Sustainability…but make it FASHION!
Sustainability…but make it FASHION!
Happy Monday Cocoa Butter Crewe!
Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, sustainability is what’s currently trending in fashion. Think about it. Your favorite bloggers have all of a sudden started thrift shopping or shopping pre-loved and posting video hauls about all of the great stuff they’ve found. But we all remember when all they wore before was Zara and Amazon (oooh and it ships Prime…yay). It got me thinking: are they really into being more sustainable or are they just jumping on the bandwagon because it’s popular.
Some bloggers thrift or shop the pre-loved market because that’s literally all that they can afford. A blogger friend of mine told me that’s her reason for doing it. And I totally get it. At one point in my life growing up it was all that my parents could afford too. There are even stores like ThredUp that have capitalized on the sustainability trend by making thrift shopping look “cool” now with its boutique-like atmosphere. These are the bloggers that definitely can’t go into a store like Reformation and drop $150 on a sustainably made dress either so stores like Boohoo, Zara, and ASOS are really appealing as they allow them to be on trend without breaking the bank. And as I’ve stated numerous times, BLOGGING IS EXPENSIVE! You can’t afford to “compete” with the bloggers that have on a new outfit every time they post on Instagram (spoiler alert: some of your faves return the outfits they wear after they shoot them) let alone pay the expenses that come with maintaining a blog (photography, web hosting, etc.). Other bloggers grew up thrifting and they genuinely love it. Karen Brit Chick has built a following on combining her love of thrifting with her passion for all things fashion. And even with her level of success, she still thrifts…because she loves it that much!
As I previously stated in my handbags post, I do shop some items pre-loved. For me, it’s mostly handbags and vintage Chanel jewelry. However, I don’t do much thrift shopping. But before you drag me, let me explain. I don’t thrift shop mainly because most items aren’t my size. I’m petite (5’2.5″ tall), I wear a size small in most clothing brands and I wear a size 6 shoe. I’m convinced that most of the petite gals are hoarders or give away all of their things to their siblings and THAT’S why I can’t find good stuff at the thrift store haha. The consignment market (Poshmark, The RealReal, etc.) really isn’t made for me either when it comes to ready-to-wear and shoes. It’s nearly impossible for me to find shoes and/or clothing in my size that I’d actually want to buy. I personally don’t buy things because they’re on sale or it’s a good deal because I shop with intention (more on that later). For those reasons, that’s why you don’t see me doing any haul videos in general either. But, every now and then, I get lucky in the pre-loved market and one day I struck gold! Here’s what happened:
Y’all know that I’m a Philophile #oldceline so I’ve been trying to get my hands on as much of her product as I can. The one area that I fell short in was her shoes. I know, I was too focused on the bags to even think about the shoes…forgive me fellow shoe lovers. During the late days of summer when we were having unusually cooler weather, I kept seeing women in the black Celine square toe leather ankle boots. I personally need another pair of black ankle boots like I need a hole in the head. So I passed. At the end of August, I did a simple Google search of “Celine Madame Boots Size 7” just to see what was out there. The great thing about Google is that it searches not only the retail stores but also resale/consignment sites too. I saw that these two-tone beauties were on Poshmark in my size. My heart stopped. They were in excellent condition, had the rubber soles on them, and were half the price they would have been new. SOLD! This was the first time I had purchased an item on Poshmark so I wasn’t sure how quickly I’d get them. Seeing as I placed my order during Labor Day weekend, I gave them more leniency as holidays complicate shipping times. If you’re not familiar with how Poshmark works, the seller posts the item and once it’s sold the seller ships the item to Poshmark for authentication. Once it’s authenticated, the item ships to you. In my case, it took about 3 business days (not counting the holiday) before the seller shipped my item to Poshmark. It was authenticated by Poshmark in about 2 business days (there was a “delay”) but because they’re relatively local to me, I received my boots the next business day via USPS priority mail. When it arrives, you let Poshmark know if the item is as it was advertised and if so the seller gets paid. So, I bought the boots on August 31 and they arrived to my house on September 12. I’m very happy with my boots. They’re exactly what my closet was missing. But if you need something quick, fast, and in a hurry, Poshmark isn’t it…just saying.
Also, like I mentioned earlier, my shopping habits have changed. I find myself not wanting to buy a new outfit for my birthday or other special events I have to go to anymore. I mean, I barely bought anything new for my vacation to Europe and I didn’t buy much when I was overseas either! Also, if you follow me on Instagram I went to a fashion show a couple of weeks ago and my entire look was achieved with items I already owned. And I killed it! I got so many compliments on my look. I find myself spending more money on quality items and, in turn, buying less too. So in those ways I consider myself being more “sustainable”. Don’t get me wrong, I still buy Zara pieces from time to time but I really do focus more on quality versus quantity now. My wallet hates it but whatever. And although I do wear more contemporary brands and designer items these days, the main goals of Cocoa Butter Diaries will continue to be the same: inspire you to step outside of your personal style comfort zone and how to restyle items you love!
xoxo, CCB
Photography: Sissy CCB
