About Me- My Fashion Philosophy
I'm a college student at the University of Washington majoring in Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Biology, minoring in Comparative History of Ideas. I spend most of my free time either in a lab, doing homework, or mucking around outside, and I usually don't think twice about what I'm wearing. However, I have recently begun to question what I wear, and I have discovered that I prioritize comfort, versatility, and practicality. I have also begun to question the impact of my clothes' material on the environment, and become passionately curious about my wardrobe. This is a whole world I have never given much thought to until now, but hopefully in sharing my discoveries with readers they too can begin to think critically about all aspects of their wardrobe too.
Before you begin to think that I'm an expert in clothing, you should know that I don't care about fashion. Truly. I don't care that much about what I look like, or how fashionable my clothes are, or what company made them (see photo on left). All I care about is getting good quality, comfortable clothes that I can afford. That being said, I do like to look nice (if not fashionable or trendy), and I do spend more per item of clothing than the average person. For example, I have four pairs of shoes I wear regularly:
1) $20 pair of Teva flip-flops: You'd probably be crazy to spend this much on flip-flops, but in the past two years I have worn these flip-flops all around the globe, for approximately 100 days in total. When I bought them, I made sure they were going to give me good foot support and that they were going to withstand the wear and tear of travel and outdoor work. They have definitely met my expectations.
2) $120 pair of Hunter rubber boots: In the past three years, I have worn these boots around Seattle almost 100 days in total. My old boots were $35, and they had holes within 30 days of hard wear. My Hunter boots, on the other hand, are still going strong and keep me extremely comfortable whenever we have heavy downpours. The best part is that they still feel as warm and waterproof as when I got them, and they have such a classic look that they'll look fine for as long as they last.
3) $90 pair of waterproof Merrel hiking shoes: In the past year and a half, I have worn these shoes at least 120 days. Living in Seattle drizzle makes these shoes extremely practical, and they don't look too rugged for city wear. They are also my go-to shoe whenever I go hiking, making them extremely versatile as well. Because they have the best arch support of all my shoes, they're often my top choice in shoes to wear on days where I know I'll have a lot of standing to do.
4) $160 pair of leather Camper shoes: These shoes are both my most often worn, and my most "fashionable". I wear these shoes every day when it's not summer, and when it's not actively raining when I walk out the door. For two years they've held up to heavy duty use, and they're only getting more comfortable. I plan on re-soling these shoes in the next few years when they wear out, and even after they go out of style I plan on wearing them, or at least keeping them until they come back into style.
For a whopping total of $390, that seems unbelievably expensive. However, I haven't bought a pair of shoes in a year and a half, and all my shoes are going strong. I estimate I won't have to buy another pair of shoes for at least another two years, which brings that cost to roughly $75 per year, a much more reasonable amount.
I look at all my clothes as an investment, not as cheap or disposable items. I want my clothes to last a long time, and be worn often. I hate having clothes in my dresser that I don't wear at least once every few weeks (in the appropriate season). I always feel bad when I realize I haven't worn a piece of clothing and then donate it, because I realize this is fueling our clothing economy's wasteful production of clothing. However, before this project, I had not realized that the amount of clothes I buy and wear is not the only thing to be concerned about.
Top photo courtesy of Stitchworks
Before you begin to think that I'm an expert in clothing, you should know that I don't care about fashion. Truly. I don't care that much about what I look like, or how fashionable my clothes are, or what company made them (see photo on left). All I care about is getting good quality, comfortable clothes that I can afford. That being said, I do like to look nice (if not fashionable or trendy), and I do spend more per item of clothing than the average person. For example, I have four pairs of shoes I wear regularly:
1) $20 pair of Teva flip-flops: You'd probably be crazy to spend this much on flip-flops, but in the past two years I have worn these flip-flops all around the globe, for approximately 100 days in total. When I bought them, I made sure they were going to give me good foot support and that they were going to withstand the wear and tear of travel and outdoor work. They have definitely met my expectations.
2) $120 pair of Hunter rubber boots: In the past three years, I have worn these boots around Seattle almost 100 days in total. My old boots were $35, and they had holes within 30 days of hard wear. My Hunter boots, on the other hand, are still going strong and keep me extremely comfortable whenever we have heavy downpours. The best part is that they still feel as warm and waterproof as when I got them, and they have such a classic look that they'll look fine for as long as they last.
3) $90 pair of waterproof Merrel hiking shoes: In the past year and a half, I have worn these shoes at least 120 days. Living in Seattle drizzle makes these shoes extremely practical, and they don't look too rugged for city wear. They are also my go-to shoe whenever I go hiking, making them extremely versatile as well. Because they have the best arch support of all my shoes, they're often my top choice in shoes to wear on days where I know I'll have a lot of standing to do.
4) $160 pair of leather Camper shoes: These shoes are both my most often worn, and my most "fashionable". I wear these shoes every day when it's not summer, and when it's not actively raining when I walk out the door. For two years they've held up to heavy duty use, and they're only getting more comfortable. I plan on re-soling these shoes in the next few years when they wear out, and even after they go out of style I plan on wearing them, or at least keeping them until they come back into style.
For a whopping total of $390, that seems unbelievably expensive. However, I haven't bought a pair of shoes in a year and a half, and all my shoes are going strong. I estimate I won't have to buy another pair of shoes for at least another two years, which brings that cost to roughly $75 per year, a much more reasonable amount.
I look at all my clothes as an investment, not as cheap or disposable items. I want my clothes to last a long time, and be worn often. I hate having clothes in my dresser that I don't wear at least once every few weeks (in the appropriate season). I always feel bad when I realize I haven't worn a piece of clothing and then donate it, because I realize this is fueling our clothing economy's wasteful production of clothing. However, before this project, I had not realized that the amount of clothes I buy and wear is not the only thing to be concerned about.
Top photo courtesy of Stitchworks