This morning I woke up and I just sat down while I was drinking my morning tea for a second to take in everything our world has to offer. Our environmental is actually so beautiful and sometimes I take for granted what a beautiful world we live in. The only thing I wish was different is the length of winter!! I absolutely do not wish for more carbon dioxide in our atmosphere though, because global warming sucks and I want to live in a healthy environment. I am counting down the days until groundhog day because I am more than ready for spring to be here. Naturally, I am cold blooded so literally every second of the day I am frozen. I’ve learned to style outfits that help keep me warm but are not so obvious that I am wearing a ridiculous amount of layers.  In the winter, I feel like my outfits are dressier and more put together than anything I would wear in the summer. That being said, my summer clothes are far more casual and easier to throw on than a bundled up winter look. However, this winter season I wanted to focus more on comfort and warmth instead of always dressing up everyday. I don’t know about you all, but in the winter it is extra hard for me to leave my warm bed to enter the cold surroundings of the outside world. With that being said, it has been so easy to just throw on a pair of pants, a random long sleeve and the infamous Docs. Me being me, I always try to add details to any of my fits to make them unique and personal to my aesthetic. 

My mom got me these fleece lined jeans from Old Navy and life has dramatically changed since. Normally I don’t wear jeans that much, but recently I have been living in them. It has been so easy for me to wear a sweater but make it Alli inspired by adding a classic band tee over it. This season I have become a layering monster by wearing at least two shirts everyday. You can easily dress up an outfit by pairing a more casual garment like jeans or corduroy with a classic long sleeve and blazer. I am also a huge fan of mixing patterns and textures, so I’ve been having a lot of fun layering different things that you typically wouldn’t pair together. This season, I actually was really drawn to corduroy, so I have a variety of pants that I tend to dress down with t-shirts. You can easily dress a nice corduroy pant up with a silky button up or a collared shirt worn open with a t-shirt underneath.

One of my favorite textiles this season is tweed. This fabric can be a more heavier weight wool or it can be just a light weight knit depending on the look you are going for. In case you don’t already know, my dream article of clothing is the one and only Chanel tweed jacket. I have literally been dreaming about this jacket since I was in 7th grade and learned about Chanel putting chains in her garments. Chanel is my favorite designer of all time because not only is she a feminist icon, she was meticulous about every detail in her designs which is why she stands out so distinctly from any knockoffs. I have a tweed blazer that is one of my go-to jackets for work. It is a super light weight tweed with satin lining, that of course was purchased at a random thrift store in Denton. A slight, sustainable fashion flex. Not a big deal.

Hello my sweet kitties, I hope life is treating you splendid. As you all know, after me talking about it nonstop, I started to work at Dillard’s!! I needed a few days to remember what it was like being a working woman and how to manage my time to accomplish everything. In the works of trying to figure all that out, but in the meantime let’s talk about the real reason you’re reading. Fashion, with an extra emphasis on the efforts of sustainability. It has been a month into 2020 and guess who still has not contributed to the unjustifiable waste caused by fast fashion, ME!! This certainly does not mean that I have completely stopped shopping, I just actually care about the workers in this industry. In class my whole perspective changed when I learned about this garment factory in Bangladesh that collapsed, which led to the deaths of at least 1200 people. The most revolting thing about this accident is the mentality of having to survive off of $63 a month and how inhumane these workers are being treated. It actually broke my heart to hear about these incidents happening all around the world and we are oblivious to seeing any negative that is not in our physical vicinity.

Typically, whenever you are online scrolling through pages and pages of garments, your initial thoughts are not going to be how much money a clothier actually makes. You are probability thinking how beautiful this shirt is for only $10!! Think about this side of the situation, the worker who spent maybe 2 hours making that top probably only made 50 cents. As average consumers, we do not pay much attention to all the different steps you must accomplish in order to have a completed article of clothing. This is ultimately the reason why fast fashion is such a popular and cheap concept, but no one actually knows the impactful effects this rapid design of clothing has on a large number of factory workers. In order for the consumer to have such cheap options for the trendiest clothing, product developer’s must cut back on their manufacturers which led to the fiber producers, then the fabric dyers and finally impacting the lives of factory workers. If consumers were actually made aware of these major flaws caused by fast fashion, than maybe individuals will be more conscious of the livelihood of others. It makes me sick how people are so unaware of the world that we live in and how simple it is to change someone’s life by changing yours.

