Recently I found myself in the middle of an ethical dilemma involving fast fashion. I had seen this gorgeous floral dress on Instagram from Pretty Little Thing that I really wanted. My brain was telling me ‘no, you know not to support fast fashion’, while my heart was saying ‘you love the dress, think of all the times you could wear it’. It was really the angel/devil on the shoulders situation. Spoiler alert: I bought the dress, I tried it on, and decided to return it. I’ll get into the reasons behind my decisions in this blog post. While you read through it, try to form your own opinion, and let me know which side you fall on in the comments!
Deciding Whether Or Not To Buy
I didn’t buy the dress immediately. I left it a couple of days to see if I would still be thinking about it and if I would still like it as much when I came back to it. It’s easy to impulse buy an item because you’re worried it will sell out in your size, and honestly, I think it’s fine to buy an item without much thought into it as long as you return it if you end up not liking it. You’d be surprised at how many people don’t return clothing because they can’t be bothered… Just look through Depop for a while and you’ll see for yourself.
Speaking of Depop, I had a look for the dress on there before handing my money over to Pretty Little Thing. There actually was one! It was in perfect condition, the seller had worn it only once, and it was in my size. Perfect, right?! Well, no. The seller was selling it for more than it was actually brand new on the website for reasons I don’t quite understand, and shipping wasn’t included in the item price.
The last thing I considered was how much wear I would get out of the item (out of lockdown). The dress looked perfect for nights out partying, weekends out during the day, and date nights. I had 3 occasions to wear it which justified the purchase, my size was still in stock, and so I clicked order.
The Try-On Stage & Deciding To Return It
When the dress finally arrived I was really excited to try it on and see how it looked! When I unwrapped it, I started to love it even more in person. The dress was predominantly white with a continuous lavender purple floral print. Some key features of the dress that I loved included corset detailing at the bust and the ruched satin material it was made from. It felt incredible! It looked perfect, but it all went downhill very quickly as I tried it on.
Apparently the dress relied on me not being completely flat-chested to look good. I won’t lie, the boob area looked like two deflated balloons on me – not a look at all! The shoulder area was also far too big for me and would fall down easily. My mum had a quick look to see if she could possibly alter it but felt that it wouldn’t be an easy task. The last issue was with the bottom of the dress. Do you want to be able to move? The dress says no, you’re not allowed. This dress really was made for the typical Pretty Little Thing girl to stand and look pretty in. For petite girls like myself who like to be able to move around and dance a little when they go out, this dress is absolutely not suitable.
When I tried it on I went downstairs to show my mum. After figuring out it wasn’t for me, my attempt to get back upstairs was sad to watch, to say the least. The dress leaves you so immobile I pretty much had to hop up the stairs because I couldn’t lift one leg the height of a single step! Definitely, time to say goodbye.
My Opinion On Buying From Fast Fashion Brands
I think it’s entirely possible that my current opinion could change in the future. Considering how I am very new to the sustainable fashion lifestyle, I still have a lot to learn. I won’t lie, being at the start as I am has been really overwhelming. I have recently begun to understand my personal style better and realised a lot of my current wardrobe doesn’t reflect my tastes. So, I have been looking into sustainable brands specifically and here are some of the things I have found.
Sustainable brands are understandably expensive. The price of clothing isn’t really a big deal to me because if it’s a high-quality piece then I know I will be able to wear it for a long time. The issue is that these pieces are so expensive, yet also… Very basic? I think the idea is that these brands create these basic pieces in neutral colours to increase the versatility of the garment so it will match with as many outfits as possible. Except, if you have a wardrobe completely made up of neutral basics, how can you also translate your personal style through that? The answer is: You can’t.
Sustainable brands tend to create timeless pieces and stay away from trends. Again, this is totally understandable, but what if you like a trend, and not because it is trendy? Take, for example, the current trend of puff sleeves. I love it, and will continue to love it long after the trend dies out. The problem is, this is not something easily found from sustainable fashion brands.
TLDR; I think it is okay to buy from fast fashion brands if you approach it with a sustainable mindset. I’ll write another blog post detailing what I mean by this in the future.
Learning To Educate Myself Further About Fast Fashion
Like I said before, I’m really new to the sustainable fashion lifestyle, and I want to learn more, be better, and make informed decisions. I have recently been reading ‘The Curated Closet’ by Anushka Rees – which, by the way, if you’re into fashion, you absolutely need! It’s not specifically about sustainable fashion, but instead making better choices when it comes to your personal style. A lot of the ideas in this book are somehow connected to a sustainable mindset. There are shopping tips, decluttering tips, assessing garment quality and wearability tips, and so much more. It’s has a cohesive step-by-step structure and is also totally interactive! Although I’ve read the book almost all the way through now, once lockdown ends I will be coming back to this to follow the step-by-step guide and blog about the process.
