Posts by Roberta Fabbrocino
What Are Microtrends? (& how they are unsustainable)
 

What Are Microtrends?

If you, like most people these days, enjoy spending at least a few moments a day on social media, you might have noticed that, often these days, certain items and styles blow up all of a sudden. 

Then their popularity grows even more, so much so that it looks like everyone loves them, and then give it some time, and they go back to relative cyber-obscurity, all in a few months at the longest. 

Seemingly random items like the Clinique black honey almost-lipstick, the House of Sunny Hockney Dress, the Stanley cup water bottle, bows, or specific niche aesthetics like "Slavic bimbo" have been the protagonist of a special kind of social media frenzy: microtrends. 

These trends might seem like another amusing or silly social media phenomenon, but they have an unexpected dark side. That's because while we might not be used to asking ourselves this question, it still stands: what happens to those trendy items when the trend gets left behind? 

Microtrends vs. regular trends 

Before we look at microtrends and how they might be more insidious than they seem, we first need to understand how radically different they are from regular fashion trends. 

Trends have existed arguably as long as human societies have. If you were to look at a few 19th-century portraits painted in different decades, you'd immediately see how certain styles, silhouettes, and even colors went in and out of style. The closet of the characters of Pride and Prejudice (1813) and Jane Eyre (1847) would have looked widely different from one another. 

In short, trends are nothing new, so much so that they arguably used to follow a pattern. Until recently, fashion trends rose and fell closely following Laver's Law. According to this fashion theory elaborated by Victoria and Albert Museum Curator James Laver in the '30s, fashion trends tend to follow a 20-year cycle.

In this cycle, they become popular, then said popularity dies down. A couple of decades later, it rises again, ready to be enjoyed and reinterpreted by a new generation. 

A ton of fashion trends from the 20th century followed this pattern. For example, trademark trends of '70s fashion, like wide-legged pants and crop tops, were back in the spotlight in the '90s. 

Unlike these "generational trends," microtrends barely come to define a few months, let alone a decade, but their emergence might have changed the game in fashion. 

The trend cycle is now much shorter, with people looking back at the mid-2010s for trends and aesthetics to dig back out, despite those styles being less than ten years old, as social media has already grown tired of trends from previous decades like those from the Y2K. 

The relationship between microtrends and disposable fashion

These internet-born trends, which are, as the name implies, short-lived and bound to become "cringe" at the drop of a hat once the internet grows tired of them, are, in fact, not only a symptom of how many people see fashion and clothing but also a potential catalyst for a further shift towards disposable fashion.

Like many social media phenomena, microtrends seem like something that sprouted out of nowhere. Still, their existence is one of the many results of the process that turned much of the fashion world into fast fashion. 

Throughout the last century, clothing went from being custom-made to ready-to-wear to being the product of an industry characterized by big brands releasing multiple collections each year. In this process, fashion has turned into a faster and faster business that produces more items than ever, generating a massive and multilayered environmental impact. 

This race to overproduction means that for these fast fashion companies to make the enormous profits they wish to make some trend has to always be on the way out while new ones are on the rise. 

Social media, too, are built around speed and short-term popularity. Unsurprisingly, if you marry these two, the result is disposable fashion content that banks on an item, brand, or style's short-term and robust popularity. 

An independent designer might develop an innovative design that many people like, just for its low-quality imitations, to get mass-produced and sold on Shein or Amazon and other fast fashion retailers for a few weeks before said microtrend gets labeled as "basic" and promptly forgotten about. Then another rolls around, and then it's "rinse and repeat". 

On social media, microtrends are like summer hits; to most people's ears, they don't have the same ring to them a few months later when their season has passed. Still, while these items' popularity might be fleeting, the environmental impact connected to their production and end-of-life certainly isn't.   

Microtrends, duping culture, and cheap fashion 

At first, a microtrend-induced implosion of the traditional trend cycle might seem like something that has nothing to do with you and me. Why should we care if Laver has to eat his hat? 

Much of what fashion brands sell us these days is intentionally not built to last but manufactured as cheaply as possible and designed to be replaced as soon as possible. 

In addition to the planned obsolescence of these garments, trends put further pressure on consumers to buy new clothes and promptly retire their old ones so as not to look unfashionable or unsophisticated. 

The proliferation of microtrends, as they come and go much faster than regular fashion trends, has been adding fuel to the fire in this regard, with certain items and styles ending up feeling outdated and overdone within a few months. 

While it's true that most people cannot afford to purchase every new trendy item at the drop of a hat or change their entire style every other season, the proliferation of mass-produced, lower-quality "dupes" of many viral products, much like fast fashion as a whole allow even people with less disposable income to partake in these microtrends and overconsumption. 