I love to shop, I always have and always will. Just because I shop excessively, doesn’t mean I am an uncultured buyer. I always think about the influences my shopping will have on others and myself. Obviously, I like to keep up with trends and my clothing is an expression of what I think is popular at the moment. Some of you may be wondering how I stay on trend after buying secondhand clothing or not buying the cheap newest fashion looks, but I keep up in my own way. Recently, I embellished some old jeans I bought at a thrift store and created a whole new look with a half yard of fabric I got from the one and only, Mood. I added fabric to the bottom of the pants and replaced the pockets, so these jeans look completely new…even if they are from the 80s. It is possible to be a trendy shopper while also restoring Mother Nature as a sustainable consumer. This may just require you to think outside of the box and try to figure out how to redesign your over-worn clothing. There is an endless possibilities on how to create a new garment from a previous article of clothing. Everything can always be worn in a distinctly new way.

I want to encourage you all to think about other people and how your daily decisions can dramatically change someone’s life. Please just put in some extra love and be a more environmentally conscious citizen.

Recently, I have a newly found inspiration for a different aesthetic in this stage of my life. This week I started a fresh job at Dillard’s and commenced my new clear bag initiative. After talking about sustainability forever, I have shifted my style mood to be a more professional and chicer vibe. Since my shopping habits changed, I have been focusing less on being trendy with fast fashion to portraying a more executive look by wearing classic styles. Don’t worry though, I will never become a corporate executive, so I always add my personal details to represent me. I’m not completely professional right now, so I’m young and proFResh. 

Of course, I’m sure you all want to hear about my new job and how it’s going so far…

I love it. It is such a different experience working in a department store and having so many coworkers to talk to. I actually got really lucky and was put in the contemporary section which actually includes some of my favorite brands like Free People and Chelsea and Violet. Obviously, you know it is a department store, they have a variety of sections, so I would have no clue what to do if I ever got put in the kids’ section. A lot of people who work at Dillard’s are older than me, so naturally they all have more polished and mature styles. I have been expanding my wardrobe to mainly focus on classy and business casual looks. However, I am still in college, so I do not have to dress professionally each day, but I try to dress up some of my more casual looks. 

            You can dress up a simple outfit to be more sophisticated by adding a blazer to redefine your everyday jeans. This can be worn oversized and unbuttoned with a tighter fitting shirt underneath to keep that effortless look. I’ve been incorporating more neutral shades and mixing patterns or color in each of my outfits, so I can tone down my outfits or not. One thing that I have done for a long time is wear a belt around my actual waist since I have a short torso. I wear high waisted jeans and pants that I bought at some thrift stores that were once men’s slacks or jeans and I turned them into workwear. Depending on the size of the pants I would cut parts of the waist out and sew them together to make it smaller. But, a huge emphasis on wearing belts because they make you look so much taller and they are an added accessory that can complete a whole look.  

            One thing I wish I was able to do at Dillard’s is take my own dang purse. Honestly, it’s not a big deal but you have to use a clear purse and I just want to bring whatever purse to match my outfit instead of a clear tote. Actually today, I got a super cute lunch box purse with a really dope face on it and I can’t wait till I can wear it. My favorite type of bag to take to work is a simple shoulder bag that can either be big or small. I especially need this since I just throw everything in my one bag. 

            I am packed tight busy working, learning, and hanging out to manage everything but I finally figured out how to properly manage my time and balance life. There have been countless times where I have so much to do, but I just procrastinate and put it off for the next day. It is very helpful if you complete your tasks throughout a period of time instead of rushing everything in one night. I noticed now I am less stressed, being more productive every day and learning a lot more by taking proper time on my school work. Hmmm, maybe I’ll do a school hacks blog. Lmao. 

