The No New Clothes Challenge Begins to Change
You might recall the adventure I began in May 2009. I was feeling frustrated with the clothing industry and myself.
- I didn’t know what to buy because I didn’t follow or understand fashion.
- When I was in stores, I never felt like I was good enough or worthy enough.
- And to make it full circle, I was annoyed by the number of clothes I owned and kept purchasing.
So I went on strike. I told Martin, “We’re not buying any clothes for the next three months.”
The No New Clothes Challenge snowballed into something that went on for well over two years. It brought some of the greatest changes in my life, and most of them had nothing to do with the actual fabric itself. I hope these discoveries can help you, too.
There’s nothing greater than loving your own skin.
6 Lessons From Not Buying Clothes:
1. Patching clothes is easy with a sewing machine.
When I first got my sewing machine (before the challenge), the shop owner asked our little introductory class, “Do you want me to show you how to use the darning stitch?” My classmates were a bit older than me and all screamed, “Noooo!”
It wasn’t long into the No New Clothes Challenge that Martin and I started getting holes in a lot of things, especially cheaper clothes. I was regretting my silence in class that day until I figured out how stinkin’ easy it is to repair our clothes.
I learned to make fabric flowers from old clothes, mend clothes, alter sweaters, and darn socks. And it’s not hard.
biking in clothes over 5 years old
2. The quality of your clothes does matter.
Most of the high quality clothing that we own still looks really sharp (excluding jeans that are being worn and washed to death). The cheaper clothes? Those things become hangar remodeling clothes.
- The color is faded.
- Sweaters are pilling into an awful mess.
- Armpits have holes
- Threads along the seams are coming undone.
- These clothes don’t fit. Some parts are stretched out; other parts sag.
- Sleeves that used to fit no longer do, even while line drying. (Or in one case of mine, one sleeve still fits; the other is too short.)
- Some areas are really thread bare.
with classmates in Berlin studying German; wearing a sweater from college
3. I started feeling more comfortable being me.
Different, adventurous, living in a house made of tires…
I forgot what was “standard” or “normal” or “acceptable”. Never walking into clothing stores helped. So did constant journaling in my She journal. So did living abroad where all of my classmates had immigrated to Germany from around the world. Our bodies weren’t the same (hello Katie the Giant!), neither was our culture or our language. Why would our clothes be?
4. We saved money that I then invested in my business.
Instead of buying more unloved sweaters than any one girl could wear in a season, I used that same money to buy some incredible tools for my journal making.
5. I found my signature look.
It costs the least. It never goes out of fashion. And for some reason, people really like it. (And everyone in Germany instantly knows: she’s an American.) And no. It’s not a cowboy hat!
love wearing a cowboy hat, pretending like I can pull it off; Columbia jacket from college
6. I started seeing what kinds of clothes and styles I loved and what kinds I didn’t.
You know how how easy it is to pick which house you’d like on House Hunters? It’s easy. You just have to say, “Do I like this one or not?” Clothes were like that for me when I knew I wouldn’t be owning any of the things I saw. I didn’t think about how a skirt would fit me or if it would be long enough; I just thought about what I was drawn to.
Today, a lot of the clothes we wore out during the challenge are perfect for hangar remodeling. We’ve also been adding to our wardrobes, and it’s been a whole new experience that we can’t wait to share with you and discuss in the upcoming season.
Yep! A focus on clothes. It’s back.
How are you feeling about clothes these days? Are you comfortable in what you have? Wishing for something more? Needing to purge? I hope you pause and share how you feel. It’s the best way for us to form ideas (and confidence).
Psst.. another journaling challenge planned for Gadanke’s facebook page this afternoon.
Katie, I am loving this! I have been shopping for clothes for a job in an office building. I don’t have any professional clothes (mine are more the Hangar Remodel variety!), but it has been so emotionally difficult to be in the stores! I knew clothes would be an expense, and I knew shopping for clothes would be hard for me as the only shopping I do is grocery and seed catalogs…but my goodness! I feel so inadequate and unpretty from all this clothes shopping. I cannot wait for all my little mix and match pieces to be in my closet so that I can stop it!
My everyday, casual wardrobe:
3jeans, 3 capris, or 1 sweats/yoga pants
5 solid color v-neck shirts (though I wish they would not keep changing the cut of t-shirts!)
This is me, 95% of the time.
I have 2 pair of dress pants and about 4 tops.
This is me 5% of the time.
