitutes.


I'm looking forward to exploring my observations of my challenges and feelings about Project 333 over the next three months! 

How-To: Manage an Epic Wardrobe Purge

I've written previously about fashion diets. Today I thought I'd share my journey so far with mine. 


My story will be quite different from that described by most of the perky world-travelling twenty-somethings who are blogging about minimalism. I've just turned forty, I've lived in the same city since 1994, and I've lived in the same single-family home with lots of storage for just over a decade. I'm temperamentally inclined to be a packrat: I save things for sentimental reasons or because I'll need them someday, I hoard craft supplies and half-finished projects, I go antiquing and collect select items, I buy too many magazines, and I have a mini-library in my home. I have children, and all the piles of kid-art and boxes of toys and things bought by well-meaning relatives that go with having children. I live in the suburbs. I own a fleet of vintage bicycles, in various states of repair, but I also ferry my kids around in an SUV. I do not have a single e-book I want to sell you.


So, yes, my fashion diet experience will definitely be different from someone who is at a very different stage in their life. 


My wardrobe hadn't been re-evaluated in at least five years, and in that time I have worn a range of four sizes (thank you, second pregnancy), gone through a phase where I decided that I need to stop dressing like a grad student now that I don't spend long working hours in a research lab (so I now have both lots of dress-like-a-grown-up clothes and lots of casual clothes), and brought a slightly ridiculous amount of clothing home from thrift stores. My closet was overflowing; it would be only a slight exaggeration to have called me wardrobese (heh, get it?). I can only imagine the closets of acquaintances whose primary hobby is going to the mall. 


I want a great capsule wardrobe; I love the idea of having a few key high-quality pieces that coordinate with each other, instead of a closet full of clothes that don't work for me. I'd like to spend less time on figuring out what to wear, and look more polished. I live in a four-season continental climate where the temperature extremes go from roughly -40 to +40 Celsius, often swinging by 20 degrees in a day, so for practical purposes I need a capsule wardrobe for each season. 

Hanging space after the purge.

This will look much less crowded once the stuff for other seasons is packed away.

Shelf space after the purge. 

These were literally overflowing at the start of the process.

Here are the steps I took to get one:


Stage 1: Make sure that every piece of clothing I own is clean. This was not trivial. I have a busy family with young children and a puppy, so there is always a huge pile of stuff waiting to be washed and another pile waiting to be folded. Often if things don't get folded quickly enough, they need to be rewashed because the kids have climbed on the Laundry Chair, dumping things onto the floor so that Miss Sheds-A-Lot can nest in them or tromp on them with snowy paws. This means that anything that needs special care waits absolutely forever before it gets cleaned - and so the pile of clothing that needs to be handwashed or hung to dry just gets bigger and bigger. It had grown large enough to fill two hampers. I wish I'd thought to keep track of the exact time it took me to get it all clean, as it would be a terrific object lesson in the wastefulness of having too much stuff. It took me many hours spaced over five days.


Stage 2: Presorting. Next I went through my whole wardrobe and presorted it into several categories. Anything I was unsure of, I tried on and got my daughter's opinion: you can count on a seven-year-old for honesty on fit. I sorted into 4 main categories: things that fit properly (put back in the closet), things that are too small (filled 1 photocopy-paper box), things that are too big (filled another photocopy-paper box to overflowing), and things to store (yet another box). This last category is reserved for things I'm keeping for sentimental reasons, like the sweet little black bias-cut crepe dress my genius sister had all her bridesmaids wear, and a couple of timeless pieces sewn by my Mom that I hope my daughter will wear one day. There is also a bonus category, of items that went into my mending basket at this point; only a couple of irreparably damaged things got thrown away. I plan to spend an afternoon soon mending things, then trying them all on and deciding which category they belong to.


Stage 3: Get objective second opinions from my inner circle. This took all evening and was actually tremendous fun. My friends were fantastically complimentary when something looked great, and ruthlessly honest when something needed to go. They raided my big boxes of castoffs to see if there were any gems that fit them, and each went home with a big bag of clothes that look way more stylish on them than they ever did on me. They helped me weed out the stuff that fits my body, but doesn't fit my lifestyle or go with anything else in my closet. Since I am losing weight (honest), I also kept a minimal number of good-quality pieces in the next size down from my current size. Warm autumnal colours and neutrals stayed; the vintage schiaparelli pink velvet blazer found a new home. 


Our criteria at this stage were the usual capsule wardrobe criteria, with a slow-fashion twist:

• Does it fall within my colour palette for that season (since my different seasonal capsule wardrobes have slightly different palettes)?
• Is it a flattering cut for my figure? Does it read as sophisticated (vs too young for me), and either timeless or on-trend?
• Can it be custom-tailored or embellished to create something more timeless or figure-flattering?
• If it needs special care, do I love it enough to make it worth the hassle? 
• Was it bought vintage, or locally, sustainably, and/or ethically produced? Can I imagine still wearing it in another ten or twenty years?
• If it was not sustainably or ethically produced, will I wear it enough times to mitigate its hidden environmental and social costs (through its durability and classic styling)?

