The capsule wardrobe movement is a way to bring back sanity in the face of fast fashion and other crazy fashion trends. It’s the new uniform.

While many people are still caught up in that fashion buying gerbil wheel of always shopping for clothes and buying into the fashion industry’s marketing ploy of trends–what’s in and what’s out–others of us are into a more minimalist statement: enter the capsule wardrobe. Many fabulous and famous people have taken up the capsule wardrobe concept; mainly because it frees up so much more time and energy for living one’s life and doing things that matter and have a purpose. Think Steve Jobs.

The idea of the capsule wardrobe is to give up the fickle trends of the fashion world and the constant work of being on trend, and instead, focus more on actually living your life. Instead of building your wardrobe one frenzied purchase after another, you work to pare down your wardrobe to the truly classic and versatile pieces you need. The goal is to minimize, not super size your wardrobe, but to do so in a purposeful and smart way. Don’t worry; the goal is not to get rid of style but to make it truly effortless.

Key Benefits of the Capsule Wardrobe Movement

• Less Stress – One argument for eschewing fast fashion and taking up the capsule movement is it can help reduce your stress. It’s so much easier to get ready for work when everything in your wardrobe goes with everything else!
• Less Judgement – Let’s face it, the fashion world is filled with judgment. Focus on presenting yourself, not your outfit, to the world. It will change how others view you and allow you to judge others less as well.
• More Time – With a commitment to the capsule movement there is definitely less time spent on shopping, trying on clothes, and figuring out what you are going to wear.
• Less Stuff – Another boon is less waste and strain on the environment. Shopping for clothes based on trends leads to wasted resources and human rights violations. Stop the cycle.
• More Money – By paring down to essential pieces, there is an opportunity to save some big moolah. Of course, you could translate that into more luxe essentials, but that’s entirely up to you!

Related on EcoSalon

How to Build a Lux Capsule Wardrobe: The Ultimate Guide
30 Days of Retail Restraint May Inspire a New Minimalist Wardrobe Mindset
The Ultimate Fast Fashion Detox: Six Items Challenge Comes to the U.S.

Girl in Trench Coat Image via Shutterstock

The post The Capsule Wardrobe Movement: Should You Wear the Same Thing Every Day? appeared first on EcoSalon.

Image: Vaunte 

Fall’s here and search for the perfect party dress (and work ensembles) begins. Online luxury consignment websites are easier to use than ever and mean clothes that are budget-friendly, lower-impact, and best of all, help you avoid the trudge through the mall.

There’s no denying it, we’ve transitioned from sunny summer to the darkening days of fall. If you looked at your calendar recently, you know that holiday parties and the need for glamorous looks are on their way. When it comes to finding the perfect dress for the party or blazer for work, there’s a lot to consider for those conscious consumers with an eye on getting the most out of our clothes. 

Buying gently used clothes and accessories from luxury consignment sites online guarantees us clothing that is less trend and season driven and more unique. Who wants to look like they are dressed from the latest brand catalog or department store window? The best advantage to shopping consigner? Your new piece won’t be found on any other of the guests at the party, thus avoiding a same-dress disaster to spoil your night.

Here are our favorite sites for finding a special look that’s all your own.

 Vaunte

Vaunte taps into our voyeuristic passion for discovering what items our favorite style insiders wear and makes it easy to snap them up ourselves by shopping directly from their covetable designer wardrobes.

The RealReal

An impressive selection of secondhand designer and luxury brands for men and women, the RealReal features Gilt Groupe-style 72-hour-long sales presented by brand and style in a relatable, but high fashion editorial voice.

Yoogi’s Closet

For buyer and sellers in the market for pre-owned designer handbags, shoes, accessories and jewelry, Yoogi’s Closet stands out for their dedication to authenticity. If you are ready to shell out big bucks for that Chanel, Louis Vuitton or Hermes bag of your dreams, this is the place to find it.

Decades

Divided into 20th century vintage and 21st century modern, Cameron Silver and Christos Garkinos’ Decades is a now legendary vintage consigner in Los Angeles, responsible for outfitting the Hollywood elite in vintage treasures since 1997.

Fashionphile

While the focus is on high-end handbags and accessories, it’s Fashionphile‘s top-notch customer service, down-to-earth design and discounted prices that appeals to their loyal customer base.

Related on Ecosalon:

Thrift Store Reconnaissance: You’re On An Eco-Fashion Mission!

Secondhand Fashion Gets A Digital Upgrade

The post Best Luxury Consignment Sites Online: Budget Fabulousness appeared first on EcoSalon.

My lovely, celebrity-style dressing room is a spare bedroom I stole in the house, a spare that once housed a maple crib, green nursing glider and armoire of precious, spit-up stained Baby Gap dresses on mini-hangers.