I’m slightly bothered(only slightly, so I do nothing to change it :>)
by the fact that IF there are multiple occasions that warrant dressier clothes
in a short amount of time, I need to wear my dress clothes multiple times. (No big deal, except I’m wearing the same “uniform” for a year or two in family pictures taken at these events. )
Going basic and accessorizing isn’t really a viable option for me, because I don’t enjoy accessories (jewelry, scarves, etc.). In fact, they are kind of distracting and annoying to wear and I find myself messing with them almost constantly.
I’m a work-in-progress, as I still have too many pairs of socks & pajamas.
I used to love shopping for clothes and now I hate it! I have closets full of clothes and have gradually been going through things and find that it is much easier to pick something out to wear when I have less to choose from. Wish I could be more decisive and get rid of more things, but I am just not wired that way.
Getting to the “everything is wearing out” stage and wondering what to invest in…..
I’ve always been a fan of your challenge! I am definitely more conscious about what I buy, when, and where, but there are still some personal challenges…
What’s been difficult for me to NOT buy new clothes is:
1) I work in an office and the dress code changed last summer; we’ve been slooowwwly going more dressy. When I’m home, doing whatever, I don’t care what I’m wearing, which is why I haven’t bought any lounging type clothes in YEARS.
2) My weight has changed over the past few years (up, but hopefully now on its way down).
3) The quality!!! Ugh, this is the worst part. I’ll buy a sweater, hoping to keep it for a few years, when I find, 6 months later, holes in the armpits that cannot be fixed. Holes that look like runs in stockings.
4) I live in New England–it could be 30* one day and 65* the next. Most of my clothing is worn year-round and layered, so it wears out faster. Especially when considering most of it isn’t the best quality.
I LOVE this post. So interesting.
Wow, great to read your reflections!! I imagine a lot has changed over the time you’ve been not buying anything new. I myself have pared down my closet recently and have really enjoyed having room in my drawers and closet, and want to keep things to a minimum! I do buy a few new pieces every season and I feel good in something that’s a little more current, but mixed with old pieces.
My clothing situation right now just sucks to be honest. Most of everything I have looks worn and doesn’t fit well (b/c a lot of it was cheap). Plus my higher quality things are getting old and even those I am noticing don’t look so great anymore. I had my third son 9 (almost 10) months ago so my size has been going down every couple months which just adds to my frustration. I would like to get to the point where I am not buying any more new clothing for myself. I have been trying my best to buy things at thrift stores. It is very hit or miss. Most of the things at the thrift stores in my area are still old navy, target, etc… Being a stay at home mom doesn’t require me to dress up very often which is fortunate but I still would like to feel a little more pulled together. Right now I have one decent fitting pair of jeans and one really cute Columbia top (that I found at the Sal Val) that I practically live in. I think my goal for now is to find some quality pieces that I love and are environmentally and socially responsible and try to be happy with that.
This is a really great post and I love all the benefits that you have gotten from this challenge! And I am very envious of you. I don’t think any of my clothes from college are anywhere close to fitting ;)
I am so frustrated by clothes! I have too many, but many items are getting worn out or don’t fit. I am also really fed up of my ‘style’ (or complete lack of), nothing suits me, nothing looks good. I would like to get some new things but I look at the high street and am disgusted by the unethical production methods and poor quality of clothing. I’m not really sure of a way forward, and it doesn’t help that I am a postgraduate student with limited funds. I need to get better at mending, great to hear that it works for you, I need to get a sewing machine!
What a fabulous post. Inspiring, even! We are on a limited budget these days and buying clothes is definitely an “extra.” Plus, like you, I feel out of place in most clothing stores…like my shape is all wrong ( I am not a skinny-legged, hipless teenager, nor was I ever!) and the clothes are often so cheaply made. I have also given up trying to be trendy, and I have learned that buying good quality DOES pay off. It is easy to tell what brands hold up by seeing what things still look new even in the second-hand stores. Thanks for a really thoughtful post!
Love this post! The lessons make so much sense even if we’re not on break from clothes shopping. I really hear you on #3 — I, too, find that the less time I spend in clothing stores, the better I feel about myself… though I also find that a small local store with a careful, interesting selection reflecting a specific point of view can be as much an inspiration as other creative influences in my life. :) It’s all about the attitude that comes across from the shop: are the clothes for fun and pleasure (or comfort and usefulness), or are they displayed in such a way that they make you feel inadequate and deprived?
Love love LOVE this post, K!!
I currently have too many clothes, but it is not a bother at the moment, because there are so many cultural things that I am adding to my wardrobe here in India and I love it.