If the answers to these questions were yes, I kept it; if they were no, I passed it on to someone who will (hopefully) answer yes.


The numbers at evening's end: 
10 items stored for posterity (in fairness, there is more at my parents' home),
8 classic items stored in the size below my current size, 
3 items to be tailored or remade, 
24 oversize concert-souvenir t-shirts boxed (to turn into a quilt),
29 items given to my three fabulous friends, 
12 items set aside for another friend who couldn't attend, 
35 items donated to charity, 
1 large bottle of wine (plus several cups of coffee and tea, a pizza, and two giant chocolate bars) consumed, 
4 articles of clothing rediscovered that I had completely forgotten I owned, and
19 timeless items purchased second-hand that made the cut.


Stage 4: Make a wish list of any items that are missing from my seasonal capsule wardrobes. As outfits were tried on, one of my friends kept a running list of items I should look for to complete my wardrobe. For me, those items were navy blue trousers, a crisp white tailored shirt with French cuffs, a fitted vest (waistcoat) and camisole for layering, a navy accordion-pleated skirt, and sundry accessories (primarily belts, which I hate shopping for). Luckily for me, there's a lot of navy blue in the shops right now. Naturally my slow-fashion criteria will apply when I shop for these items.


Stage 5: Figure out what I'm wearing all the time right now, in the coldest part of winter. These items will need to be part of my winter capsule wardrobe next year, and some of them will be seasonless enough to be part of my year-round capsule wardrobe. 


I noticed as I sorted my clothes that I wear more black and grey, and more velvet, in fall and winter; for warmth I often layer black leggings or jeans under skirts and dresses. On any given winter day I wear enough outerwear to exclude me from ever managing a Six Items Or Less stint, unless they change their rules so that outerwear doesn't count.


I'm done to this point at the time I wrote this post. Next steps:


Stage 6: Determine what my 33 items are for Project 333, for the April 1 to June 30 dates. The 33 items include clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes - but not day-to-day jewelry (my eyeglasses and the 3 rings and 3 hoop earrings that I practically never take off), undies and socks, pajamas, or workout clothes (which will double as loungewear for me). I'll trial-run my 33 items in March, and do a separate post about my choices. Since the weather will be shifting from still snow on the ground to early summer temperatures during the 3 months, I'll be dressing in layers and using the bonus rule of allowing myself to rotate in three warm-weather items (a light jacket, a pair of sandals) and rotate out three cold-weather items (my down coat and winter boots). I'll also call time-out on my 33-item wardrobe and use a different, even more limited wardrobe for my trip to Japan in May (which will mean dressing for higher humidity and temperatures I usually see in early July at home).


Stage 7: Pack for the Japan trip. My travel wardrobe will be a version of the capsule wardrobe I would choose for summertime, but limited by what will allow me to pack light, handwash and hang dry as needed, be comfortable doing lots of walking, and look suitably stylish for both the day-to-day stuff and some romantic evenings on the town. I'll probably be leaving all my black at home and packing navy blue instead.


Stage 8: Put more things in storage or give them away. Stages 6 and 7 will allow me to whittle down my wardrobe even further and set aside an additional few items to be given away, while the rest will get packed up for a few months, after which I'll see if I missed them and decide upon their fate.  


I have to say, at this point I'm feeling so happy to have found new homes for clothes that weren't working for me, and to have so much more room in my closet. I'm really stoked for the upcoming stages of this process. At the ends of June and September I'll probably decide to do additional rounds of Project 333, which will help me to further narrow my choices and define my personal style.

Slow Fashion: Of LBDs, part 2

Last post I talked about the Uniform Project (UP) and the Bright Young Things (BYT) version of Sheena's UP Year 1 little black dress (LBD). The post got a bit long, but in the interest of full disclosure:

The BYT LBD in the Fall 2010 issue of Boho magazine. So flattering, so versatile.

I have the BYT Premier Edition version of Sheena's UP dress, in XL, purchased about a month before UP started selling their updated version as The Classic LBD. It's super cute on, though shorter than I prefer, even for a minidress. The cut skims away from the belly and hips, and the weight of the cotton pique stretch fabric is great for hiding any perceived figure flaws. From the photos it looks like Eliza from BYT used a lighter fabric with more drape for the Spring 2011 capsule collection. (I think the fabric used for UP's Classic LBD drapes better, too.) 

The button at my bustline after the last wash.
THAT ain't right...

The screenprinted care instructions on a pocket of the BYT LBD.
Tumble dry low heat? Oooooops.

Unfortunately, my LBD has shrunk by about a size on me! It got accidentally sorted into the general black clothes pile on laundry day, and thrown into the dryer. It was already quite a tailored fit, so I really can no longer wear it. My loss will be a friend's gain, but before I swap it, I took some photos of me in it so you can get an idea of the fit. Please keep in mind that the BYT Premier Edition has now sold out, and it's not clear to me how the version she's selling in her Spring 2011 line differs (the fabric looks lighter and less stiff), or how the version now selling on the UP site differs in fit.

Worn unbuttoned as a jacket - LOVE this look (especially with a belt on top).

I'm wearing it over a tunic-length t-shirt and black denim slacks.