I also bought three more books that I can’t wait to get stuck in to; ‘How To Break Up With Fast Fashion’ by Lauren Bravo, ‘F**k Fast Fashion’, and ‘The Hidden Facts of Fashion’ by Fashionary. As far as I can tell, ‘The Hidden Facts of Fashion’ isn’t particularly about sustainability, but instead, just a collection of facts about fashion. I’m still excited to read it anyway!
I have also started following more sustainable fashion brands, bloggers, and fact pages on social media. When I first heard about sustainable fashion, I remember thinking ‘that’s it! No more fast fashion’. But it’s not as easy as that. I found it really easy to go immediately vegan and probably expected sustainability to go the same way. Now I know it’s more of a learning curve and journey than immediate lifestyle change.
What Do You Think: Can You Still Be Sustainable and Buy From Fast Fashion Brands?
I want to present this question to you guys now, and absolutely feel free to disagree with the things I said above! If you think I’m being slack with it, say so. If you think this is a really good approach, say so. I want the comment section of this post really to be a discussion of opinions and ideas. There’s not one defined right answer – at least, I don’t think there is.
What works for you, and how do you approach sustainability and fast fashion? Do you think it’s harder to make the transition to a more sustainable lifestyle in lockdown?
As always, thank you for reading all of this if you managed to get to the end! Remember my DMs are always open if you want to discuss things privately. All of my social media pages are linked at the top of this page!
If you would like to read more fashion posts, click here. Also, if you’re dying to know what dress I ordered from Pretty Little Thing, click here.
Love, Flossie ♡
I love how this unfolded, you write beautifully anyway but this seemed a different style. More like a story.
In regards to fast fashion I’m as guilty as the next person. I think there’s a few different factors for me.
1. I want to express my style and always have fun with what I wear, I always think people should wear what makes them happy.
2. Age. I can’t wear the same things as I could previously and have to change my wardrobe up more often.
I think both these reasons have contributed to the positive and negative choices in my wardrobe purchases. I’m older now so wear what I want so I’m more confident about spending a little more money on more expensive key pieces. I’ve stopped watching fashion hauls as they are great to watch but they were making me shop and spend more than I needed to. I have massively reduced how much I buy and try to restyle outfits so they feel new.
I feel like making these changes I am making small steps in the right direction, for me anyway I feel that as consumers the market has adapted to us and the faster we shop and the faster we spend the more the industry adapts to us and competes with itself. I hope by making smarter choices the fast fashion issue won’t be so large and we won’t feel so guilty for shopping between, sustainable, local, in independent and chains. ❤️🌿
Thank you so much for this incredibly thoughtful reply Sophie! Your points are so valid – I never thought of age as an affecting factor but it makes so much sense!
It’s so great that you shop so consciously now. Every small change makes a big difference! Just imagine the impact if everyone made the same choices as you!
Again thank you so much for reading and sharing your thoughts. I really appreciate it! 🥰♥️
I appreciate your thoughts on sustainable fashion. I have the same reflections even though I’ve been a part of the industry for a few years. I think the bottom line is, whether you buy from a sustainable company or not, you need to make sure a clothing item or accessory is something that fits your style so that you’ll wear it for years. I strive to purchase from more sustainable companies these days, but there are times when I buy from other fashion companies or thrift stores.
I do agree that sustainable fashion is very pricey and that companies often only offer basics. You sometimes need to have a few tasteful trends. Maybe companies should encourage shoppers to make trends last longer if they purchase them? It might be good to show these trends in a variety of outfits to show how this is possible.
You’ve made so many great points, Brooke! I do think fast fashion brands should encourage shoppers to make more sustainable choices and make items last longer, but it’s ultimately up to the consumers to make the change. Awareness is key!
Thank you for leaving such a thoughtful comment, and thank you for reading! It’s much appreciated 😁♥️
Love this read and totally agree with what you’ve said! I think just because there’s a higher chance of fast fashion clothes being faulty or don’t suit doesn’t mean to say you can’t find a piece that you will treasure for years. I bought a really pretty jumpsuit from missguided about 2 years ago and I still wear it today. Looking after your clothes well plays a bit part it in too 🙂 💗
Thank you so much for reading Lottie! I think you’re totally right, I had never noticed until recently but I also have managed to keep wearing clothing bought from fast fashion brands for years!! Taking care of your clothes certainly makes a huge difference 🥰♥️