Blue and grey capsule (with colour pop!)

Although I am trying to stick to my theme of blue and grey capsules from ethical companies, this time I gave into temptation. Funnily enough I had decided to wear my new bright blue top today with grey trousers and a silver necklace, adding a grey flecked jacket when I went outside, as although it was sunny it was also very breezy. My Outfit of the Day therefore was very much in keeping with my recent posts! However look what happened when I created today's holiday wardrobe in Polyvore:

This capsule was selected from Marks & Spencer using Polyvore rather than the M&S website, and I must admit that it didn't have a wide selection of blue and grey clothes to choose from. When I finished the original capsule of seven tops, two pairs of trousers and a jacket, I wasn't feeling very enthusiastic, so I decided it needed brightening up. The three scarves that I chose were from East, not M&S, and any one of them would go well with the clothes shown above. If you're not a scarf person, you could go for a colourful necklace or accessories instead to add a pop of colour.

Marks & Spencer are on the list of Fair Trade companies in the UK, which is why I chose them for this capsule.  If any of you know of other ethical fashion companies, please let me know.

Blue and grey capsule from Monsoon

My third example of a holiday capsule from an ethical company is - surprise! surprise! - also in blue and grey. This time the capsule is from Monsoon, a company which started life as a small, independent store in London in 1973. Although it is now a global company, Monsoon still remains true to its roots.

Again I have selected seven tops and two pairs of trousers, which gives you fourteen different outfits to last you on a fortnight's holiday. Remember you can add a pop of colour with scarves, jewellery or other accessories if you are becoming bored with all the blues and greys.

You won't need to break the budget if you purchase any of these items. The jacket is €76, both pairs of trousers cost €57 and the tops cost between €10 and €69. I've bought clothes from Monsoon in the past and they have lasted well. The styles are fairly classic so they shouldn't date and they will mix and match with the rest of your wardrobe. You may be able to buy clothes cheaper, but is that the most important issue, even for those of us who have retired and don't have unlimited funds?

Have you had enough of blue and grey? I may choose a different colour scheme for my next post - though I'm not making any promises.

Blue and grey capsule from People Tree

When I first started buying my own clothes - many, many years ago! - life was simple. I went to the local shops and bought what I liked, so long as it fit me and was within my budget. Being petite, I was very grateful when mini-skirts were fashionable though obviously mine didn't look quite as short as those of my taller friends.

Nowadays life isn't so straightforward. Ideally I would like to support local businesses, especially as times are hard here in Spain, however all too often I return from a shopping trip empty-handed. For a start, my local shops don't stock petite sizes. Admittedly many of them have short skirts on display, but they are aimed at the young "chicas" and, even though older Spanish women do wear shorter skirts, I would feel uncomfortable wearing one that is thigh-high. Shops in my local town either cater for the younger woman or are aimed at elderly women.  I may be over 60 but I still enjoy wearing stylish clothes and don't want to appear older than I am.

If I can't find suitable clothes locally, then my best option is to buy on-line. This though is where I face a dilemma: should I buy cheaper clothes, which may have been made under unsafe conditions, or more expensive clothes that are a bit over my budget and which haven't necessarily been made ethically anyway?

Luckily for me there are more and more sustainable, fair trade companies trading on-line. I thought it would be interesting to create a few capsule wardrobes from some of these companies. The first one is People Tree.

Using the capsule above you can create two weeks' worth of different outfits, as all of the tops can be worn with either pair of trousers. I would add more interest with some brightly coloured scarves, necklaces or other accessories, but that's just my style. It's not essential.

I have to admit that I was very tempted to order a couple of these tops, however I'll wait until I've looked at some other websites before I flex my credit card! For those of you on a budget, I would like to point out that the tops shown above cost between 12€ and 51€, the trousers cost 91€ and the jacket costs 145€. Fair trade, fair prices.

Buy only what you love

It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you must buy a new top, skirt or dress for summer, scouring the shops to find something and then buying a new item of clothing just for the sake of it. It's even easier to do so when you shop on-line! How many of you have bought something from a website on the basis that you can always return it if it isn't a good fit or doesn't really suit you?  Have you ever returned an ill-fitting item or, assuming that it fits well, something that isn't quite what you expected?  If not, maybe that's why your wardrobe contains too many clothes! Don't worry, I've been guilty of this too.

I believe that I'm slowly improving.  I popped into a local clothes shop on the way home a few days ago and tried on two tops: they looked ok, they fitted me - but I didn't really love them.  I left the shop empty-handed. My new shopping mantra is: 99% isn't good enough. Through doing Project 333, I now have a wardrobe full of clothes that I enjoy wearing. Obviously they won't last for ever, particularly the cheaper clothes, but I'm not in any rush to replace them or to acquire lots of new ones.

I liked the look of some of People Tree's tops, which I spotted on their website while researching fair trade fashion for my previous post.

Regular readers will know that I do love stripes, and I could do with a new navy striped top to replace my existing one. I hesitated over the top shown above but decided against ordering it, as I suspect it will look a bit boxy on someone as short as I am. Of course I could return it, but living in Spain I would need to pay the postage, so I might end up keeping it even if was less than 100%.

The following top, which I featured in my day to evening collage, is still tempting me though.

It looks as if it would be a flattering fit on me, the colour is one of my best colours, plus it would be a versatile addition to my wardrobe. Should I log into their website and order it right now?