Today I was inspired after I went to the art walk downtown to talk about what you all should be expecting in your fashion future this upcoming year. I went into this sweet little vintage boutique called Chels Marie. It is one of my new go to stores in Corpus because I made one of my 2020 goals to be a more sustainable shopper. Since it is a vintage store, there are a variety of one of a kind items all throughout the store. In case you don’t really know how vintage items are priced, some of them can be expensive or really cheap. It mainly depends on the brand and style of it. There was a whole collection of clothes outside the store that were all $3 and let me be the one to tell you all, I found some deals deals. 

In the upcoming months I’ll be finishing up some work that I have been doing for NuView, which is just a fashion magazine that I’m apart of at school. I am so excited to share with you all this amazing evolution of fashion across 100 years. Naturally, with everything that has inspired me, I choose to cover the 60s and 70s. So, I am extremely excited with all of the dope finds I found today at the vintage store. Don’t worry you all will see soon enough all the amazing looks I will sew and style to perfectly present the past.

My whole point on focusing so much about this store and these vintage items is to talk about what we all should be expecting in this upcoming year and decade of course. We will be expecting a lot of comfortable concepts, glitter with a lot of glam and soft, playful pastel shades. Everyone has high expectations of 2020 resembling the Roaring 1920s, but how are we actually going to pull that off? People obviously need to throw Gatsby approved events where we will be able to show off our glamour and express a new sense of style you wanted to try out this new year. Some of my favorite looks, or should I say some of my everyday fits always include some type of glitter or extra sparkles. You can definitely plan on seeing a huge spike in the amount of sparkles you will see on an everyday basis in this upcoming year. The 1920s were an insane time to live through all of the struggles that we only know as ancient history. I mean can you imagine living through the prohibition and actually living through a world freaking war. 

Wait, HOLD UP. That is sort of in a way, exactly what we’re going through. Not necessarily the same situation, but we are in the middle of a tobacco prohibition. They had a previous law where you could not buy tobacco products unless you were 21, but of course they added an improved grandfather clause. This particular clause meant that if you were over the age of 18 after a certain date, then you could still buy tobacco products because obviously they’re not going to just make you quit, right? Well recently, they adjusted the law and nobody under the age of 21 can buy any tobacco products, so yes that obviously includes swishers. HAHA. This pretty much is a prohibition for people who smoke tobacco, right?? Of course, this is old news though, but one major thing that is the newest scandal according to Twitter is World War III. We are also maybe, possibly living through the early stages of a potential world war. Do you all understand that WORLD War. Whenever I think about how life was actually like during that time, it kind of blows my mind. In no way can I even imagine living that type of life and going through their daily routines. I feel like if we went into a whole world war, our entire human popular would have no idea how to react to that much chaos with the excessive amount of technology we have today. So, aside from talking about all of the sudden infatuation on Twitter to create funny memes of a potential worldwide massacre or the increased cut back of the sell of tobacco products, we can look forward to some glamourous and glitzy blasts from the pasts that will soon be upon us again. 

Everyone in our world is so obsessed with saying how “green” they are and how they are making a positive impact based on their current habits. In reality though, what are we actually doing to save the world? I hate to be the one to break it to everyone but using your reusable straw just for twitter likes or filling your reusable water bottle with plastic water bottles does nothing for the environment. This is something I am passionate about because it is so common for people in our society to hop on the environmentally conscious bandwagon, but they do not have that ecologically impactful mindset. Green consumption is a relatively new way of living a sustainable lifestyle. This is a pro-environmental, sustainable behavior that individuals practice in order to promote a greener way to live. Typical green consumption is associated with young adult consumers who have more money to spend. It is a common issue that millennials are passionate about because this is an important issue that will affect our generation. The ideal green consumer is someone who buys organic produce, has appliances with an energy star label and uses reusable shopping bags. I try my hardest each time I go to the store to remember to get my reusable bags out of my trunk or I will ask to use paper bags that I will reuse for future purposes. Some small actions I also do is reuse my plastic silver wear and don’t just toss it after one use. Whenever I go to eat, and I get a drink, I never use a lid or a straw because it is just one time use plastic that is not even necessary. Before you say it, yes, I have spilled my drinks more than one, but I still did not add to the contribute of landfill. Each time I can, I will go out of my way to recycle an item. I save my recyclables and don’t just throw them in a regular trash can for convience. Most of my friends definitely think I am crazy, but I encourage the people around me to live an active eco-friendly lifestyle and how convenience should not be a factor preventing you from being aware of your wasteful impact. There are a variety of ways to promote green consumption, but what is the realistic impact that these eco-friendly labeled products implement? Climate change has been noticed and it is more common for individuals in Gen Y and Z to be a green consumer. The demand for cheap, trendy clothes has influenced companies to create unsustainable articles of clothing. An issue about being “green” is the product’s ability to efficiently be “green” in the textile industry.  