Let's take, for example, the viral Strawberry Midi Dress Lirika Matoshi that became extremely popular online in 2020 at the peak of cottagecore mania. Most people couldn't afford to purchase or discard a garment that costs hundreds of dollars. Still, a simple online search would allow any potential buyer to find dozens of cheaper, mass-produced imitations. 

As the endless amount of these "dupes" proves, microtrends and careless consumption can go hand in hand in many tax brackets. 

Not to mention that many other viral fashion items are far from expensive and are produced by fast fashion companies, like the viral nylon crossbody manufactured by fast fashion giant UNIQLO.  

The overlooked environmental impact of microtrends

While, of course, there is nothing wrong with adding a bow to your hairstyle because you saw it in some hairstyle inspo online or digging out some of your old mid-2010s clothes to give the "indie sleaze" aesthetic a go, there is no denying that microtrends don't do anything to keep clothes out of trash cans and donation boxes or shift many people's perception of fashion from something disposable to something to be cherished.

Given the climate crisis, any further shift to overproduction and a disposable fashion model can be problematic as the Global North generates a mind-boggling amount of textile waste. 

The European Union, for example, produces 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste each year on its own.

To make matters worse, most of the clothes produced by fast fashion companies in recent years are made of petroleum-derived, non-biodegradable synthetics like polyester, fabrics that fuel and, worse, the issue of microplastics in our oceans and sustain the fossil fuel industry. 

Should we get to "enjoy things" at the cost of the planet and people?  

While the people who regularly partake in and promote these microtrends on their platforms on social media are not responsible for designing a fashion industry built on the exploitation of nature and people, it cannot be denied that this thirst for what is new and trendy feeds into a relentless cycle of production and disposal that is consuming valuable resources, contributing to the ongoing climate crisis, and putting people at risk. 

As consumers, we should ask ourselves: is the irreversible damage being done to our environment and our money going to companies who exploit people worth temporary excitement? 

An excitement that might be cheap for many in the Global North but that is heavily paid for by the people living on the frontlines of climate change and the garment workers in the Global South who are fighting for their rights to a living wage and safe working conditions. 

While people's individual choices cannot change the way the fast fashion industry sees clothing as discardable and people as exploitable, they can change the way they see clothes and engage with fashion in their lives. 

The key to this evolution is putting our fellow humans and the planet first rather than short-term shopping-induced thrills and genuinely centering marginalized voices rather than our habit of using shopping as a short-term fix. 

The fashion industry can move away from the current unsustainable cycle and shift towards a responsible production model if consumers and institutions keep it accountable. 


About the Author

Roberta Fabbrocino is a journalist specialized in climate change and sustainability-related topics. Her articles have been published in several international eco-publications. Roberta also works as a content writer for sustainable companies.


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How to Actually Enjoy the Winter Months
 

How to Enjoy Your Winter in 2023-2024

Winter can be a somewhat divisive season. While some might be looking forward to winter wonderlands, the Holidays, and nights in, others might dread winter coming for the same reasons, especially those who live in colder climates and experience harsher weather this season. But even the people who spend the warm months dreaming of chillier days can find their mood worsening as the days get shorter and the nights longer.  

That's why, as the season changes and winter marches towards us, it is essential that regardless of our stance on the season, we find ways to enjoy winter and prioritize our well-being to spend the next few months feeling as happy as we can. To help you enjoy this winter and those to come, in this article, we will share some sustainable tips and tricks to enjoy the winter months by getting in touch with nature and following the season's natural rhythms.  

Let's create a cozy home environment 

For better or for worse, winter is the season of slowness and stillness. After all, many animals, like chipmunks and bears, hibernate to save energy and survive these darker months. While we might not be able (or willing to) to bypass this period in full by dozing it off, we might want to take a page out of our fellow animals' book and embrace rest and coziness in the coming season by creating a cozy home environment.

This endeavor can look like many different things depending on your budget, the amount of time you have on your hands, or even the degree to which you are free to modify your home, but the goal is adding warmth and comfort to your living space regardless. Regarding décor, you can get some soft blankets, rugs, and pillows from your favorite thrift store or by lighting your space with soft lights placed below eye level, like table lamps instead of ceiling lights.

Bringing some natural elements inside the house, like seasonal flowers or herb cuttings, can also make your place homelier and more comfortable by giving it a lovely organic touch.

Another easy way to create an inviting home atmosphere is by ensuring that it smells nice. To accomplish this, ventilate your home regularly to eliminate stale air and foul smells, and fill your place with fragrance with a petroleum-free candle or a wintery simmer pot. By implementing these simple changes, you can create a warm and welcoming environment that will make nights-in much more enjoyable.

