Favourite fashion purchases of 2010

I know that a big part of sustainability is focusing on consuming less, and therefore buying less, so talking about loads of things I’ve bought does seem somewhat odd, considering my worldview...However, the purpose of this blog is share with the world my findings on what options there are for eco, ethical clothing, so that when people do purchase clothing, they can make more informed choices.

I bought quite a lot of really great clothes (ok, too many) this year, but to narrow it down to my ten favourite purchases:

- Veja Fair Trade beige/chocolate organic cotton and natural latex Taua sneakers $99 (bought for half price) from Starfish (Wellington store, see www.starfish.co.nz for store addresses) I got these during Fair Trade fortnight in May. They are super comfy, and great to wear when I go to the gym and my dance classes. They also look very cool teamed with skinny jeans.

- Skinny Nelson organic cotton hooded cardigan $70 – I got this half price at Fusion in Wellington in June, and I wear it so much. It’s unisex, and kinda baggy – looks good with skinny jeans.

- Freeset Fair Trade Organic cotton brown duck t-shirt $40 from www.choosecrueltyfree.org.nz – This is really cute and comfy, and I like that the proceeds not only go towards supporting the women who work for Freeset (ex-prostitutes in Kolkata, India), but also towards the work of SAFE, an animal rights organisation.

- People Tree Fair Trade organic cotton tunic $30 – I got this on Trade Me. People Tree is a UK label. It is great to layer over t-shirts, or wear as a sleeveless top.

- Hug Fair Trade Organic cotton slim leg jeans $74.25 from www.micahclothing.co.nz (currently on sale, I also got mine on sale for $70) I got these when Micah Clothing was doing a roadshow. I previously had said (not on this blog, but to various friends, family members, and anyone else who would listen) that I would never ever ever wear skinny jeans, but changed my mind when I found these. They’re not super skinny, they’re more somewhere between straight and skinny, and are quite flattering on me.

- Hug Fair Trade organic cotton blueberry drape front cardigan $45 (currently on sale from $60, I got mine for $40 at the Micah roadshow) from www.micahclothing.co.nz – I tie this in front, it’s very cute and flattering. Great to wear over a plain t-shirt.

- Thrive NZ made black merino cardigan $48 - I got this when Thrive had a discount outlet store on Lambton Quay. It was a sample or something for the 2011 winter collection, and it’s awesome, I wear it so much.

- Untouched World NZ made black puna wool pants $95 (heavily discounted, original price was $295) – I got these when Untouched World had a discount outlet store on Lambton Quay for a few weeks. They are a really nice pair of pants.

- Descendant NZ made organic cotton black scissor skinny jeans $134 from Starfish – I got these half price at the Wellington Starfish store. I used to think black skinny jeans were only for emos, but now I’m convinced they’re a wardrobe staple. Well, they are for me anyway. They don’t have to be for you necessarily. These are great for teaming with a slightly baggy t-shirt and some ballet flats or sneakers.

- Terra Plana black Ginger vegetable-tanned leather pumps, ethically made in China, $235 from Starfish. These are great shoes for the office. The heels are not too high, so that minimises the risk of falling over, although I still have fallen down some stairs a couple of times when wearing them. However, I won’t blame the shoes.