9 / 15 / 195 / 9 / 20
Last updated May 9, 2020.
One of the most common requests I get from readers is for tips on how to shop for consignment clothing. Y’all know I love shopping consignment! It’s a great way to get the look you want for less, all while being good to the earth!
Shopping consignment is a sustainable way to shop. You are purchasing something that has already been made rather than creating more demand and putting additional strain on the earth’s resources. Shopping consignment also helps keep perfectly good clothing from stacking up in landfills.
Here are my tips for how to have a successful online consignment shopping experience.
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8 / 25 / 198 / 25 / 19
Y’all know I’m a huge fan of buying consignment, for many reasons! Today, I’m doing a Q&A with a consignment queen. She has been selling on eBay for over 15 years and now sells on four different e-commerce sites! She’s a total girl boss, creating her own mailer company after discovering a gap in the packaging materials market. And, she once gave me my favorite fashion advice: “Some people aren’t meant to fit in.” Meet Holly Taylor!
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4 / 28 / 198 / 28 / 19
A guest post by Mick Schulte
As a mother of four with a set of twins in the mix, focusing on the sustainability of products in our home is a fairly recent development for me. To be completely honest, when I had my kids, I didn’t think much about the impact of their lives on the world’s resources. I was more focused on diving into the major life experience of motherhood. I dreamed of cute family pictures with all of us in perfect outfits, looking coordinated, but not matchy matchy, and living the happily-ever-after life most people think of when they’re just starting out.
Then I had my kids and realized happily-ever-after is complicated.
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3 / 17 / 198 / 28 / 19
This post was written for my church’s series on fasting. Each week of Lent, the church focuses on a different item for fasting (food, clothes, waste, etc.). During the week focused on clothing, church members are encouraged to fast from clothing in some shape or fashion. Examples include wearing only two outfits the entire week, cleaning out unused clothing and donating it, or fasting from buying new clothes for the duration of Lent. I personally encourage fasting from buying fast, exploitative fashion, not just during Lent, but as a lifelong goal. Read on to find out more!
We tend to envision fasting as a practice of recentering our hearts around God rather than some other object (in this case, clothing). We often treat clothing as an idol, coping mechanism, and giver of self-worth, when God should be those things instead. Working on our personal relationship with clothing and God is an important thing to do this week, but in this reflection I want to focus on a different aspect of fasting: A change in our hearts that results in social action.
I’m not going to lie: This reflection discusses difficult things, like the role we personally play in human trafficking. But if there’s any group willing to dig deep and not turn away from hard topics, it’s my church family. So let’s jump in!
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2 / 17 / 194 / 10 / 20
In this guest post, ethical fashion enthusiast Elizabeth Langefeld shares about the challenges she has faced finding ethically made workwear and recommends 12 sources for polished, office-ready looks!
The great thing about being in a book club is reading books I never would have found otherwise. Even if the book isn’t memorable, the discussion is.
Three years ago at one such meeting, Laura brought up that she had looked at the Slavery Footprint website and was changing the way she was shopping. I had long been trying to purchase items made in the USA to support families in our country, and I was concerned about the origin of my clothes made elsewhere but unsure of how to combat the issue. How could I reconcile the values I hold as a Christian with the often abusive practices of manufacturing? It felt overwhelming, but worthwhile, to find garments where I could trust that those in the production line had been paid fairly and were working in safe conditions.
Laura pointed me to a few sources, which helped me find more sources, and now I can’t imagine ever going back to my “old way” of shopping. I actually feel better when I’m in clothing from companies that pay workers a living wage. I’ve found that while the price point is a little higher, I’m buying items I love and am therefore buying less overall. My clothing budget hasn’t really changed, thankfully!
I’ve been very fortunate to not find it difficult to source items I like that are ethically made. Unfortunately, though, selection seems to be limited in the workwear category. While we are in an increasingly casual society, many of us do still need to look nice at work! On a given day in higher education, I may meet with a dean, attend a conference, or network with alumni. I don’t work in an office that expects suits (thankfully!), but for every “casual Friday,” I’ve got plenty of days to look nice.
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12 / 30 / 188 / 28 / 19
Tomorrow, we say farewell to 2018! It has perhaps been my favorite year of blogging yet. I have blogged weekly (a consistency I have never before attempted) on some of my absolute favorite topics!
To celebrate a wonderful year of blogging, I’ve pulled the top five most frequently visited blog posts on Fairly Southern in 2018. Starting with number 5:
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11 / 18 / 189 / 2 / 19
Sometimes, ethical and sustainable fashion means NOT buying new clothes.
I haven’t shared many outfit posts on the blog lately because I haven’t been shopping much! I purchased quite a few cold weather tops and sweaters last year, so I honestly haven’t needed to do much shopping as the weather has changed this year. But I have to confess: I have felt anxious about not having any great new ethical fashion finds to post here on Fairly Southern.
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9 / 16 / 185 / 13 / 20
Last updated May 9, 2020.
When I first got into ethical fashion, jeans were not at the top of my shopping list. Because jeans tend to last longer than other clothing pieces, I find myself shopping for them less frequently. But since they are more of an investment piece, I try to be extra thoughtful about my purchase when I do shop for jeans. I want to find good quality, flattering jeans since I will be wearing them for years.
In this post, I’m sharing three different ways to shop ethically for jeans. Whether you’re on a budget or have tons of money to spend, I can help! Read More
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6 / 10 / 184 / 10 / 20
Today, I am thrilled to feature a post on ethical maternity fashion from my good friend Christie Barker! She is a Poshmark stylist, momma-to-be, and my go-to person for fashion advice. Check out her Poshmark closet and keep in touch with her on Insta!
When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to be extra conscious about choosing ethically made and secondhand fashion. I knew I would only be wearing these clothes for a short time. I wanted to create the least amount of waste possible and make more informed choices for what I was purchasing new.
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5 / 22 / 185 / 17 / 20
It’s true: This Southern girl loves her some Lilly Pulitzer prints. But how do I reconcile the manufacturing practices of Lilly Pulitzer with my ethical fashion principles? Read on to find out more about how I stay true to my ethics while still getting to wear my Lilly!
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