Today, it’s my own little retail Mecca (organic, of course). But I do allow my daughters to visit and check out the blouses and shoe rack, and yes, even borrow on occasion. That sort of thing was taboo when I was growing up. Moms were moms.  Friends were the ones loaning stuff.

My own stylish mother (here with me and Grandma Zelda) towered over me at 5-foot-9 (not counting the beehive do) and always wore at least a size 14. She wasn’t a Laker like Julia Child and her sister, Dorothy, but when she got married, she wore flats so not to surpass 6-foot dad.

I hung out in Mom’s cavernous walk-in closet while she was away at luncheons. But no way could I actually borrow one of those gowns since they hung on me like a puddled curtain. I also was drawn to her off-limits, pointy, size-10 pumps, dyed to match her Jacky suits.

I was the fourth child and the runt of the litter – considerably shorter and smaller than the rest. (My theory is mother smoked a few more cigs and sipped a few more martinis when she was preggers with me.) But to be fair, I’m also considering the DNA link to my small, Polish ancestors.

Cut to my gorgeous teenage daughter with a great sense of style, who caught up with me in stature a few years back. I provide her with her own little Nordstrom Rack down the hall. I take full credit for cultivating her sense of entitlement since I have been most gracious about loaning her items, and have only kvetched a few times when they weren’t returned on time. She is very responsible and that counts.

Combined, Syd and I have a substantial inventory. I’m proud to say a chunk of it is the ski apparel we share for our annual Mommy-Sydney ski weekends in Lake Tahoe.

I was glad to squeeze into a pair of my daughter’s skinny jeans for my birthday outing with friends in August, and only felt a pinch after the second drink. You dirty martini, you!

How does the sharing work? Sometimes we fall for the same cardigan and it can make more sense during hard times to buy one to share and take turns – you know, like college co-eds on a strict budget. Call it the The Daughterhood of the Traveling Pants.

I also prefer to loan rather than buy her a dress for the countless B’Nei Mitzvah parties and other events she seems to attend. If she wears something of mine, it feels like new to her, even though I’ve worn it a dozen times.

This whole lending thing is why those smart couture rental shops, like Boutiqueville in Chicago, do so well. Why own something costly when you can rent for the occasion? When the high is over you send it back. Thank you, it was a great date, but onto other matches.

I should point out it isn’t just us girls sharing the wealth. My daughter also gets warm and fuzzy about wearing her dad’s old sweaters. I seriously think it brings her closer to him in a very sweet way.

Guess teens have been burrowing in oversize wool since Ann-Margret sang “How Lovely to be a Woman” in Bye Bye Birdie. He doesn’t mind her using the old sweaters, or at least, has never complained.

I got to wondering if other kids and parents are comfortable with community closeting or if most families are fiercely territorial about their closets. It certainly requires trust and respect, and the right kind of green deodorant.

I did a bit of research online and found little has been written on the subject. Hurray for me!

But I did stumble upon an interesting post on How to Share Clothes with a Cross-Dressing Husband.

Okay, the ground rules killed me: Killed me! They included keeping his paws out of your underwear drawer, making him replace anything stretched, torn or stained, and drawing the line when it comes to your most precious blouses or skirts (i.e. the ones with price tags still attached). The helpful primer also suggested shopping together to make sure you have the same taste. Oy!

None of this would work in my marriage. My husband is a large man who prefers high-wasted, baggy slacks to hip jeans. If he were a cross-dresser, he’d still be swishing around in those Dean Martin pants.

I do like some of his Oxford shirts and could see slipping into one after a post-sex shower and cocktail in bed, but since we don’t schedule those kind of Hollywood encounters (we don’t eat Chinese out of the box either), it’s all just another fantasy, like wearing my mother’s Yves Saint Laurent caftans.

I do have friends who are married to dainty men with little feet and excellent taste, and I could see trading with one of those fellows, swapping Indian tunics and Moroccan slides for a tux and velvet slippers when those Victor-Victoria mood strikes.

Of course, the well-dressed gay husband is top drawer when it comes to swapping, assuming he would cooperate. His rules might be too stringent for even me. I sort my closet by color but not by texture and season and don’t iron a thing. Crisp is not in my vocabulary.

No, I think I’ll stick with sharing with the girls, my wonderful girls, grabbing a wrap for Lauren when leaving for a party, pulling a dress for Sydney for a Bat Mitzvah. Selecting a hand bag that works. Maybe a trinket or earrings to tie it all together.

Does sharing benefit my daughters more than me? Well, naturally. It goes with the territory when you’re a consummate stylist and mother – who still misses dressing her dolls.

This is the sixth installment in Luanne’s column, Life in the Green Lane.

Main Image: In Style

Image One: Luanne Bradley

The post Sharing Family Garb Is Good Savings (if You Can Stand the Loan) appeared first on EcoSalon.