Enjoy winter fashion more by creating new sustainable winter outfits 

Fashion can be a powerful tool and a lot of fun. The right outfit can improve your mood and make you excited about the day ahead. The same goes for seasons, as creating new outfits you look forward to wearing in the coming months can also make you look forward to the upcoming season. 

Finding the perfect balance between style and warmth is vital to genuinely enjoying winter fashion, so embrace layering and the rich, thick textures that characterize the more winter fabrics, and don't forget to have fun with wintery accessories like hats, gloves, and earmuffs not only for warmth but also to give your outfits some extra pizzazz. 

To make this process sustainable as well as fun, build your winter outfits with the clothes you already have at home, and if you find yourself in need of some new winter-appropriate clothing, try to get them secondhand, borrow them, or if you have a bigger budget, get them from ethical and sustainable fashion companies. 

With the right toasty outfits that suit your taste and make you feel good about yourself, you are ready to enjoy the season ahead. 

Give restful activities and hobbies a try for a cozy, rejuvenating winter

Making time for restful activities can maximize your enjoyment of this time of year, as winter, with the weather turning colder and the days getting shorter, is the perfect season to settle into relaxation and embrace the comfort of cozy indoor activities.

Even if you tend to opt for more active, outdoorsy downtime activities, you can still find a more relaxing indoor pastime to enjoy during the colder days of the year. After all, there are plenty of choices: reading, knitting, drawing, or watching movies can all enhance your enjoyment of this cozy season. 

Curling up with a good book or watching movies this season can allow you to escape to new, fantastic worlds. That effect is maximized if you pick a film or a novel filled with wintery vibes. On the other hand, activities like crocheting or painting can help de-stress by engaging your head and hands with a soothing, repetitive task, at the end of which you will end up with a lovely, handmade addition to your home.     

By taking some time to engage in any of these restful activities, you can better embrace the beauty and tranquility of the winter season, finding joy in everyday moments of relaxation. 

Connect with nature's rhythm by spending time outside 

Winter has understated, quiet beauty. Connecting with nature's slower winter rhythm by spending time in nature can be a lovely way to appreciate the season's gentle beauty and create a deeper appreciation for the natural world. 

If the weather allows, going on walks at the nearest parks, exploring local trails, going on a staycation to the mountains, or just enjoying the snow in your area can help you soothe your soul by giving you a chance to reconnect with nature and observe the seasons change the landscape, the plants and the animals that live in your region.  

On these little adventures, you surely won't be bored, as, with its milky skies, fragrant and crispy air, and delicate snowflakes, winter does offer you plenty of natural wonders to enjoy even without going far from home. 

In addition to its benefits for the soul, spending time outside will bring your mind and body many health benefits year-round while acting as a natural mood-booster, reducing feelings of stress and anxiety. So get your comfortable winter shoes, don your favorite scarf, go outside, and let nature help you take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.    

Embrace the beauty of home-cooked, seasonal meals 

The chiller, darker winter days are the perfect time to indulge in homemade, comforting, warming meals and embrace the joys of making and eating meals you love. Spending time at home, in your kitchen, and experimenting with cozy meals made with local, seasonal foods is a fantastic way to get into the spirit of winter sustainably and appreciate the hearty, tantalizing flavors of the coldest season. 

Turn on the stove, preheat your oven, and take out your favorite dinnerware to prepare and savor cold season classics like strews, soups, and savory pies with wintery ingredients like root vegetables, squash, and leafy greens. Prioritizing local and seasonal produce as much as you can will not only allow you to support local farmers and businesses but also ensure that the ingredients you are employing are at their peak flavor and freshness, making our meals more sustainable and tastier. 

This is the perfect recipe to bring into your life a more profound sense of connection to your local community and nature this winter and beyond.  

Take some time to socialize and build connections

During the colder season, the word "self-care" might evoke images of warm baths or piping-hot drinks enjoyed under a thick, cozy blanket. While a healthy dose of alone downtime is vital to recharge our batteries after demanding days and to pursue our hobbies and interests, socializing and building connections are just as crucial to our physical and mental well-being, even in winter.

Spending time with our loved ones and meeting new people might feel more accessible during the warm season while the sun shines bright, the days never seem to end, and spending time outside feels like a no-brainer. But even though going out might feel counterintuitive as the days get shorter, trying to set aside some time to socialize is still beneficial. Humans, after all, are social animals, and our need for community and friendships doesn't drop when temperatures do.