Before we moved here, I only wore yoga pants, jeans, sweatshirts, etc. because I felt that I didn’t know how to accessorize, match, color-coordinate and it was just easier.
Color is EVERYWHERE here though and living here the last 3 years has relaxed my opinion of having to be perfect with my daily wear choices. I wear skirts and fancy dresses to school pickup sometimes. Wedges to go grocery shopping, just because it’s fun and now feel naked without earrings or funky bracelets.
However – I still do not like PROPER clothing shops. They give me the hives. Give me a market where stuff is sold that “fell off the back of a truck” or a sari where I can learn about the women who dyed the cloth and I’ll buy it anyday .. walk me into ANY place with a changing room and mirrors, and I want to walk immediately out!
Great post.
In high school, college and many years after I wore turtlenecks, sweaters and jeans or nice pants. They worked for play and work as a teacher. Then the hot flashes started at a time I had little money. So I went the Walmart version of tee shirts, tanks, cardigans and cheap pants. None of it lasts, but it is so difficult to spend the bucks that I know will equal quality. Friends keep telling me that someday I will be cold again so I kept a couple of turtlenecks but I’ll bet the elastic in the neck will be dry rotted before I get them on again!
Hi Katie,
I’ve been following your blog for a really long time now and it remains one of my favorites. Always inspiring! I can’t wait to hear about how your “No New Clothes” challenge has come full circle – bring on the new clothes!! – btw, I’m married to a German, too
Your no new clothes challenge really inspired me when I first read about it. When I found out I was pregnant it helped me make adjustments to what styles and the production quality I bought as I got bigger and bigger. For instance, I bought quite a few maternity items that I can wear when I’m not pregnant (button-less cardigans that do double-duty as nursing covers, high quality jersey dresses from J.Crew I can wear as maternity skirts!) And these lessons I learned about quality translated most importantly to undergarments. A high quality undergarment can cost three times as much but it lasts longer, fits better and makes me look better in the clothing that I already own.
Since I haven’t purchased any non-maternity related items in the past two years, my clothes are starting to wear out – but it’s the cheap shirts and pants that are wearing out. I went to buy a new cardigan the other day and ended up not buying anything because I wasn’t in love with the selection or the prices. Walking away felt better than having new clothes that I was less than enthused about.
Just recently I’m starting to learn what works best for my body type, and it’s not always what’s on the model (I should’ve known!). For instance, spaghetti straps are a no for me, but halter tops are. I think just knowing what’s flattering and sticking to basic colors (no crazy magenta flower-patterned tops for me!) has helped me be able to reuse clothing a lot more without it looking so obvious. The timelessness of basics also keep it always current so I don’t buy trendy things.
Nice Blog! I love the idea of not buying new clothes. I can’t count the number of items I have bought and have only worn once, which really is senseless.
“I say, beware of all enterprises that require new clothes, and not rather a new
wearer of clothes.†— Henry David Thoreau.
I am miserable when I think about my clothes. I recently read a book to help me determine which colors look best on me. Turns out I was right, my favorite color (pink) is a no-no for me. But, a few years ago I embraced pink and now I have a lot of pink tops. And black? I love black shirts. Well, that’s a no-no for me, too! I feel like I have no idea what colors I should be wearing. My jeans are too low cut and too baggy. My shirts are too short. I go between feeling like I have too many clothes to feeling like I need to find out what works for me and go buy it. I’d love to par down my closet so that I have a few outfits that all look good on me. But, I’m so confused about what actually looks good on me these days!
I love the “no new clothes” posts, they have been some of my favorite posts on your blog and are very inspirational. I look forward to reading what coming up next!
AWESOME quote, Angie!
I have become a Goodwill/yard sale maven. I buy high quality stuff that’s “me”. It’s a wonderfully freeing concept!
the only things i bought while i was pregnant were a pair of maternity jeans and a maternity bra!doing the no new clothes challenge for over two years now inspired by you!also due to the crisis in economics in Greece i have given handmade gifts to family and friends.So nice to read your blog again!Babygirl says hi too!
I enjoy clothes but am in a blech stage right now, trying to figure out what to do with this post-baby body.
I haven’t bought any “new” clothes for the past few years. I’m a big believer in reusing and reclycling. I find great clothing at Goodwill and resale shops. You can’t believe what people discard – some still have the price tags still on them. I know my style, and have gotten alot of compliments on my clothes, which I get for pennies on the dollar.