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The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is going on right now, which usually would be a huge deal for me. In years past I've previewed the collection, circled my favorite items from the catalogue, and counted down the seconds until my new fall purchases made their way to my doorstep. This year, however, I couldn't care less about getting a discount on boots I can't wear for 3 more months; the only section of the sale I've even looked through is their pajamas and home goods, and even then I feel no desire to purchase anything.
My ambivalence towards the Anniversary Sale is reflective of my feelings towards shopping as a whole right now. Five months ago my work sent me and my coworkers home, and currently there is no end in sight to my work from home situation, or the end of the pandemic as a whole. I venture out of my apartment rarely and for short periods of time, usually just to the Starbucks around the corner or the grocery store, and while I do love to dress up, dressing up for a run to the grocery store where I try to get in, grab what I need, and get out as quickly as possible, only to return to sitting on my bed in my apartment, seems frivolous. Occasionally I will put on a fun outfit for a TikTok or Instagram photo, but those looks last thirty minutes, tops, before I switch back into a T-shirt and loungewear.
And I know! This all sounds crazy coming from me, Lindsey, THE Fashion Barbie! The girl who wears dresses more often than jeans, who believes it's always better to be overdressed than underdressed, the girl who gets genuine joy out of finding a new item of clothing to love and style and treasure for years to come. Even toward the beginning of the pandemic I was feeling more optimistic about clothes and shopping, encouraging readers to check out Memorial Day Weekend sales and posting cute photos of the fun spring dresses I had hopes about being able to wear out and about by midsummer. But now, in August, the situation feels so much more dire, and with my return to the office now permanently TBD, I feel little desire to spend money on trendy items that might be totally out of date by the time I get to actually debut them outdoors.
Don't get me wrong, I want to like new clothes and feel enough energy to purchase cute new things. With social media becoming one of my few outlets, I’m constantly eyeing fun new trends to try on TikTok and Instagram, from cottagecore romantic dresses to pastel matching sets.
The problem is that, perhaps because my current situation longs for escapism, I keep gravitating toward dreamy maximalist pieces like this rainbow poof of a dress from Selkie or that strawberry dress that’s all over TikTok; dresses that, while fun and joy-inducing, don’t really make sense to wear in the confines of my apartment. The dresses I purchased near the beginning of quarantine have seen the light of day maybe once, and usually just for the purposes of content creation. I realized that one dress I bought back in April still had tags on it because I had only worn it for the purposes of Instagramming it, and while I know influencers do this all the time, it feels disingenuous and almost irresponsible to constantly be flaunting new items that aren’t actually worn out. From my blog’s conception back in high school, I always vowed that the outfits I showcased would be ones that I actually wore out in real life, not just for the purposes of a cool photo. I’ve prided myself on that authenticity, and don’t want to change that now.
Between the pandemic’s major effects on the economy and the fashion industry in particular, along with the Black Lives Matter movement encouraging me to be more mindful about where and how I shop, the idea of constant clothing consumption feels off-putting. I’m fortunate to have a job through the pandemic, but I know that for many people that is not the case, and even those with jobs have experienced salary cuts and other financial hardships. To spend money on clothes that may or may not stand the test of time feels wasteful, and again, if I’m not getting any use out of the clothes for the foreseeable future, why purchase them at all? If I do get the urge to buy something, I don’t want to spend large amounts of money on something because who knows how the economy could change in the near future; but then my options are fast fashion retailers who typically use substandard manufacturing practices and underpay foreign workers. As much as I can, I’m trying to avoid those retailers.
So what am I left with? A vague desire to try new clothes and styles but no true want to purchase anything, out of fears of uncertainty and wasted money. I’m not sure this will last forever, as I’m sure I’ll get back to my usual ways of wearing girly dresses once the pandemic is over and life gets closer to normal than it is now, but I do know that the ways I’ve thought about my clothing consumption has changed how I look at shopping, and I do think that will stick with me for years to come.
This isn’t to say that I’m “over” fashion or have no desire to talk about it, just that I’m putting more of an emphasis on the clothes I already have sitting in my closet and that I’m thinking more mindfully about my shopping practices. I may be wearing more shorts and T-shirts than usual, but even through all of this my love of fashion remains, just reframed to be more conscious of my participation as a consumer and what that means, both personally and for us all.
How are you feeling about fashion and shopping right now? Have your shopping decisions changed during the pandemic? Has your style?