Take this upcoming season as an occasion to host brunches and dinner parties for your friends and family or to find out what kind of "third places" your area has to offer and explore them with your loved ones. Regarding new connections, taking some classes can be an excellent way to make new friends in winter, especially for those who work for themselves or from home. 

Winter is the season of slowness and rest. Embracing winter and following its natural rhythm can help us appreciate the beauty and wisdom of the Earth and recharge along with the rest of the natural world, making this a season we can welcome with open arms rather than a time to dread. We hope that with these simple, planet-friendly tips and tricks, we can help you create a more enjoyable winter experience this year. 


About the Author

Roberta Fabbrocino is a journalist specialized in climate change and sustainability-related topics. Her articles have been published in several international eco-publications. Roberta also works as a content writer for sustainable companies.


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Your Guide to Creating Sustainable Fall Outfits Using Clothes You Already Own
 

How to Create Sustainable Fall Outfits With The Clothes You Have

Once again, Fall is here, the season of crunchy leaves, chilly winds, and cloudy skies. It has then come the time for countless of us to bring out the cozier, heavier clothes to enjoy the colder, rainier weather that in many parts of the world characterizes this transitional season.

Whether or not you are a fan of Fall, there is no denying that the change of season inspires people to explore their personal style, spruce up their wardrobe, and have fun creating new, fresh outfits.  

 If you feel like freshening up your style for the new season, but you can't or don't feel like buying new clothes and accessories, then you are in luck because we have created a handy guide just for that.

So keep reading to get some sustainable (and budget-friendly) Fall inspo, and find out how to create new Fall outfits using the clothes you already have!    

First things first: do a closet inventory 

A step included in any good plan is identifying the resources you have at hand. So when it's time to create new Fall outfits, knowing what you are working with is a solid first step and an easy one at that, as it's easy to review them when you take them out of storage. 

This activity doubles as an occasion to see if there are any pieces you no longer feel like keeping with you and if some other neglected ones still make you happy and deserve a second chance. 

Once you figure out how many and what pieces you have, you are ready to start planning (and have fun with) your outfits. 

Don't put your summer clothes in a box just yet

Contrary to popular belief, you don't need new clothes to make new outfits, as you can make so many different outfits just by reusing the clothes you already own. That's right; you already have everything you need for your new Fall outfits!

A perhaps unexpected ingredient of these Fall outfits can be your favorite summer pieces. Even though they may make you think of iced drinks and white sandy beaches rather than hot beverages and falling leaves, summer clothes can be great building blocks for the outfits you'll sport during this transitional season.

The weather this time of the year can be highly fickle in many locations, and as we all know, it's much easier in changing weather to add layers that to take them off when it's needed, especially on the go. After all, that's why Fall is considered the perfect time of the year to experiment with layering.     

To have a go at layering some of your transitional and summer pieces, you can try wearing your summer dresses as tops under your jeans, trousers, or long skirts. You can also pair them with turtlenecks to wear underneath or even t-shirts if the weather in your area stays on the warmer side. If instead, Fall gives you an early taste of the colder season, you can pair tights with these outfits to keep warm.     

Adding tights or socks to your outfits can also make distressed denim, summer skirts, and shorts season-appropriate. Similarly, wearing taller boots can help you integrate summer clothes into your Fall outfits.

Use the magic of outerwear

As the weather gets colder, it's time to have some fun with outerwear: the main character of transitional and chillier weather outfits. For some, having to wear outerwear is a bummer; it can hide the rest of the fit and get a bit boring the longer you have to wear it.    

In Fall, though, thanks to the milder temperatures, wearing outerwear can add a bit of spice to your outfit rather than solely helping you stay warm.     

So if you own a well-fitting light jacket, trench coat, or blazer that you can layer on top of everything (even your PJs), you can use it to give your more lightweight, breezier looks some structure, some extra warmth, and some more Fall-Esque vibes.   

To keep it fresh and non-boring, try tying a belt (or two) around your waist, add some pins or patches, and experimenting with different ways of wearing it depending on the rest of your outfit and mood: buttoned up, un-buttoned, or even just laid over the shoulder.

No worries if you don't have a transitional coat you love, you can wear a cardigan on top of your Fall outfits for the same purposes. Bonus points if on the cozier, chunkier side.

It's time to experiment with textures  

Textures may not seem like a defining element of clothes when compared to color and cut, but they can make all the difference. Think of how visually beautiful decorations like glitter or lace and fabrics like crushed velvet or linen can be!    

That's why including them can make even the simplest outfit feel special and bring freshness into your style. To incorporate them when creating a new Fall look, consider the outfit as a whole rather than its parts. Does the outfit have an overall texture or multiple ones? Or does it look plain?

