The One Shopping Habit I Swear By

Straightforward, impactful, and a sensory pleasure to boot.

I’ll cut right to the chase: FABRIC. CONTENT. If it’s not made of cotton, silk, wool, or cashmere, I’m probably not buying it. Even if I really love how it looks.

Paying attention to fabric content has impacted how I shop more than anything else. My purchases pretty much live and die according to it, a choice that’s had such a positive effect on my relationship with my clothes, I now can’t imagine operating any other way. (I’ll dive into why in the next few paragraphs, but if you want to scroll straight to the shopping links at the bottom, I’d never hold that against you).

It was a revelation that began slowly, coinciding with a general effort to reduce wardrobe turnover by thinking more critically about the commonalities among clothes I most enjoyed wearing and hung onto for years, and conversely, among clothes I rarely gravitated toward and ended up giving away. The clothes I enjoyed the most and owned the longest were clothes that felt good against my skin, hung artfully on my body, didn’t wrinkle easily, and held up against wear and tear. By and large they also happened to be made of natural fibers like the aforementioned cotton, silk, wool, and cashmere. The clothes I didn’t enjoy wearing and had the impulse to get rid of felt itchy or unpleasant, were clingy or just “didn’t look right,” wrinkled easily, puckered at the zippers, and wore out quickly. These were pretty much exclusively made with synthetics like polyester and rayon.

The more carefully I observed the logic behind these outcomes, the more obvious it became that material was their primary driver. By prioritizing fabric content when I shop, I shop more sustainably — i.e. much less. The cause-and-effect is satisfying enough that I’ve become a bit obsessed, and rarely deviate from natural fibers. My main exception is workout clothing, or other items that might benefit from a bit of lycra or elastane. Are there other exceptions? Absolutely. I bought two pairs of trousers from The Row’s sample sale six years ago that are partially made of viscose. I wear them constantly and they look incredible. Ditto for a jacket I bought from Mango around the same time. I just don’t let exceptions distract from the general rule (or waste a lot of money trying to find them).

Synthetic fabrics are less expensive and more easily mass-produced than natural fibers, which is why they are a hallmark of clothes sold for cheap by fast fashion brands. Your budget will understandably dictate the types of clothing, and therefore materials, you have access to (also, it's not surprising that young people don't tend to prioritize this stuff — I certainly didn't), but if it's more of a mental block that's leading you to buy cheap clothes, it's useful to remember this inclination may not actually be saving you money. Think of it this way: It’s more economical to buy one $150 cashmere sweater that you own and love for 20 years than it is to buy a $30 acrylic sweater every two years during the same time span because you’re never quite satisfied with them and/or they wear out quickly. (Best of both worlds, though? Buying the cashmere sweater secondhand for $27.99).

Finally, the debate around the environmental impact of synthetic vs. natural fibers can get a bit murky since it depends on how each individual garment is produced. I think the strongest argument for natural fibers from a sustainability perspective is the most literal one: natural fibers sustain.

Now for those links… Below are my top three current favorite (i.e. most-worn and loved) possessions made of cotton, silk, wool, and cashmere, respectively. I’ve linked to the exact item if it’s still available to shop, along with accompanying links for shopping an equivalent item secondhand when feasible.

Cotton

Cotton is incapable of holding an electric charge, which means it will never cause static cling. Iconic behavior!! It’s also soft, breathable, and (most of the time) machine washable.

1. My pack-on-every-vacation vintage cotton short-sleeved button down ($60) from Fresh to Death Vintage. I bought it because I thought it looked like something Bode would make, but for about 5% of the cost. Here’s a nearly identical one on eBay for $14.99. [Keywords used: vintage white cotton eyelet short sleeve button down; vintage white cotton lace short sleeve button down]

2. My thick orange cotton sweater ($287) from Babaà, a Madrid-based brand that produces knitwear artfully and ethically with a team of local artisans. The quality is insane. I’ve worn it countless times and it still looks brand new. Here’s a similar vintage one on Etsy for $39. [Keywords used: vintage thick orange cotton sweater; vintage orange cotton sweater]

3. My all-time favorite jeans from Moussy ($175 on sale). I don’t really identify as a “jeans person” but when I do happen to be wearing them it’s almost certainly these. I got them back when I worked at Man Repeller and my fellow editor Amelia influenced me to buy them. Not verbally, but visually, in the sense that every time I saw her wear them I was jealous. They’re 100% cotton with zero stretch but still soft and comfortable. Willow Vintage, Axe Vin, and Bombshell Vintage on Etsy have a lot of secondhand denim with a similar vibe. [Keywords used: vintage distressed jeans; vintage straight leg jeans; vintage Levi’s jeans; vintage distressed Levi’s jeans]

Silk

Lightweight and deliciously smooth. Hypoallergenic and antibacterial. A real overachiever.