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| Is the age of the #GIRLBOSS over? |
When I attended the Los Angeles Women’s March in January of 2017, the day after Trump’s inauguration, I felt a mix of emotions flowing through me; I was angry with our country, worried for the rights of immigrants, women, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community (basically anyone who was not a straight cisgender white man), but also empowered to see how many people came together to march and stand up for what they believed. I was living a few blocks away from City Hall and walked there by myself, not knowing what to expect at all. When I saw the crowds of pink knit hats and protest signs spanning as far as I could see, I broke out into tears. Here we were, hundreds of thousands of frustrated Americans, channeling our anger into this outpouring of love and support. Donning an all-pink outfit and surrounded by thousands of fellow Nasty Women, I felt that we were onto something beautiful.
This was 2017, the peak of the Girl Boss era. Hillary Clinton was the ultimate icon for a generation of She-E-Os, taking her bold pantsuits and meme-able sass just about as far as a woman could possibly go. What is winning the presidency if not shattering the ultimate glass ceiling? She was the champion of a whole class of entrepreneurial women who weaponized millennial pink graphic designs and donned brightly-hued pantsuits with stilettos and blowouts, corporate badasses who owned their femininity rather than hiding it, as older generations of businesswomen had done. And despite losing the presidential election, in corporate America, the reign of the Girl Boss seemed inevitable.
Emily Weiss of Glossier. Jen Gotch of Ban.do. Yael Aflalo of Reformation. Sara Blakely of Spanx. On and on and on. You know the Girl Boss when you see her and her brand. She’s fashionable and cool, but never trying too hard. She dolls out career advice on Instagram and usually on her own podcast series too. She’s either written a book that combines career highs and lows with personal reflections, or she’s working on the draft now. She is a strong advocate for feminism, and her brand is all about championing women.
You’d think such a woman would advocate not just for white cisgender women, but for all women and non-binary people who should fall under the protection of feminism.
Instead, half of the aforementioned women (namely Gotch and Aflalo) stepped down from their posts this month after numerous allegations of racist behavior and toxic work cultures. Leandra Medine of Man Repeller, The Wing co-founder and CEO Audrey Gelman, and Refinery29 co-founder Christine Barberich have all also left their posts after similar complaints of racist behavior and work environments. The behavior of these women is absolutely unacceptable, but to the outside viewer, these allegations came as a bit of a shock. Their brands and social media personas would all have you believe these women were champions of intersectional feminism, but this year has proved that the Girl Boss’s digital persona of championing diversity and intersectionality is just a facade.
The Girl Boss wasn’t how you acted as a businesswoman, but how you branded yourself.
The term “Girl Boss” first rose to prominence with Sophia Amoruso’s 2014 autobiography #GIRLBOSS, which led to a short-lived Netflix series as well as an events and media business of the same name, all off of the idea that Amoruso is exemplary of how a woman in a position of power should behave. Let’s ignore the fact that she nearly ran her first company Nasty Gal (the one that made her a Girl Boss to begin with) into the ground, being bought for scraps by Boohoo and hanging on to this day only by running permanent ‘50% off everything’ sales. Amoruso is a talented woman who is responsible for Nasty Gal’s quick rise to prominence, but her true talents lie in her ability to market herself and her brand, not her proficiency as an executive. If you really examined the rise and fall of Nasty Gal, Amoruso wasn’t much of a boss after all, and there are the toxic workplace complaints and wrongful termination lawsuits to prove it, but no matter. What really mattered was how Amoruso made herself appear. The Girl Boss wasn’t how you acted as a businesswoman, but how you branded yourself.
A slew of female founders followed in Amoruso’s founder-to-celebrity footsteps, becoming the spokespeople for their companies and creating brand identities that weren’t just selling a product but a whole lifestyle. Jen Gotch opened up conversations about mental health with Ban.do, discussing her bipolar disorder and selling “I Cry At Work” T-shirts, blending personal ideology with branded products ready for consumption (and culminating in a book for Gotch as well, a memoir entitled The Upside of Being Down). Reformation highlights sustainability and the importance of ethically-made fashion that is also, you know, cool. The brand often featured their Los Angeles factory in campaigns and marketing materials. The creation of The Wing in 2016, a women’s club with locations around the country, felt in many ways to be a direct response to the 2016 election and our desires to keep the momentum of Hillary’s campaign going; a place for women and gender non-conforming individuals of all races and sexualities, to come together, network, and have a space all our own. How could these beacons of feminist ideology, mental health, and environmental awareness be such disappointments when it came to being genuine advocates of the Black Lives Matter movement?