Fall is the perfect time to play with them and mix them up, as you probably don't have to prioritize staying cool in balmy weather or staying warm while it's frosty outside. So you can more easily incorporate textures in one or more of the layers composing your outfit.

For example, you can wear a pleated skirt or corduroy trousers with a plain t-shirt, blouse or turtleneck or pair a ruffled blouse with your favorite pair of jeans.        

Play with and mix up warm colors  

Mustard, rust, terracotta, moss green: nothing says Fall like warm colors! Adding warm tones to your outfits can be a way to feel in tune with the season while creating your new Fall fits.

If you don't own many warm-colored pieces, try adding just one warm-tone piece per outfit, whether through clothes, accessories, or even shoes. If, instead, you already are a warm tones aficionado, try going for a warm colors head-to-toe look to go all out for channeling the Fall vibes.  

Bonus tip! If you are used to mainly wearing neutrals and want to play with warm colors more this season but don't know how to style them, here is a simple trick: you can try pairing pieces that have the same color intensity level. It will make the outfit stand out more, look more cohesive, and eliminate some decision fatigue.       

Create a Fall everyday uniform 

Building an everyday fashion uniform that suits your lifestyle and taste can be a real game-changer. It can make your life easier, your morning routine shorter, and sometimes some comfort and familiarity are just what one needs to soothe the soul. 

If you live in an area where you experience four different seasons, you might need to create four different ones. This necessity is your chance to not only select the Fall pieces that feel more "you" but also to give a second chance to a neglected piece you still love.    

Find a classic, Fall-weather staple you love and wear it with everything.

A versatile, Fall-appropriate staple you love that goes well with anything is the perfect starting point to create new seasonal outfits. It may be a chunky sweater, a warm-colored skirt, or a pair of rain-proof boots: anything that works for you and makes you think of Fall!  

You can make it fun and turn it into an activity. Take some time to get creative and plan out your outfits around that one piece you picked. You can make a list, a Pinterest board, or even draw the fits if that's what strikes your fancy.  

It's an excellent opportunity to experiment and get out of your comfort zone, so don't be afraid to mix patterns, colors, and styles. 

Add spice to an outfit using some simple accessories

One of the best things about accessories is their power to transform any fit completely: adding a scarf or necklace can change the aesthetic and feel of an outfit in one go. Not only that, but they can make even the plainest one feel newer and fresher.   

Compared to the warm season, in Fall, you have even more choice of accessories as more cool-weather appropriate accessories like scarves, knitted hats, and gloves are back on the table thanks to the colder temperatures.  

So seize your chance to have even more fun with accessories and layer a scarf over any outfit for an extra pop of color (the ways to wear one are endless), wear a double belt over your favorite Fall dress, and sport your most out-there bag.    

Thanks to the changes in weather and routines that characterize it, Fall is a time of renewal and new beginnings for many people. Even though many of us have been taught to associate newness with only shiny, brand-new things, we can still find novelty and joy in the things we already own with a bit of time and creativity. After all, nothing is as beautiful as the things we cherish.  


About the Author:

Roberta Fabbrocino is a journalist specialized in climate change and sustainability-related topics. Her articles have been published in several international eco-publications. Roberta also works as a content writer for sustainable companies.


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9 Things You can do with Your Old Wedding Dress
 

What to do with Old Wedding Dresses

For countless people, the day of their wedding is a day they look forward to for years. It's a great occasion to celebrate your relationship and spouse with your family and friends and, of course, to have a good time with everyone you hold dear.  

For many of us, it is also the perfect occasion to go big and bold with our outfits by wearing something we wouldn't normally wear in our everyday life. After all, most of us wouldn't show up at the grocery store in a tuxedo. 

The same goes for wedding dresses. Often these dresses aren't just any dress to those who wear them, but a cherished memento that can hold a lot of memories and mean a lot to the wearer. If you bought one for your wedding, chances are your wedding gown is the most lavish, elaborate garment you have ever owned.  

Why you might want to give your old wedding dress a new life

Given all the sentimental meaning this type of dress can have for those who choose to wear it on their wedding day, it’s easy to see how simply storing it in a closet might feel like an underwhelming end for the dress we wore on one of the most memorable days of our life. 

Plus, we have all heard that the most sustainable thing we can do when it comes to our clothes is to wear them as much as we can, and while wearing a wedding gown in our everyday life may not be precisely feasible, we can still reuse it and repurpose it. 

