
The most sustainable thing to do is to shop from your wardrobe. I know it, I get it, I don't always do it. Recently I wanted to get a mini dress that I can dress up or down depending on the occasion. I like it because most of my dresses are either too grand or too going out and I am trying to venture out into more wearable staples. I have found one on Realisation Par and fell in love with it. I decided to see if I can find it online in the second-hand market. Straight away (quite surprisingly) I found different options. I even had a choice between white, tiger print and yellow. I had my eyes on yellow because I love that colour. It can be styled day-to-night and I love bright colours. Venturing out into sustainable fashion makes me question my purchases and how long they will be worn for as well as how often. So I started doubting my choices. Surely, it's better to get the dress in white or black because these are 'standard' colours so they won't annoy me in 5-10 years. But then I am not a black or white kind of girl. The white one will be ruined within 5 seconds of putting it on, black is cool but is it me? I think I wear my black dresses the least. Tiger print is dangerous because I cannot return a second-hand purchase. What if I accidentally look like a cheap version of myself. Back to yellow, really? What am I a child? Shouldn't I go for a more mature colourway? In the end, I decided to stick with yellow that I found on Vestiaire. But I decided to message support on the official website selling the dress to check the sizing. According to their measurements, I fit into their size S, but the dress is non-stretch silk; therefore, there's no give with it. I was advised to go for size M. And guess what, there are no size M dresses in the second-hand market (is everyone that skinny?!). So here is another question. Should I get a new dress in a colourway that I like and in my size? Yes, it will be new, but it will be exactly what I want and fit in with my current state of mind. Should I go for any colourway available in the second-hand market because it is second-hand and therefore is more sustainable. Am I spoilt by choice and if I had never seen all the colourways I would not have been so picky? Should I wait and hope that the dress in the colourway and size will magically appear on eBay? Or should I just stop bloody shopping? Stop thinking about it and get my hands on one of these books I bought and never read. The dilemma is real. I love fashion, I love shopping, I love dressing up. Of course, there is always a question whether I am simply filling up the void by looking at dresses online. Am I a slave to capitalism desiring another dress when my wardrobe cannot handle my volumes anymore and my bedroom is full of items that need to be sold and I never find time to do so. I rarely get rid of clothes. It's a long process of thinking and deciding how to do that sustainably, which usually means reselling online, as I believe this is one of the most sustainable ways of getting rid of clothes. I am not going to buy the dress right now if ever. I just thought to share my dilemmas. Someone might think I am crazy, someone might see themselves in it. I think to be 100% sustainable, I need to disappear from the face of the earth. So my thoughts on how I can be more sustainable have not solidified yet, it's a trial and error, where do I step away from my habits and where do I adapt. I know some people are far beyond me in their journeys, but everyone has a different one.