👘 The Wardrobe Edition [The Goods]

Hi!

On the heels of earth day, I'm delighted to bring you this rumination on sustainable style.

Disclaimer: this edition of ‘The Goods’ — where I share with you resources + ideas that are vastly improving the quality of my life— is all about wardrobe and style.

I realize 

1. I am not a stylist (technically) so this might be seen as “off-brand”

2. You’re not here to get style advice from me (or so you thought)

3. I’m not going to do this perfectly. There will be gaping holes in my assessment and attempt to create a more sustainable footprint. And I choose to lean into my time-tested and beloved motto: imperfect action is better than perfect inaction! 

Therefore, this is a quick note to say I give you my full blessing to simply let this one go by if you could care less. I won’t take it personally.

And, I’m here to teach and learn, and learn and teach, what it means to be a spirit-led leader, and a spirit-led entrepreneur, and to live my calling… and to encourage and guide you to do the same. That includes sustainability in every area of our lives. So in that regard, I declare this episode on brand 😉 

THAT SAID, I’ve been chomping at the bit to share with you some of my inspiration, learnings and hacks in the realm of clothing, closet and wardrobe, where I’ve been finding some delight this year.

Hopefully, this will be fun for you and perhaps, who knows, maybe we’ll even save the world with our fashion choices moving forward.

Let’s give it a try.

[method] Find your three style words.

Someone turned me on to the work of Allison Bornstein, who wrote a book called “Wear it Well” and has some awesome videos on YouTube. Her work is mostly geared toward women, though men and any non-binary folks feeling inspired to simplify and tighten up their wardrobe can absolutely use this system. In a nutshell, Allison coaches us to choose three words that describe 3 elements of our style. The intention here is to more easily purge your current wardrobe, identify areas you’d like to acquire new pieces, or comb through racks while shopping or thrifting.

The 3 words are:

Realistic: found by pulling all the things from your closet and laundry basket you actually wear all the time, and looking for the throughline. This represents the daily choices you already make around style and comfort.

Inspirational: found by looking at Pinterest, IG or anywhere that you compile links or photos of clothes you love. Find the throughline that describes the clothing you love and lust after and would love to fill your closet with.

Emotional: how do you want to feel when you get dressed? This final style code highlights the way you wish to feel in your clothes, body and spirit when you get dressed and traipse out into the world.

Some tips:

• Allison says don’t worry if the words seem contradictory; in fact, that’s a good thing! For ex: in this great tutorial video the woman she’s working with has “oversized” for her realistic word, and “fitted” for her inspirational word, which creates some fun contrast.

• As you start playing with the words, keep a birds eye view and create some intentional variety. If all three of your words are too similar, your overall style is going to feel bland and will lack the unique spark that makes it yours. 

• Feel into the nuance of the words, and create your own definition that really suits you. For ex: there’s a big difference between “confident”, “bold” and “edgy”, although there’s also overlap. 

If you decide to go for it, please hit reply and lmk what your words are! I’m geeking out on this right now and would love to hear about your style code ;)

And in case you’re wondering… my words are (a) neutral, (b) folk, and (c) sensual 😉

On sustainability: not only will this trim your wardrobe to pieces you absolutely cherish and wear, but it lends itself to energetic efficiency. I like to think about our economy of attention, and how much energy I put into getting dressed everyday is part of that ecosystem. You’ve probably heard that Apple guru Steve Jobs always wore the same thing (black t-neck + jeans) so he could save his creative energy for his work. I love this concept. Even if you take joy in fashion and want to put more creativity daily into your style choices, I think there’s a happy medium, and a damn big difference on your energetic output when your closet is full of only things you know you love to wear. 

[podcast] Don’t Buy That Sweater - Radio Atlantic

{27 min listen} This is a reprise from a winter edition of The Goods [BTW- sign up for love letters to get my monthly edition]… but it’s such a big wake up call that I’m sharing it again. The sobering reality is that we’re witnessing a rapidly declining quality of our sweaters (and clothing in general). In other words, do you have any clue how much plastic we’re wearing???  Just like we need to learn how to decode our food labels, we also need to be schooled on how to decode our clothing labels. I am also holding myself to a newly reinstated standard to stop buying poor quality clothes— which not only don’t last, but also contribute to the global crisis of pollution. 

[sourcing] Some ideas on how + where to shop sustainably

My friend Colleen, a professional organizer and zero waste enthusiast, would say “the most sustainable thing is the one you didn’t buy.”

BOOM.

And, the probable reality is that we will buy some clothing in the near future. So let’s brainstorm some ideas.

1. THRIFT. When in doubt, buying used clothing is always a step more sustainable than buying new. Depending on where you live, you might have access to some real gems. Don’t knock it until you try it! Also: this doesn’t mean you still won't be combing through racks of mostly-plastic clothes. But there will be some natural fabrics in there too.

2. CONSIGNMENT. Also a good option for buying second hand. You might find higher quality items at consignment shops.. which may or may not mean better quality. Keep checking those tags.

3. CLOTHING SWAP. Have some friends who are roughly your size? I love a good clothing swap. Also, if you’re a parent raising young children who outgrow their clothes faster than you can keep lettuce from wilting, who do you know has kids slightly older who can give you hand-me-downs?

4. SUSTAINABLE BRANDS. I’m moving toward a hard rule that if I’m going to buy new clothes, I want to do it from a brand who values and embodies sustainability and green practices. A few on my radar include Everlane, Quince, and Eileen Fisher Renew. Links to articles with vetted lists of clothing (here, here) and swimwear (here) brands/companies.

[podcast] Style, Brand, Originality: how to rethink the spiritual paradox of "branding" and identity

[46 min listen] In episode #24 of The Sage & The Song, I felt inspired to bring a deep transmission on the topic of style and how it relates to us as entrepreneurs and creators. I had a lot of fun with this episode— it was actually an entire lesson I concocted for my Metamorphosis Mastermind clients last year. Because we can’t get away from branding if we own a business or want to be of service. So we might as well befriend it and find a way to embrace the paradox.

[Lastly, fun facts about Britta]

In high school, I was nominated for and received several awards by my fellow students…. In retrospect, these awards say a lot about me as a person 🤣

🪡Best Dressed

🏊‍♀️Most Improved (swimming + water polo)

🌟Most Spirited (yes, seriously)

📣Class Speaker

[Side note: did anyone else receive a ‘Most Improved’ award in the past and feel like you were basically being acknowledged for how much you sucked at (said thing) in the beginning? I’ve decided to translate this award to “fastest learner”, which feels true and also carries a bit more dignity 🤓]

Alright beloved, transmission complete. 

Again, this is a contemplation not only about my closet, but my food and my usage of material resources, but also how I run my business and focus my energy.

Because if it’s not simple, it’s not sustainable. 

And if it’s not sustainable, is it worth doing?

To feeling delicious in our clothes, body and values.