In recent years, I’ve been quite good (if I say so myself) about the way I spend my money on fashion and clothes. I’ve become more aware about the implications of high street fashion so most of the time, I would opt for good quality mid-range pieces that I know I would cherish for a long time. That said, I haven’t completely eliminated fast fashion because in moments of weakness, I would still fall prey to the cheap and trendy. Adding to that, finances were not exactly free-flowing so I had to watch the budget department as well. I’m sure many of you can relate to that. Overall though, I would give myself a B for my efforts.
However, having mini M has kinda changed the ball game. That rooting, drooling, biting and all the good stuff in between have made wearing my ‘good clothes’ kinda unfeasible. Apart from having to do my laundry very frequently (which impacts on even the best clothes), all the grub and stains just add another layer of complexity to caring for my clothes. As a result, I find myself reaching more and more for the likes of Topshop, Zara and Mango as the cheaper price tags just take away that unnecessary worry about needing to ‘chuck it all in the bin.’ Now before you hurl too many judgements at me, I’m very much aware of the negative impact that high street has on the environment and trust me, I do care about it and try to minimise any impact where possible. Then there’s also the aforementioned financial piece that seems to dictate everything. Not everyone could afford to purchase everything ethical and sustainable especially while on maternity leave or as a stay-at-home mom. That is the ultimate goal but for now, my question is, how do you strike a balance between high street and high end (or in my case, mid-range) fashion?
I honestly don’t think there’s a black and white answer to it.
I also don’t think that I would be able to fully give up on high street fashion. If situation allows, I may veer away from it but ultimately, i’m also glad that I’m given a choice to pick what’s right for me for that season.
So instead of fighting the high street, if we really have to go cheap(er), how do we still make our clothes count?
Here are 3 points that came to mind:
#1. Pick simple over trendy
This is kinda counter-intuitive because the whole point of high street is for us to pick trendy pieces that we wouldn’t otherwise spend money on right? Not if you want to make your clothes count. Trendy pieces tend to have a very short lifespan but simple classic-style clothing may have more of a chance to last for seasons. As long as you’re fussy with things like materials, cut and workmanship, purchasing high street doesn’t need to be ‘bad.’
#2. Quantity is not your friend
Hands up if you too like a good bargain. Our primary response to cheap clothing is to purchase more but not if you’re trying to be a thoughtful shopper. My tip is to only purchase clothing that you know you’ll wear and appropriate for that season in life that you’re in. For example, if you’re a breastfeeding mom, you would most likely want to purchase practical and easy to wash button-up shirts, wrap dresses and cotton t-shirts (it me).
#3. Know that high street isn’t your only option
Yes you heard me right. Thrifting is a fantastic option to really make existing clothes that are on the verge of becoming landfill go that extra mile. I haven’t done much of it but I did purchase a flowy white shirt once for $5 and had gotten loads of compliments for it. I imagine that if thrifting is more baby friendly and less taxing, I would likely go down this route myself.
There you have it. Ways to make high street work for us instead of the other way round.
Would love your input if you have other ideas of making fast fashion slow(er).
If you’re interested in reading about my previous struggles with shopping, you can do so by checking out these links: Enough is Enough, Minimise x3.
Thanks for reading! Wishing you a happy Saturday.
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