Today is the first day of an exciting new collaboration with Australian blogger, Sarah London, the mindful stylist. I met Sarah through Instagram and I have followed her posts for a while.
A few weeks ago I was delighted when she agreed to be interviewed for my 7 Secrets of my Style series on Instagram and even more delighted when she asked if I would like to share a monthly blog posts - writing a post on the same topic. And here we are.
Our first topic is the sroty behind our love of shopping second-hand.
For me shopping second-hand is very much like my yoga journey. I went into it expecting one thing and ended up with something very different. Bear with me.
I started practising yoga in 1991 when I was six months pregnant with my eldest son and the gym owner had a quiet word to say I needed to adjust my current weight training regime. He was right but I didn't like the idea of doing no exercise. He suggested yoga.
I couldn't find any yoga classes for my area in those days but instead taught myself a pregnancy routine from a book. I was resistant at first but soon found the physical shapes fed by desire to move by body. At first it was a means to an end when I couldn't get to the gym. Four babies later I was still practising yoga and pleased with myself when I achieved a challenging new poses like Hanumanasana (the splits) or a headstand. It fed my need to push myself physically.
But then something happened. I realised the physical side was no longer that important. What I enjoyed about my yoga practice was the sense of peace and calm that I was able to carry into my everyday life. I had finally got the essence of yoga.
A similar thing happened with second-hand shopping. At first it was a means to an end when I was a student and had little money but a big passion for clothes. I could buy a whole outfit for not much money. Over the years as more money became available to feed my fashion habit I strayed into fast fashion but somethign didn't feel right. I became more aware of the dire conditions of fast fashion workers, the impact on the environment and the cost to the planet. In 2008/2009 I did a year of buying no new clothes documented in my blog WorkthatWardrobe and I rediscovered the joys of secondhand shopping.
And then something happened. I realised something new to me was just as exciting as boxfresh clothes. What I loved about second-hand shopping was I could get the same buzz without harming the planet. I still have a lot to learn as the book, Loved Clothes Last is telling me but I feel I am now finally getting the true essence of sustainable shopping.
It must have rubbed off as two of my sons run a successful second-hand designer clothing brand, Luxe Collective.
I still have a long way to go but I hope you join me on my journey to becoming a more sustainable shopper.
Have a great day.
Today I wore:
Shoes - Karen Millen via ebay
Skirt - Top Shop via Vinted
Jacket M&S via Oxfam
Top - Superdry via Oxfam
Bag - Mulberry via Luxe Collective
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