Doing that won't only lower the environmental impact of the gown, but it will also allow us to cherish the dress we wore on such a special day and the fond memories it holds. We might not often get to spend a day laughing and celebrating with all we love, but we might get to remember that day by giving a new life to our beloved wedding dress and bringing it into our everyday life. 

  1. Dye it and re-wear it 

While there are many more budget-friendly options for wedding dresses, such as choosing a hand-me-down wedding dress or purchasing a second-hand one, wedding dresses tend to be quite an investment. That's why it makes perfect sense both environmentally and financially to wear it if that is something we are comfortable with and suits our personal style. 

This option may be perfect for those who chose a dress closer to a special occasion or even an everyday dress rather than a classic wedding gown. It is, in fact, way easier to adapt a wedding dress for day-to-day wear if it doesn't have a full skirt and a structured or heavily decorated top. If that's you, you can take your dress from reception dinner to dinner with your besties appropriate with just a few touch-ups. 

If you went with the classic white or off-white for your wedding dress, dyeing the dress might be a great idea to make your wedding dress more wearable outside the wedding hall.

To turn this alteration into a fun and sustainable activity, you might want to look into dyeing your dress using plants and flowers that are locally available to you. That will make the result more sustainable and more unique.

2. Donate it 

Your wedding dress has already accompanied you during a meaningful and memorable day. To give even more meaning to your wedding dress, even after your wedding day is over, you can choose to donate it. 

By donating your dress, you will allow your dress to make someone else happy on their wedding day and support a charitable cause. In fact, by mindfully parting from your old wedding dress, you can contribute to various causes, such as supporting brides who cannot afford a new gown, funding cancer research, or closing the gender gap in technology. 

Several organizations in the United States, like Brides for a Cause and Brides Against Breast Cancer, sell second-hand wedding dresses and donate their profits to charities and other good causes. 

Such organizations are only great places to buy your wedding if you still need to, but if you have purchased your dress already, they give you a great chance to provide even more meaning to the wedding dress you bought. 

Just remember that there tend to be limits on how old the donated dresses can be, so you might want to decide if and to which organization you'd like to donate your wedding dress before your wedding day.   

3. Pass it down

Passing down one's wedding dress is a beautiful way to start a beautiful family tradition or keep it going and allows a younger loved one to feel more connected to you and your family history. Passing the dress down can be a great option for those who got married many moons ago and whose dresses might not be fit anymore for the other options we have listed here. 

While a vintage dress might be an excellent fit for some, the loved one you are passing it down to might want to alter the dress to make it more modern, in addition to taking care of the cleaning and minor repairs it might need.

To ensure this is a happy step in getting ready for a happy occasion, ensure that the loved one you want to pass the dress down to is genuinely pleased getting married in a hand-me-down dress and that you are both comfortable with the eventual alterations.  

No worries, if you can't take care of that yourself, a good dry-cleaner and a talented sewist can give back your wedding dress all the luster it had on your special day. 

Bonus points, getting your old wedding dress ready for its next wedding might be a great bonding experience for your and the wedding dress's next wearer.  

4. Create keepsakes

Many people treasure the tradition of keeping a wedding dress as a visual reminder of their special day. Making keepsakes out of your wedding dress enables you to relive the unforgettable moments of your big day and leave irreplaceable heirlooms for the future generations of your family.

You have many options to preserve the beauty and significance of your wedding dress by turning it into a keepsake. These one-of-a-kind creations, which range from customizing the dress into anything from a quilt or cushion to tableware, serve as daily reminders of the happiness you and your loved ones felt on your wedding day.

5. Sell it    

Selling your wedding dress is an excellent option for those on a budget to give their wedding dress a new life. As wedding dresses can be a considerable expense for many, selling them can easily offset part of the cost of the dress you fell in love with.  

You can sell your old wedding dress on specialized platforms like Still White and Nearly Newlywed and on more generalist clothing resale apps like Vinted or Depop.  

Remember that when it comes to selling a wedding dress, a seller should go through the same checklist as those selling regular clothes, so make sure that your dress is clean, be honest about its conditions, and make sure to provide the pictures, info, and measurements prospective buyers might need.     

6. Repurpose your wedding dress into other items

Repurposing your wedding dress into other garments is a fantastic way to take your wedding dress into your everyday life, even if your wedding dress is fairy-tale-ready.  

A skilled professional can help you in this task to ensure you can save as much of the dress as possible while making one or more garments that are warble and to your taste.  

By taking apart your wedding dress, you can turn the structured top part into a corset-style top to wear with anything from jeans to other dresses. 

The skirt can be de-puffed and shortened, and the layers you take out can be repurposed as petticoats to wear under other dresses and skirts to give them form and volume. You can also save the bodice and remove the sleeves to add them to a sleeveless dress. 