In our rapidly changing world, sometimes we do not take a second to look around and think about our environment. Millennials and Generation Z have grown up being educated on climate science and the emphasis on how our actions undoubtedly affect our environment. When baby boomers were growing up, they did not pay much attention to the environment. However, just because the baby boomer generation was not as educated in school about the effects of climate change, they simply cannot ignore the fact that it is happening. My grandma literally does not believe in climate change and its odd because there is scientifically proven evidence of the world going downhill. Their generation does not seem to care much about being green because they believe that it is not even an issue they should worry about. However, the end may be closer than we think it will be. With temperatures rising, there is less snowpack in mountain ranges and polar areas. We have witnessed as a society, glaciers melting at a faster rate and snow melts quicker. Aside from the temperature rising, permafrost is melting which released methane into the atmosphere. In order to create an impactful change, there should be a wide range of education on climate change for all generations, so they can know their personal impact on the world.

Fast fashion has further led to the growth of consumer’s demand for products at a faster rate in which sustainable brands have yet to compare with. Mass producing clothes can be an efficient way to save money, but if their items do not sell, they create waste. In our society, being trendy is encouraged and can lead to old clothes pilling up in landfills. The main goal of green consumption is to accumulate zero waste. This is the thing that has specifically been one of my biggest problems. I admit, I am always buying new clothes and trying to stay on top of the latest trends at the time. This has led to another one of my problems of having absolutely no storage for the amount of clothes I have. I am in a constant cycle of circulating my clothes for each season and focusing on donating my old clothes that I no longer wear. Through the rapid change in fashion trends, stores like Zara, H&M, NastyGal and Forever 21, who contribute to fast fashion overproduce their supply compared to the ever-evolving consumer’s demand. Some of my favorite online stores like Nasty Gal and Princess Polly are mass producers of clothing and have a contribution to the overall landfill waste from their clothing. These companies are known as a fast fashion corporation and their designs represent the current market demand. If companies used this small action, over time we can reduce a vast amount of unnecessary landfill.

Realistically, how “green” can “green” be though? There are a variety of products that claim to be “green,” but have very little “net green” impact on the environment. Let me break that down for you. So many companies claim to sell green products and emphasize how green products have environmentally friendly attributes. Despite the eco-friendly labeled product, all goods require the extraction of natural resources and emit waste and emissions into the atmosphere during production. In order for a product to be considered “green,” its life-cycle environmental impacts are lower than regularly labeled products. The reality is clothes made from bio-based materials, like natural fibers are not environmentally sustainable since products can impact the environment during any stage of their life cycle. By using recycled materials, it is helping create a small dent in the amount of resources we use, but there are not enough recycled materials for everyone to design new clothes. Therefore, we still need to use fresh resources, so these products cannot be considered highly sustainable. Aside from the manufacturing process, the way a product ends their life cycle can affect the earth around us. This is where we can do our part to help reduce landfill waste from apparel. Some simple ways to expand the life of your clothing is to donate unwanted items or resell them to secondhand stores. You can up-cycle your own clothing to create a new look and it will be so satisfying to wear your unique design while also helping Mother Nature out. These small changes can drastically minimize the amount of new materials that companies use to create their clothes.  By donating my clothes, it has helped me get rid of some space in my closet in order to get today’s popular trends, I also donate my clothes to the homeless and if I need money I can easily sell my unwanted clothes to a resale stores. 

I encourage you all to help spread awareness about the affects of your everyday habits on the environment. There are countless ways to help do your part and no change is to small to make an impact. People can slowly change their routines in order to create a better world to flourish in.