1. My slinky Silk Laundry pants (usually $360 but I found them here for $266; it’s a store based in Australia and looks like you have to pay for shipping depending on where you live, but you can get an additional 15% off by signing up for their mailing list). These are my go-to for going out looks year-round (often styled with a sleeveless top in the summer, or a long-sleeved crop top and blazer when it’s chillier). I think the fact that they’re bias-cut is why they never look too pajama-adjacent. There’s an amazing Ukraine-based Etsy seller called The Serenity Wear that makes beautiful silk pieces, including bias-cut silk pants like these in multiple different colors. I have my eye on this butter-colored pair ($296). [Keywords used: bias cut black silk pants; black silk pants; vintage black silk pants; vintage bias cut black silk pants]

2. My vintage silk maxi skirt ($75), remarkably versatile in the sense that I’ve worn it to both black-tie events (with a sparkly top) and casual dinners (with a T-shirt). I haven’t been able to find another from a small brand or vintage seller that looks similar and is well-priced, but here’s a nice one from Banana Republic for $119.99. [Keywords used: gold silk maxi skirt; champagne silk maxi skirt; vintage gold silk maxi skirt; vintage champagne silk maxi skirt]

3. My collection of colorful silk scarves, a staple of my spring/summer outfits and source of one of the most versatile styling pieces in the game. While this isn’t a recommendation for a specific silk scarf so much as it is for silk scarves in general, I do have some specific advice for buying them. Look for patterns that are a bit abstract or artistic. Nothing that reads too prim and proper, like something the Queen of England might have tied around her neck on her way to church in 1966, too cottagecore (i.e. microflorals), too equestrian (i.e. Hermes), too paisley, or too geometric. Avoiding these will help ensure maximum styling versatility, because your purchase won’t fall into the trap that many silk scarves do of looking basic or twee or costume-y. Here’s a few great ones I’ve bookmarked on Etsy recently: colorful abstract fish for $29.75 (will absolutely be buying this one myself if no one else does), chic polka-dots for $28.73, and nautilus shells for $36.06. [Keywords used: vintage silk scarf]

Wool & Cashmere

All cashmere is wool, but not all wool is cashmere. Cashmere comes from goats and is warmer and softer. Wool comes from sheep is more durable and easier to care for. Each delightful in its own way.

1. My wool Giorgio Armani coat ($207) via The RealReal, the satisfying result of my quest to find an ankle-length coat that looks like The Row’s Ceren coat but doesn’t cost —*checks notes* — $7,600. Here’s a similar one on Etsy for $74.48 and a slightly shorter version for $155.64. [Keywords used: long wool coat; long wool collarless coat; long wool navy coat; long wool navy collarless coat]

2. My wool Céline skirt ($157) via The RealReal, which I believe to be the quintessential ideal of a pleated mini. Tough to find, and worth setting some keyword alerts. Here’s a nice one on Poshmark for $75 and another for $28. [Keywords used: pleated wool mini skirt; pleated wool buckle mini skirt; felted wool pleated mini skirt; vintage pleated wool mini skirt; vintage pleated wool buckle mini skirt; vintage felted wool pleated mini skirt]

3. My cashmere La Ligne sweater that I’ve lived in all winter. It was a gift and no longer available online so I’m having trouble finding the price, but like most super high-quality cashmere, La Ligne’s doesn’t come cheap. It does, however, stand out from other cashmere sweaters I’ve owned or tried on. The yarn is luxuriously thick. It feels heavy in the best way, and drapes perfectly. There’s a ton of secondhand La Ligne on The RealReal and on Poshmark. This chic solid gray one is new with tags for $100. [Keywords used: La Ligne cashmere sweater]

4. Bonus shoutout to the wool Buck Mason beanie ($75) I’m wearing in the far right photo. It’s a mix of alpaca and merino wool, making it extra soft, and has just the right amount of “pooch” at the top. Buck Mason’s new women’s line is one of my favorite discoveries of 2022. Really lovely, well-made stuff. Here’s a similar secondhand beanie option on eBay for $9.99. [Keywords used: gray wool beanie; gray wool ribbed beanie; vintage gray wool beanie; vintage gray wool ribbed beanie]

Honorable Mention: Linen

Linen is another great natural material I would be remiss not to mention — derived from flax, and super light and breathable. I don’t buy things made of linen often because it wrinkles so easily, which drives me a little nuts, but I know that doesn’t bother everyone. I do have a pair of linen shorts that I’m particularly obsessed with, though, and hoping to write about in another newsletter soon (just waiting to see if they come back in stock).

Some additional notes on the above:

• My cotton Paula pants from Modern Citizen and vintage silk blazer would have made an appearance on these lists, but since I just wrote about both of them a couple weeks ago, I opted to highlight other things here instead.

• It’s not a dealbreaker for me when a piece is lined in a synthetic fabric. Major plus if it isn’t, but I wouldn’t automatically pass on buying something I was gaga over just because the lining was made of acetate instead of silk, especially if the outer fabric was something on the thicker side like wool.

• I stuck to items made of just one fabric for the sake of editing, but blends of these fabrics can be fabulous as well. Last summer I bought a pair of drastically-on-sale bubblegum pink men’s Dries van Noten pants that are 50% silk and 50% cotton, one of the most pleasing fabrics I’ve ever knocked knees with.

xo Material Girl