Alternatively, you can even use the fabric to make a beautiful dressing gown which can even become a beautiful familiar heirloom. 

7. Rent it out

If you want to keep the dress in its original form and don't want to part from it forever, renting it out can be a terrific option. 

You can rent it out locally to you or via services like By Rotation, the platform allowing users to lend their clothing and accessories by simply listing their fashion items on the app. You can then approve or deny requests and ship the dress to your renter of choice. 

8. Display it

If there is one characteristic wedding dresses are known for is their beauty, so why not display such a gorgeous item in your home? This is an easy, hassle-free option to turn your wedding dress into a memento of your special day.

If you wish to display your dress, you can either frame it and hang it on the wall or place it on a mannequin. Either way, you'll get to see your wedding dress's unadulterated beauty in your everyday life, adding a touch of magic to the mundane.  

 9. Wear it on special anniversaries

Another excellent option for those who want to keep their wedding dress just as it is is to wear it on special anniversaries. 

If that tickles your fancy, it is of the utmost importance that the dress is kept in tip-top shape in the years you won't be wearing it. So make sure to get your dress cleaned adequately after your wedding day and avoid covering it with the standard plastic bags they wrap clothing in at the dry cleaner as those could cause yellowing in the long run, and opt for a breathable garment bag. 

Also, make sure to take the dress out periodically to intervene as soon as possible if any damage has occurred.  


About the Author

Roberta Fabbrocino is a journalist specialized in climate change and sustainability-related topics. Her articles have been published in several international eco-publications. Roberta also works as a content writer for sustainable companies.


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How to Spot High-Quality Clothing
 

A Guide to Spotting High-Quality Clothing

There is no denying that clothes play a significant role in our everyday life. Aside from their more practical function of shielding our bodies from the elements, they provide a way of expressing ourselves and boosting our mood, as they accompany us everywhere we go. 

That's why choosing the right ones can have such a significant impact. After all, we all know that sporting an outfit that feels nice and looks nice can be an easy way to make us feel on top of the world. To get that mood boost, it's essential that the clothes we wear not only match your style but are high quality too. Pieces that rip and pull as we are out and about can be a real headache. 

Nothing feels better than clothes that follow our movements and are friendly to our bodies and the Earth. Low-quality garments can have a shorter lifespan and need more care and attention on your part to stay wearable. 

We have created this guide to help you choose clothes that will stay in your closet and look sharp for a long time. Keep on reading to find out how to spot high-quality clothing.  

Check out the seams

The seams get under pressure when you put on clothes, wash them, and take them off. After all, garments aside from knitwear are essentially made of pieces of fabric cut and sewn together, and seams keep them together.  

So what characterizes a well-made seam? Hardier seams tend to have more frequent stitches in opposition to loose stitches. The latter can make a seam more prone to coming undone, shortening your garment's lifespan. Neat, flat, mess-free seams are a sign of good quality.    

A lack of a visible raw edge is a sign of thoughtfulness as well. Let's take French seams, for example. With their enclosed seam allowance, choosing them is a great way to keep the edges soft, making pieces more wearable for those bothered by harsher textures. 

Here is a little extra tip for all the thrifters out there. In lower-quality clothes, armpit seams can more easily rip because of harsher washing and overall traction. If you have eyed a second-hand piece in good conditions with weak armpit seams, you may look at a not-so-good quality garment. 

Higher quality materials often mean higher quality clothes 

For manufacturers to make beautiful, high-quality, and long-lasting clothes, they need to work in a safe environment, be given enough time to create and rest and be provided with quality, sturdy materials. To maximize profit, many fashion companies do not comply with these requirements, and the quality of their products is affected. 

Using cheaper synthetic materials like polyester or unspecified fabrics murkily labeled as "other" is usually a sign that saving on fabrics is the clothing company's priority instead of quality, longevity, and the planet.

On the other hand, using natural, organic, and eco-friendly materials such as organic cotton and Tencel is a positive sign. Generally, a company that cares about their workers' well-being and the environment is likelier to make good quality clothes as their quality and longevity are closely linked. 

Look out for “unintentional” sheerness

If you have spent any time in a location with a hot climate or a hot season, then you know how helpful it can be to have a good selection of thin, breezy clothing to get through balmy days. 

Not all sheer clothes are made to keep the wearer feeling fresh in the warm weather. A low thread count may indicate poor quality in winter clothes and pieces made for transitional weather. 

As the sheerness may also be just an intentional aesthetic choice of the designer, try to see if it is specifically mentioned in the product description and if other pieces from that brand have a higher thread count. 

