18 days in a row wearing the same dress. Only 82 more days to go.
I have not reached the stage of complete surrender, but I’m liking the challenge more and more.
>>> Read More: What is the 100 Day Challenge?
Day 18 pic is especially abysmal. I didn’t notice how bad the selfies were until just now, and since I’ve changed out of the dress I don’t want to put it back on just for pictures. I’m too lazy to re-stage.
Day 16 outfit: belt from Target a couple of years ago and Madewell sandals from a few years ago.
Day 17 outfit: Nicole Miller shirt-sleeve knit sweater from Goodwill ($5.99) and used Kork-Ease Niseda loafers in leather and suede.
Day 18: Anthropologie stretchy belt and used J Crew cropped boxy angora-wool cardigan from Mercari.
Takeaways and Reflections 18 Days In
1. Being part of the Wool& 100 Day Challenge group on Facebook is extremely helpful. Their stories and pictures keep me motivated and inspired.
2. I am not the world’s least sustainable person to do the challenge. People do it for all different reasons, and some of them are just to “see if they can do it”.
3. Almost everyone struggles with the challenge, questioning their intentions, their hypocrisy, their materialism, and their physical appearance.
4. It’s ok for me to admit I should be more sustainable. I value sustainability. I think about it a lot, but it’s hard. Newer to the blog space, I feel like bloggers are either all in on sustainability (with composting toilets and shampoo bricks) or are into heavy consumption of trends. Like videos of walk-in closets with glam lighting and quartz islands, or some more accessible DIY version. (And if that’s your jam, that’s ok. Storage sounds amazing.) I myself don’t do enough to be sustainable, but I keep trying to do a little bit more. I am trying to make slightly better choices and do a little bit less harm.
5. I confess I’ve bought clothes since the challenge started. I’m doing a flipping sustainability challenge and I’ve made purchases. However, they were less terrible choices. I bought new a pair of white Soludos sneakers and a couple of belts. And I bought them all used: a blazer, a cardigan, a couple of sweaters, and shoes. I made it a point to buy used and opt for organic cotton and wool.
6. ThredUP has the best finds for secondhand clothes. (I’m not an affiliate and not being paid to say that. It’s my honest opinion.) On sites like Mercari and Poshmark, a lot of people are flipping their name-brand thrift store finds. These apps have consignment store pricing. ThredUP is sellers who want to clear out their closets. They’ll mail in all the clothes they want to go and let ThredUP deal with listing, pricing, and shipping. ThredUP has more affordable high-end treasures. They’ve got a massive amount of inventory to move.
Also with ThredUP, it is a third party listing someone else’s old garment. They are more upfront when it comes to disclosing small item flaws.
Finally, I like that ThredUP shows you the environmental impact of your used purchase: the amount of emissions it offsets and how much water it’s saving.
Of course, it could be greenwashing. I haven’t investigated their claims in depth. What I do know is that ThredUP sells high-quality, durable clothes in used condition — and used is at least a nod, if not a step, in the right direction.
7. For every new item I’ve acquired, I’ve boxed up two. Items that are too good to get rid of (so I’ll keep them just in case they magically spark joy again one day) I’ve set aside in a box. If in 2 months I haven’t missed them, I’ll donate or repurpose them. (It’s jeans and long sleeve tops, nothing summer-specific.) I’ve already cut up some old sweatshirts to use for quilting fabric. I’d rather they become a quilt than wind their way through a thrift store bin, to floor rack, to an overseas landfill in a developing country.
8. I can’t become perfectly sustainable. But I can become less unsustainable and make fewer bad choices for the planet.
9. There are a lot of stylish and fashionable ways to wear the same garment every day, and sustainable fashion doesn’t have to be dowdy or boring. I had thought sustainable clothing was for hippies and REI junkies – practical, comfortable, and versatile but not “cute”. But I think sustainable fashion can be exciting or edgy or sophisticated or preppy. And although sustainable fashion is marketed as “accessible” (with real people often used instead of models which is positive), I think this genre can be aspirational too.
10. I will have another existential meltdown regarding this 100 day dress challenge. Could happen tomorrow.