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| Intended to stimulate conversations about mental health in the workplace, Ban.do's "I Cry At Work" T-shirt now hits differently when considering the numerous allegations of racist and toxic behavior at the company's offices |
In short, we were bamboozled by pretty marketing and a co-opting of feminist ideals to sell product. And if you feel disappointed that you didn’t see the signs earlier, I feel you. I fell for it all. I’ve purchased Ban.do planners for years and have applauded Jen Gotch’s honesty and vulnerability when it comes to mental health issues. My closet is filled with Reformation pieces. I read Refinery29 and Man Repeller articles on a regular basis. I became a Wing member last June. I believed that these companies, who featured diverse women on their social media and aesthetically-pleasing quotes from feminists and civil rights leaders, believed in the message they were plastering across their platforms. But if the person—and the company culture as a whole—beneath the facade was known for racist remarks, discriminatory hiring practices, microaggressions, and other toxic behavior, the celebration of women and diversity now starts to ring hollow. Were these women just marketing themselves as paragons of the 21st century female founder, using the language and imagery that women of diverse backgrounds would shell out money for, all while hiding their true feelings of discontent for anyone not like them (in other words, white, thin, and well-off)? That I fell for any of it makes me uneasy.
Like the Women’s March in 2017, this month’s Black Lives Matter movement has inspired me that change is possible, although difficult, and worth fighting for. It should not have taken this long, or the devastating loss of life that the Black community has experienced not just this past month but for years, to reach this turning point, but watching the ripple effects of the Black Lives Matter protests hit all industries, including the fashion and beauty world, has been incredible. These industries absolutely need to expand their definitions of beauty, and that starts with creating inclusive workplaces and encouraging diverse representation in magazines, online, on television, and so on.
With the mass exodus of so-called leaders like Jen Gotch and Yael Aflalo, I’m hopeful that the companies they started can move toward inclusive and respectful businesses, both in the way they market products to their consumers and the way their businesses cultivate a welcoming and positive corporate environment that accepts employees of all backgrounds. Moving forward, it won’t be enough just to wear the mask of the intersectional feminist and social justice advocate for the sake of reaching consumers. These brands must truly reflect that image both externally and internally, starting with diversifying their workplaces.
The age of the Girl Boss may be over, but all that means is that we are paving the way to celebrate true feminist business owners who actually embody the ideals that they publicly project. From these past few weeks, I’ve learned about so many incredible Black-owned businesses founded by women who are genuinely passionate about sustainable fashion, clean beauty, and redefining what the world sees as beautiful. For example, UOMA Beauty founder Sharon Chuter sought out to create a truly inclusive beauty brand, including 51 shades of foundation so people of every skin color can find their perfect match. Another beauty brand, Hanahana Beauty, provides natural skincare products that are ethically sourced from Ghana. These brands aren’t just wearing the mask of ethical, intersectional feminism; these tenets are built into the very foundations of these brands.
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| UOMA Beauty's ad campaign shows how wonderful and diverse the beauty industry can be |
This isn’t to say that white business leaders can’t be true allies. Emily Weiss’s brand Glossier recently announced they would be giving $500,000 in grants to Black-owned beauty businesses, as well as another $500,000 to organizations combating racial injustice. Glossier is one of the core brands of millennial culture, and Weiss every bit in the mold of the Girl Boss, but she has clearly recognized her power and her privilege, and she is using that privilege to help amplify underrepresented voices in the industry. There is a way forward for such entrepreneurs, one where they not only talk the talk of intersectional feminism but also walk the walk and create actions that echo their marketing sentiments, fostering truly inclusive workplaces and celebrating diversity in all forms.
Long live the new generation of women who will change the world.
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| All dressed up! |
Even while staying home and limiting time outside, my love for fashion and getting dressed up hasn't gone away! True, I've been wearing more T-shirts and leggings than usual, but I've also been donning dresses and playing with makeup to take some fun at-home photos and brighten my mood.
That being said, I've been online shopping more than ever before and wanted to share a few tips I have on how I discover new brands and places to shop online. With literally thousands of e-commerce sites out there (and new ones popping up each day!) online shopping can be an overwhelming experience, but I've found a few ways to discover new clothes and places.