Commonly, high-quality fabrics, which are the building blocks of high-quality clothes, tend to be more tightly knit. This characteristic gives them a denser appearance and heavier feel, which allows them to fall beautifully on your body when worn.   

P.S. Keep in mind that, regardless of whether or not the sheerness of the piece is intentional, thin garments tend to be higher maintenance, so wash them and handle them carefully to keep them looking and feeling their best on you for as long as possible. 

Don't forget to check out the tags 

If you are someone who is trying to lower their individual impact and support good businesses, chances are you are an avid reader of tags, product descriptions, and ingredients lists. After all, as buyers, it is only reasonable for us to want to know more about what we are purchasing, and the people who do business ethically won't have a problem being transparent. 

So checking clothing tags out is a smart move and can be a good habit to build. A simple tag will tell you how much information the company is comfortable sharing with you. Plus, if you read the signs, it may also let you know how much thought and care went into making that garment. 

Let's go through a brief checklist, shall we? Let's start with the tag's material. Did the company state anywhere what its fabric is? Is the tag soft, or does it feel scratchy and rough against your skin? Transparency and care for the customers' comfort and well-being are both positive signs. 

The tag's function is to give you essential information about the product and how to take care of it. Were you provided all the info you might need, or did the fashion company leave you in the dark? Adding extra buttons, or maybe even additional thread, can signify that the piece was designed with longevity in mind, making repairing it much easier for you. 

Trust your body 

The sizing of ready-to-wear clothes can be confusing and often downright absurd. Two people who wear the same clothing size may have completely different body proportions. It can be hard, especially when shopping online, to figure out if a specific piece of clothing will fit and feel good on our bodies. The result is that many of us have purchased and worn clothes that, despite technically being our size, were incredibly ill-fitting. 

These accidents result from whack sizing but also poor cut, poor choice of fabric, and poor fit. A garment in your size should give you enough room to breathe properly and move around. If the fabric pulls or the garment constricts your body, it may be a sign of poor quality.       

Sometimes stiffness can be expected, like in the case of brand new, non-stretchy jeans. Still, high-quality, thoughtfully designed clothes are made to accommodate the proportions of various body types. So trust your body when choosing well-made clothes: it can be a tremendous compass!   

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The print trick 

Beautifully-designed prints have the power of making a garment feel extra special, giving even simpler pieces that wow factor. Aside from their clearer aesthetic function of providing oomph to clothing, prints can also be used to help you figure out how much a fashion company is willing to invest into making high-quality clothes. 

In many cases, the fabrics embellished with prints can be pricier for fashion companies to purchase. Therefore, printed garments are often lower quality and more poorly made than those coming in a solid color as companies try to balance out the print's cost. 

So if you find a print garment that doesn't present a needlessly thin or loosely knit fabric, doesn't have twisted seams, and its pattern does match up at the seams, then you are in luck. Because chances are that this piece is not only specifically high-quality, but it's more likely that the brand is committed to making quality garments as a whole.  

 Don't get fooled by the price

This advice may seem like a no-brainer to some, but it's vital to remember that high quality doesn't always have a high price and vice-versa. As a lot goes into making and selling clothing, many factors determine the price of a garment, so the quality level of its materials and the time that went into manufacturing aren’t the sole determiners.   

If a company overcharges, you may end up paying for a mediocre-quality garment more than it is worth. Conversely, you can still get good-quality clothes for reasonable prices. Regardless of your clothing budget, know that there can be discrepancies between a garment's quality and cost. 

So pay more attention to the looks and feel of the piece you are looking at when trying to determine its quality level, rather than just basing your decision on its price tag, as you may find a better quality piece for the same price. 

By buying well-made clothes, you save yourself time and money, and it's also an exercise of mindfulness that can help you develop your personal style and avoid impulse buying. Ultimately, learning what makes a high-quality garment can also give you a better understanding of how clothes are made and a deeper appreciation for the talented, skilled people that make the pieces we love.     


About the Author:

Roberta Fabbrocino is a journalist specialized in climate change and sustainability-related topics. Her articles have been published in several international eco-publications. Roberta also works as a content writer for sustainable companies.


MAKE SURE TO PIN THE PHOTO BELOW TO SAVE THIS POST FOR LATER!


WANT to find SUSTAINABLE BRANDS? VISIT OUR BRAND DIRECTORY!

Our Brand Directory is home to hundreds of sustainable brands, from makeup to cleaning supplies, from underwear to shoes. We have broken everything down by category for easy shopping, along with discount codes unique to Sustainably Chic viewers.


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