Ask a Stylist: how to shop mindfully

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I am keen to focus on “mindful” shopping in the new year and would like to take a different approach to building my wardrobe. Can you give me some pointers?

My definition of mindful shopping is close to the idea of slow fashion. The latter is defined by Good On You, a platform that rates brands on their supply chains and environmental impact, as “an approach to fashion that values quality, sustainability and ethics over fast fashion’s cheap and trendy products”. Both being worthy ways of thinking about consumption and what we really need. Need, of course, being a subjective term.

It is unrealistic to eschew ever buying anything new. But buying without reason, without a plan and without knowing what works for your body shape and proportions is ill-advised. Not only will it damage your purse, waste your time and cause unnecessary angst, it is also damaging the environment. So how to approach your new regime? 

Buying without reason, without a plan and without knowing what works for your body shape and proportions is ill-advised

It begins with a clear-out: January is an ideal time as you’ll likely be indoors. If you tend to hoard and struggle with whether to keep something, an objective eye can run through this with you, quickly. Invest in a stylist or decluttering expert. This is money well spent as it is incredibly cathartic and, ironically, having less makes it much easier to put together outfits. 

If you prefer to go it alone, one trick is to get your clothes out and — put your honest hat on — place only the things you have worn regularly in the past six months on a rail. These are your hero pieces, which form the backbone of your wardrobe. Spend time considering what it is about them that brings the magic. Make notes of what those are and put them in your phone.

Then look at the rest of your wardrobe and be brutal. It helps to know your body and its proportions. Learn what suits you and why, so you will always be able to shop with confidence. (My fashion app, Think Shape, teaches you all about your shape and helps you choose clothes wisely.)

Once you’ve got rid of the things that don’t work any more (please consider alterations first before giving to charity or selling) you will have a list of gaps. These are the missing elements that will make your wardrobe more cohesive and wearable. Armed with this list you are ready to buy some new pieces. I say “new”, but search for preloved items first, whether at a second-hand store (The Secret Wardrobe in St Margarets, south-west London, is fabulous, as is Sign of the Times in Chelsea) or online (Vinted, Depop and eBay are good but can be confusing; Vestiaire Collective and Reluxe are much more enjoyable).

Also try rental. Hurr, which has partnered with carbon footprint management tool Cogo so you can calculate your environmental impact via the platform, is brilliant. By Rotation’s peer-to-peer service is very reasonable and My Wardrobe HQ has a selling and rental platform. Using these also allows you to experiment with new looks and styles and ease yourself out of your comfort zone. I prefer to try clothes in store — see Hurr in Selfridges; By Rotation does pop-ups (its last one was in Mayfair); and My Wardrobe HQ is in Harrods. 

Now that you’re ready to shop, make a list and stick to it. Don’t be too prescriptive; keep it general enough to allow you some leeway. Colour, neckline and category are a good starting point. Then give yourself a budget: spend as much as you can afford, shop around and compare prices, although it is better to buy from a reputable source where, if something goes wrong, you know you can obtain a refund or an exchange. 

Using rental services allows you to experiment with new looks and styles and ease yourself out of your comfort zone

If you’re feeling conscious about your impact on the environment, spending more isn’t an indicator of ethically made clothing. Look for ethical collections such as those on online store Gather & See, which rates and sells brands based on their environmental policies and practices, or B Corp-certified brands such as Chloé, Navygrey, With Nothing Underneath, Wolf & Badger and Finisterre.

Choose GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) cottons and organic natural fibres, and try to avoid anything synthetic or made with plastics, such as sequins. Polyester, nylon and acrylic are all made with petrochemicals, meaning they aren’t biodegradable. They also continue to shed microfibres when washed so they enter the waterways too. 

The process doesn’t stop when you get home with your new items. Dopamine in our brain is activated by novelty and the need for more, thus fuelling the innate consumerism of fashion. Keep this system quiet by taking your time. Leave new purchases in your bag for two days before trying them on again. If they still excite you and you are sure you can make at least three new outfits with them, take the price tags off. If you are underwhelmed, take them back. Apply this to your online shopping, too: add to your basket, then sleep on it. It’s never too late to learn new shopping habits.

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