Simple Style- Perfect Fit With MyShape

One important key to creating a simplified wardrobe is to make sure everything in it fits you well. An ill fitting garment is sure to stay in the back of the closet and to make you squirm a bit if you do end up wearing it. And a simple style wardrobe has no room for a piece that is not worn regularly (except of course special occasion wear). But finding well fitting clothes can be a frustrating experience.

MyShape is a website store that helps you find clothes that fit your body perfectly and meet your style preferences. This is how it works. To create your own personal store you take detailed body measurements and answer questions about what types of things you like to wear. Then voila! The site creates your own “personal shop” full of clothing choices that they say will fit you beautifully and meet your style requirements.

The process of answering the questions and taking the measurements to set up a “shop” took me about a half hour. Once you have completed the survey you are provided several web pages of garments that have been selected to fit you properly and to match your style preferences. One limitation is that the site does not take into consideration your color preferences when choosing garments for you to consider. They may add that refinement in the future.

The MyShape web store carries over 200 designers some of which use organic and sustainable fabrics such as Blue Canoe, Jonano and Eileen Fisher. The wide selection of designers helps to keep your “shop” well stocked.

In addition to providing you with personal shopping options, MyShape also puts you into one of seven body shape categories based upon the information you provide. The site provides general tips and ideas for dressing options, cuts and styles that look good on your body type.

MyShape could be a useful tool in creating a simplified wardrobe because it does some of the heavy lifting for you. Its purpose is to find styles that flatter and sizes that fit you. Since fit and attractiveness are two keys to building a simple style wardrobe, you may want to make use of this resource.

--Your friends at Birch

Simple Style- Summer Light Challenge

Here is a terrific summer challenge for you. Pare your wardrobe to 10 pieces to wear for the entire summer. That is the essence of Green by Design’s Summer Light Challenge that starts today- the first day of summer. What a great exercise in simplifying your style and in making the summer carefree and easy.

Green by Design’s Facebook page gives you some tips on how to make the challenge work if you even if you must “dress up” for work each day. The rules allow you to use unlimited accessories and they state that work out clothes do not count toward your 10 pieces. Sounds quite sensible and doable to me. And if you’re not into rules, make up your own version of a pared down wardrobe and try it for the summer or a month or a week. Take the challenge and open up more time to savor the sweetness of summer.

--Your friends at Birch

Alchemy Goods

We’ve added some Alchemy Goods bags to our web store. When we carried Alchemy’s products in our Minneapolis store, they were customer favorites. In addition to bringing back the always popular Haversack and Messenger Bag, we’re introducing some new items such as the East Lake Laptop Sleeve and the uber cool Magnolia Handbag.

Alchemy bags are designed and crafted in Seattle out of recycled/upcycled inner tubes and seat belts. The company denotes the percentage by weight of recycled/upcycled material contained in each of their products by putting a tiny, nicely designed number in the corner of the logo. It is a perfect reminder of what a great, easy on the earth bag you have decided to carry around town.

If you are thinking that an inner tube bag would not be jazzy enough for you then think again. Alchemy embellishes their bags with colorful piping and lining that gives you just the right amount of pop. Take a look at what Alchemy has to offer.

--Your friends at Birch

Visualizing a Slow Fashion Future

What will fashion look like in 2025? That is a question Forum for the Future decided to research. The answer they came up with is described in the report: Fashion Futures 2025: Global Scenarios for a Sustainable Fashion Industry. While the report describes four different possible scenarios for the future of fashion, the one we honed in on and believe is the most likely picture is one in which slow fashion precepts have taken hold of mass consciousness.

In the “Slow is Beautiful” world the authors describe the fashion scene as “über sustainable and über cool… most consumers are prepared to pay more for a smaller number of high-quality sustainable clothing items.” This vision of the future brings clothing that is durable and worn longer. When we are done with a garment we take it back to where we bought it for the fabric to be remanufactured into something else making apparel truly cradle to cradle with no waste.

The report even envisions government campaigns to encourage consumers to “wash less; wash cold”. What a fresh concept to have government propaganda to prolong the life of garments and reduce needless energy consumption by washing clothes only when truly dirty and then with cold water. In our society of hyper cleanliness, driven by corporate propaganda, some common sense messaging about apparel care could save a lot of human and fossil fuel energy.

Imagining a Slow Fashion future is the first step to making it a reality. Once we decide to reframe the concept of “fashion” to encompass appreciation of craftsmanship, longevity and classic style we are on our way to a place where consumers buy more intentionally and with an eye to keeping and wearing well what they purchase. Bring on the slow fashion future.

--Your friends at Birch

It’s Time to Start Line Drying

The weather is fine, the days are long and you just want to be outside. That makes it the perfect time to start drying your clothes on an outdoor clothes line. You get some exercise and time to be in the fresh air and sunshine and your clothes get a deluxe drying treatment. They smell better and fresher and will last longer if not subjected to the rough and tumble action of the dryer.

A large percentage of the environmental impact of wearing clothes comes from laundering if you use hot water to wash and a clothes dryer to dry your garments. Plus, mechanically drying your laundry costs in the neighborhood of $70 per year.

If you are concerned that line drying your clothes will leave them stiff or bunchy or otherwise unpleasant to wear, check out these line drying tips. And remember with line drying you never get that unpleasant surprise of taking something out of the dryer that should never have been put in and finding the garment shrunk and unwearable.
So once you’ve simplified your wardrobe a bit with some of our slow fashion tips, why not take things one step further and hang your clothes to dry? A simple, natural drying method beautifully complements a simple style wardrobe and slow fashion. Try it today and we think you’ll agree.

--Your friends at Birch