I completely agree about fabric. I started paying attention to this a year and a half ago and it changed the way I shop. I almost exclusively shop second hand, which is a way to make this more affordable and also a way to save money at thrift stores. These stores assume you aren't paying attention to fabric and will up charge you for a synthetic piece - same could be said for fast fashion stores. And it's so satisfying when you see a 100% cotton, silk, etc tag in the thrift store or online. I'm 23 so most of my peers don't pay attention to this but if any of my friends go shopping with me I'm telling them to check the tags and hopefully they are learning haha.
Yes to this! I began shopping in this fabric-focused way (cotton, silk, wool, cashmere) during the panini. My only caveat to this is pleats please, which is 100% polyester and falls beautifully on my body, is so comfortable and is endlessly washable and wearable (imo!)
Great piece! Totally agree that being aware of fabric choices (specifically natural fibers vs synthetic) is hands down one of the best ways to create a long lasting wardrobe. Despite the wrinkles, I am in love with linen!
I do this with every purchase. Before buying an item, I ask myself: where will this end up at the end of its lifespan? Whether you're buying clothing, groceries, beauty products, or gadgets - the question is applicable. It’s a powerful question because the answer is rarely straightforward, and it opens more questions. This way, you learn how things are made, which is crucial to understand if you want to live more sustainably. I can’t be a responsible consumer if I ignore what things are made of and assume they will be recycled and shiny, and sparkly in no time. It’s not that simple.
Yes Yes Yes I couldn't agree more!! I feel like this message often gets lost when coming from the sustainability hippie crowd (myself included) so I appreciate you delivering it in a more fashion-forward envelope.
Harling, loved this! Definitely a direction I want to be heading in (especially just because damn, I love wool and silk) and love seeing a doubly sustainable and more affordable way to do so! I'm really curious about how much this complicates laundry haha, like what percentage of this do you have to get dry cleaned or hand washed, how often, etc.
LOVE this guide thank you for sharing Nives! Very much in line with how I would answer the above Qs -- which is that I don't find it especially burdensome to care for / launder these things specifically because they don't require a lot of upkeep. I'll hand-wash my most-worn cashmere/wool sweaters once a winter season. As for my silk pieces, I don't wash the pants I wrote about every time I wear them because I'm not typically sweating in them or getting them dirty. When I do wash them, I hand-wash in cold water with a little bit of detergent and hang them to dry. I only dry clean stuff if it gets stained or seriously sweated in, which is rare.
came to ask the same thing! I think what always gives me pause when considering silk or cashmere pieces is how to care for and launder them long term. would love any tips!
I have a small tub for hand-washing with a little drain ("Wash and Drain Dish Tub" with strainer and plug should bring up the kind of thing). I put that in my kitchen sink and add a little Soak soap and cool water and wash my silk items usually right after I get home from work. I let it soak 20 min and then give i a quick rinse (not even necessary with Soak soap actually), and then roll it in a towel and hang it to dry. Silk dries super quickly, so I find it easy to care for now that I'm set up with the little tub thing. I actually wash all hand wash things like this, but I particularly love silk since it dries so quickly. I think I will travel with a silk top next time I travel since they take up almost no space and dry so quickly after being washed.
Looking at fabric ingredients is my favorite way to refrain from buying something!
I also look for cotton, linen, silk, hemp, wool (I just wish it didn't pill).
My latest interest is looking for cotton linen blends, silk linen blends.
The first reason for my transition to natural was finally making the connection that synthetic clothes were giving me rashes (still on the hunt for a bearable sports bra). I also make exceptions for things like windbreakers.
The next level in becoming more discerning is noticing that there's different qualities of each natural fabric still, that's why there's cotton that can cost 20 dollars per piece or hundreds of dollars per piece. Something about the length of the fiber...? I've become skeptical of places like say, Pact, that have all the nice buzzwords of organic cotton and ethical labor practices, but unfortunately the cotton fabric quality itself is poor (even if it's organic) and the sewing is shoddy. There is no free lunch, only good value.