If you know the dress from other bloggers' photos, 

you can see that it shrunk in all directions, 

losing about an inch in both length and width.

Buttoned partway, so you can imagine what it looked like when it fit. 

(When I also buttoned the offending button shown above, 

it distorted the dress' lines.)

To show how the fabric tends to bubble out over my butt, thanks to the pleat opening starting at the small of my back instead of further down. If I was keeping it, I'd stitch up the pleats by hand so it would be more fitted.
(Wearing it back-to-front never worked with my busty figure.)

Lucky for me, I also bought the sewing pattern which UP are selling, which as you can see came packaged in an adorable and useful tote bag. I was thinking I'd like to make a longer version (I'd be more comfortable with the hem an inch above the knees), in equally-timeless navy blue or indigo, in a lighter fabric for summer, with a couple of different collars to help add more variety - but now I'll need to make a replacement in black as well. 

I guess the moral of my sad story is, definitely handwash and hang dry these dresses - and if your lifestyle means that's impractical, consider buying the pattern and preshrinking your fabric before you sew.

Slow Fashion: Of Fashion Diets & LBDs

Slow Fashion can mean many things: a timeless or flexible cut that means you can wear it for longer; the use of high-quality and/or environmentally-sensitive fabrics, and socially- and environmentally-sensitive production techniques; buying vintage or swapping with friends; incorporating local crafting traditions into the design, or using local labour for the manufacture; making, embellishing, or mending your clothes yourself; or having your clothes custom-tailored (or knit or crocheted). Essentially it involves taking the principles of slow design and applying them to your closet.

Lots of people are blogging about their slow fashion resolutions, which have been dubbed 'fashion diets'. Kim at Preloved Reloved (via the Jorg & Olif blog) is going to buy only second-hand clothes for a year. Participants in Six Items Or Less are blogging about whittling down to, and living with, only 6 items of clothing for a month. Participants in The Great American Apparel Diet are not buying new clothes (but are allowed new accessories and gifted items) for a year; Australian blogger Kate from Fashion Fasting tackled the same challenge last year. Participants in Project 333 wear 33 items or less for a 3-month period. I'm sure there are many more individual bloggers I haven't discovered yet, since fashion diets and fasts have become popular enough that the idea has been covered by Trend Central and the New York Times. (Please, feel free to mention anyone I've missed in the comments!)

Source

Perhaps the best-known fashion fast involves something most women already have in their closet: the essential Little Black Dress first designed by Coco Chanel. In year 1 of the Uniform Project, Sheena Matheiken wore a single versatile LBD (well, 7 copies of it) every day for a whole year, styled to create hundreds of different looks using only items that were already in her closet, or donated items that were either vintage or handmade. She was inspired, in part, by how kids who wear school uniforms always manage to find an inventive way to make the look their own - and she used the project as an inventive fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, who educate children living in slums in the Indian cities of Pune and Mumbai and are co-organizers of the InspirED conference on innovation in education for India (I highly recommend that you check out Sheena's TEDxDubai talk - hugely inspiring stuff.). Now that Sheena's year in the LBD is done, the Uniform Project has moved on to one-month Pilots where people wear one outfit for a month to fundraise for a cause of their choice, with the new outfit design (mostly LBDs, but also a jumper and a two-piece suit, so far) being sold on the site. They also sell a new version (tweaked for fit) of the dress that Sheena wore (and a sewing pattern for it). That is also the dress that One Dress Protest's Kristy Powell is wearing (without accessories) this year; Kristy's year in an LBD also differs from Sheena's in that instead of posting daily fashion photos, she's blogging about her thoughts and peoples' reactions to the sociological and philosophical implications of the project. 

Meanwhile the designer of the original version of the Uniform Project dress (Eliza Starbuck) also is selling it as part of her capsule collection through her Bright Young Things website, and profiling buyers who are doing one-month Wear-a-thons. 

You don't have to go on a full-on fashion fast to take a slow fashion approach to your wardrobe, though. Start simply, by going through your closet, keeping the stuff that fits well and makes you feel great, donating what you never ever wear, and thinking differently about what you buy. (Recent stories in UK newspaper the Daily Mail suggest that the average woman has 22 things in her wardrobe that she never wears, 12 of which don't fit. Wow.). I think the advice for creating a timeless capsule wardrobe in these two posts is a fantastic place to start (boys, try this link instead). 

Inspired by what Sheena of the Uniform Project has done, a friend (hi Asia!) and I planning a ladies-only fundraiser tweetup where everyone shops their closet, and wears a basic black outfit, accessorized creatively to showcase their personalities. We thought a cocktail party like this could be an amazingly cool way to simultaneously fundraise for Uniform Project's charity of choice and a local charity  (Like, cool enough to inspire copycat events in other cities.). We're calling it the Little Black Dress Party (or, #yegLBD using the hashtag convention of #cityEVENT); likely in April, with the date to be announced once we nail down the venue. I'll do another post with all the details then.

I'm also following my own advice and cleaning out my closet, and plotting which fashion diet to join. The prospect of using a big purge and one-month-or-more challenge to help define my personal style and explore my relationship to fashion and consumerism is really exciting!