Transparency note: I use affiliate links and may make a commission off of link clicks and purchases.
1. Influencer Recommendations
I follow certain influencers for a reason; their style and creativity inspires me, and I trust their opinions and recommendations when it comes to finding new clothes. I've discovered countless new brands through product tags, brands that I never would have heard of if it weren't for Instagram. With Jean and Lirika Matoshi are two of my recent favorite finds that I discovered through influencers I follow.
P.S. if you like my style, follow along on Instagram for more!
2. Browsing Online Catalogues + Edits
Some of my favorite sites like Revolve and Shopbop have an overwhelming amount of options to choose from, so I love looking at their curated edits to see the trending items and on-the-rise brands that their buyers love. Beyond your favorite online retailers, there are so many online catalogues you can use to discover new brands and shop online, including buy now pay later online catalogues. These are good options for affordable shopping, since you can split the payment up over time.
3. Pinterest
Pinterest is one of the best discovery tools out there when it comes to finding new places to shop, so don't overlook it if you are in need of new ideas! Not only is the app full of inspirational photos and swoon-worthy style ideas, but they've also stepped up their shopping functionality so you can often browse and shop for items directly on the app. Pinterest can even share "similar items" to photos you bring up, so even browsing an inspirational photo could lead you to discover a new, shoppable style.
4. ShopStyle
If you read my last post on finding the best online deals, you'll know that I love using ShopStyle to compare and price check the same items at different retailers. It is also a super powerful search discovery tool that I use constantly for both work stories and personal life! ShopStyle's search function is best for when I know what I'm looking for (for example, a red dress) but not sure where to go from there. You can simply type in "red dress" and boom, thousands of results will appear! I'll usually set price limits, but you can refine by different categories and subcategories, colors, retailers, and so on. Seriously, it's the best.
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And those are the secrets to my online shopping successes! Leave a comment below and let me know what your favorite tips are for discovering new brands and e-commerce sites online.
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| Wearing a Faithfull the Brand dress |
I write this on the first of many "summer Fridays" although it sure doesn't feel like summer, not really. The sun is shining and my emails are slow, but what fun is it to stop working and head home early when you're already home!? Oh well.
Even though summer 2020 might be a little stranger than usual, some things stay constant no matter the state of the world, and Memorial Day Weekend sales are certainly still a thing. My mom has already texted me about a pair of Madewell sandals that I have to get (these ones, FYI, at a 30% discount) and like, I guess all that money I've saved not going out to bars or Coachella or whatever could go to some cute new pieces that I'll get to wear...eventually.
So whether you are itching to buy some fun summer clothes in the hopes that stay home restrictions will soon start to loosen up, or you just need more sweatsuits to tie dye, here are the best sales out there as well as my favorite on-sale pieces:
Transparency note: I use ShopStyle affiliate links and may earn a commission on link clicks or purchases.
The Best Memorial Day Weekend Deals:
- URBAN OUTFITTERS: Take an extra 30% off sale items; up to 40% off dresses, shorts, and swimwear. Through 5/25.
- ANTHROPOLOGIE: 25% off clothes, accessories, and shoes. Valid through 5/25.
- MADEWELL: 30% off all dresses and sandals using code HAPPYTOGETHER.
- J. CREW: Up to 60% off your purchase with code HISUMMER.
- MODCLOTH: 30% off full-price items and extra 40% off sale items with code HOTDOG. Valid through 5/25.
- NASTYGAL: 60% off sitewide.
- & OTHER STORIES: Up to 50% off select styles.
- REVOLVE: Extra 20% off select sale styles.
- LOU & GREY: 30% off summer must-haves. Valid through 5/26.
- FOREVER 21: 20% off purchases over $75, 30% off purchases over $85, and 40% off purchases over $150 with code MEMORIALDAY2020.
- TORY BURCH: 25% off select styles with code TOGETHER. Valid through 5/26.
- THEORY: 30% off sitewide. Valid through 5/25.
- COS: 25% off your purchase when you spend $200 or more. Valid through 5/25.
- SOLID & STRIPED: 25% off sitewide with code MDW25.
- WAYFAIR: Up to 70% off sitewide. Valid through 5/26.
- RAY-BAN: 20% off sitewide and free shipping. Valid through 5/31.
My Top Picks:
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