I also read fabric content tags with same scrutiny as Harvard admissions officers read essays, so I loved reading this! Especially loved the secondhand search suggestions! I lived in Chicago for most of my college/early 20's, and QUICKLY learned how much warmer natural fibers (especially wools and silks) are. I had basically no money and wool from J Crew was a splurge, but worth every penny. Once secondhand sites like theRealReal and Poshmark came on the scene, I went absolutely bananas buying cashmere sweaters despite now living in Austin TX where it is rarely cold enough to wear them, haha. Clearly still processing some Chicago winter trauma.
Would love a similar post the composition/materials of your jewelry <3
Love this! Do you mind sharing the size of the silk scarf you are wearing as a top? Obviously will differ for different body types but trying to narrow my search! Thank you!!
Wow, everything has come full circle! Back in 2019 when you wrote ‘Theory: All Good Outfits Go Bad at 3 p.m.’ I adopted this way of shopping. Not that fiber content was mentioned in that piece, BUT my coworkers and I had a full on discussion about your theory. We came to the conclusion that fiber content was the driving variable.
Hi Harling! I’ve just started wedding dress shopping and am dying that some dresses I love are 100% polyester!! I don’t think I can justify spending 3k+ on polyester but maybe there’s something I don’t know about wedding dress construction that makes polyester a good fabric for bridal? Any suggestions for bridal brands? I know I just have to do my research but would love to hear any thoughts/opinions you have on this!
I completely agree about fabric. I started paying attention to this a year and a half ago and it changed the way I shop. I almost exclusively shop second hand, which is a way to make this more affordable and also a way to save money at thrift stores. These stores assume you aren't paying attention to fabric and will up charge you for a synthetic piece - same could be said for fast fashion stores. And it's so satisfying when you see a 100% cotton, silk, etc tag in the thrift store or online. I'm 23 so most of my peers don't pay attention to this but if any of my friends go shopping with me I'm telling them to check the tags and hopefully they are learning haha.
hahah i'm constantly harping about "check the tags!" to my friends/siblings too
Would love a shoe version. I’m struggling to find a spring summer shoe that’s not chunky but also not fully exposed to the nyc streets.
what style of shoe are you looking for? like a flat or a sneaker?
I second this! Would love your take on summer sandals for NYC. It's hard finding shoes that can take a beating but also look chic.
Yes to this! I began shopping in this fabric-focused way (cotton, silk, wool, cashmere) during the panini. My only caveat to this is pleats please, which is 100% polyester and falls beautifully on my body, is so comfortable and is endlessly washable and wearable (imo!)
Such a great example of an exception. I don't own any pleats please but I've always loved how it looks!
I agree with you, Mika. As soon as I found out, I changed half my closet.
Great piece! Totally agree that being aware of fabric choices (specifically natural fibers vs synthetic) is hands down one of the best ways to create a long lasting wardrobe. Despite the wrinkles, I am in love with linen!
This is such a great piece! I can’t wait to go home and look at all my clothing ingredients.
<3 clothing ingredients -- EXACTLY
I do this with every purchase. Before buying an item, I ask myself: where will this end up at the end of its lifespan? Whether you're buying clothing, groceries, beauty products, or gadgets - the question is applicable. It’s a powerful question because the answer is rarely straightforward, and it opens more questions. This way, you learn how things are made, which is crucial to understand if you want to live more sustainably. I can’t be a responsible consumer if I ignore what things are made of and assume they will be recycled and shiny, and sparkly in no time. It’s not that simple.
Yes Yes Yes I couldn't agree more!! I feel like this message often gets lost when coming from the sustainability hippie crowd (myself included) so I appreciate you delivering it in a more fashion-forward envelope.
I concur + would like to argue that you should consider hemp, too. It is sustainable, natural, durable, feels lovely -- I cannot say enough about it.
As a e.g., I shall share a link of a pair of hemp pants that I practically live in
https://hellonusha.com/shop/indigo-hemp-chore-pant
ooooh thanks for this!
Harling, loved this! Definitely a direction I want to be heading in (especially just because damn, I love wool and silk) and love seeing a doubly sustainable and more affordable way to do so! I'm really curious about how much this complicates laundry haha, like what percentage of this do you have to get dry cleaned or hand washed, how often, etc.