Before I make a decision, I am going to check out another local shop that had some blue tops in their window to see if there is anything that I love 100%. I have two reasons for doing so. The first is that I won't know whether I really love this blue top until I try it on, and it might not have the wow factor for me.  The second reason is that I feel it is important to support local businesses whenever possible. I still have to buy clothes on-line at times as I'm a petite size - unfortunately I can only find petite sizes if I go to El Corte Ingles department store in Murcia city. However I'm looking for a short-sleeved summer top in blue, so I may very well be able to find one locally. Wish me luck in my search!

From day to night - using accessories

I mentioned in my last post how useful accessories can be in changing your look. This is particularly relevant when you are planning your holiday wardrobe: choose the right accessories and you can create many more different outfits from the clothes that you have packed.  I thought it might be helpful to show you an example.

Here I have used the same top and trousers for a day time and evening look: by changing the accessories and adding a jacket I have smartened up my day time outfit for going out in the evening.

Starting with the same three items of clothing and accessories, I have added another pair of trousers, a skirt, a pair of shoes and three more tops.  This will give me many more outfits to wear both during the day time and in the evening.

Using the four tops and three bottoms shown, you will have twelve different outfits. These can be worn both during the day and in the evening, depending on which accessories you choose. I haven't shown the jacket in the second picture, but as it is a neutral you can wear it with any combination you choose.

All the clothes shown are available from People Tree, who sell sustainable and fair trade fashion at reasonable prices and deliver to international destinations (including Spain). The shoes are vegetarian shoes, which goes to prove that vegetarian doesn't necessarily mean boring!

My presents for myself, with thanks to Janice!

I've been very lucky recently, winning a $25 gift certificate to spend at Novica. This was a prize offered by Janice of The Vivienne Files. I had already been browsing the website when Janice blogged about it, and I was drooling over the many lovely items, so you can imagine my excitement when she announced that I was the winner!

I admit that it took me a long while to choose something - follow the above link and you'll realise why - but eventually I decided on a couple of silk scarves that can be worn together or separately, so ideal for a holiday capsule wardrobe. I also bought a cotton tote that won't take up much room in my suitcase and will also be ideal for going on holiday. As we already have a couple of holidays booked for 2014, my new purchases will prove very useful. Here they are:

Blue fantasy made by Vinita

Rose River made by Jiap Rojjana

I have to say that the service was incredible: I ordered these on December 19th and they arrived four days' later, just in time for Christmas. I was sent an email with a link, allowing me to track my parcel from Thailand to Spain, via Leipzig in Germany. The items were beautifully wrapped and the packages contained small cards giving me the names of the artisans who had made them. The two scarves cost $20.69 and the cotton bag cost $19.99 so I paid less than $18 to cover the difference in price and premium postage: a real bargain. Thank you so much Janice!

I admit that the jewellery on Novica's website was very tempting, however I had already placed an order with another website that I recently discovered: Forage & Find - and I couldn't justify buying myself even more Christmas presents. Forage & Find sells unique jewellery handmade by mother and daughter, using vintage fragments of the past, and they ship internationally.

My husband will be celebrating an important birthday next year, so I couldn't resist buying him an early birthday present from Forage & Find. As it arrived in time for Christmas, I decided to pop it inside his Christmas stocking. I also popped my "present to myself" into my own Christmas stocking!

Vintage Birthdate Sixpence Cufflinks 

My present to myself!

I have mentioned People Tree in a previous post, but as they have a sale on at the moment, I thought it worth mentioning them again. They are pioneers in Fair Trade and environmentally sustainable fashion, so why not check them out too?

Wearing my People Tree skirt!

If you are going to make a New Year's resolution, why not resolve to shop from websites like Novica, Forage & Find and People Tree, where you are supporting artisans and ensuring they are paid a fair price? Do you know any other websites with similar values to share with us?

Fair enough

When you buy new clothes, what are you looking for? What are your priorities?

In my case, I am looking for: good quality at a good price; colours that suit me and that will fit in with my existing wardrobe; clothes that fit me well, which in my case usually means having to buy petite sizes (but not the smallest petite sizes unfortunately!)  No doubt you have similar priorities.  However there is an even more important issue that we should all be taking into account when we go clothes shopping: fair trade.

We've all heard the horror stories of the sweat shops in third world countries (which, even worse, may include child labour) that exist to feed our obsession with cheap fashion. The simple solution is to only buy clothes made in your own country , but that doesn't help to solve the problem of poor working conditions and poverty in developing countries. The other solution is to look for Fairtrade Clothing whenever you shop.

Some of the well-known companies where you can buy Fairtrade Cotton at reasonable prices are Marks and Spencer, Tesco, Sainsburys, Top Shop and Monsoon. Remember that this may not include every item in their range, so look for the Fairtrade label.

The pioneers of Sustainable and Fair Trade Fashion in the UK are People Tree, who just happen to have a sale on at the moment.  I've noticed that they do international delivery too.  Excuse me while I pop over to their website to have a look - http://www.peopletree.co.uk/ . I am seriously tempted by this dress, and they have it in my size!

Living in Spain, I am lucky enough to be able to buy good quality, reasonably priced shoes and bags that have been made locally, though of course some of the cheaper items are made abroad so I have to check the labels.  There is a lot of unemployment here, so I like to think that I am supporting local people whenever I buy a new pair of shoes or another handbag with the "Made in Spain" label.

Do you have any favourite Fair Trade shops that you can share with us?