One of the main reasons wool and cashmere are so great is that they don't require to be washed that often. I wrote a guide on this a while back. I hope Harling doesn't mind me sharing it here: https://nivesbosnjak.substack.com/p/how-to-care-for-your-garments-1-wool
I'll do one on silk in the upcoming weeks, too.
LOVE this guide thank you for sharing Nives! Very much in line with how I would answer the above Qs -- which is that I don't find it especially burdensome to care for / launder these things specifically because they don't require a lot of upkeep. I'll hand-wash my most-worn cashmere/wool sweaters once a winter season. As for my silk pieces, I don't wash the pants I wrote about every time I wear them because I'm not typically sweating in them or getting them dirty. When I do wash them, I hand-wash in cold water with a little bit of detergent and hang them to dry. I only dry clean stuff if it gets stained or seriously sweated in, which is rare.
Love, thank you!
came to ask the same thing! I think what always gives me pause when considering silk or cashmere pieces is how to care for and launder them long term. would love any tips!
I have a small tub for hand-washing with a little drain ("Wash and Drain Dish Tub" with strainer and plug should bring up the kind of thing). I put that in my kitchen sink and add a little Soak soap and cool water and wash my silk items usually right after I get home from work. I let it soak 20 min and then give i a quick rinse (not even necessary with Soak soap actually), and then roll it in a towel and hang it to dry. Silk dries super quickly, so I find it easy to care for now that I'm set up with the little tub thing. I actually wash all hand wash things like this, but I particularly love silk since it dries so quickly. I think I will travel with a silk top next time I travel since they take up almost no space and dry so quickly after being washed.
Do you have any recommendations on finding vintage designer watches?
Looking at fabric ingredients is my favorite way to refrain from buying something!
I also look for cotton, linen, silk, hemp, wool (I just wish it didn't pill).
My latest interest is looking for cotton linen blends, silk linen blends.
The first reason for my transition to natural was finally making the connection that synthetic clothes were giving me rashes (still on the hunt for a bearable sports bra). I also make exceptions for things like windbreakers.
The next level in becoming more discerning is noticing that there's different qualities of each natural fabric still, that's why there's cotton that can cost 20 dollars per piece or hundreds of dollars per piece. Something about the length of the fiber...? I've become skeptical of places like say, Pact, that have all the nice buzzwords of organic cotton and ethical labor practices, but unfortunately the cotton fabric quality itself is poor (even if it's organic) and the sewing is shoddy. There is no free lunch, only good value.
I also read fabric content tags with same scrutiny as Harvard admissions officers read essays, so I loved reading this! Especially loved the secondhand search suggestions! I lived in Chicago for most of my college/early 20's, and QUICKLY learned how much warmer natural fibers (especially wools and silks) are. I had basically no money and wool from J Crew was a splurge, but worth every penny. Once secondhand sites like theRealReal and Poshmark came on the scene, I went absolutely bananas buying cashmere sweaters despite now living in Austin TX where it is rarely cold enough to wear them, haha. Clearly still processing some Chicago winter trauma.
Would love a similar post the composition/materials of your jewelry <3
Love this! Do you mind sharing the size of the silk scarf you are wearing as a top? Obviously will differ for different body types but trying to narrow my search! Thank you!!
Love the list and it’s great that you offer budget alternatives as well as the keywords. Thanks!
Wow, everything has come full circle! Back in 2019 when you wrote ‘Theory: All Good Outfits Go Bad at 3 p.m.’ I adopted this way of shopping. Not that fiber content was mentioned in that piece, BUT my coworkers and I had a full on discussion about your theory. We came to the conclusion that fiber content was the driving variable.
Hi Harling! I’ve just started wedding dress shopping and am dying that some dresses I love are 100% polyester!! I don’t think I can justify spending 3k+ on polyester but maybe there’s something I don’t know about wedding dress construction that makes polyester a good fabric for bridal? Any suggestions for bridal brands? I know I just have to do my research but would love to hear any thoughts/opinions you have on this!