Packing for Alt Summit

Hello, hello? Is this thing on?

I don’t usually take unannounced week-long posting breaks, buuuuuut sometimes life demands it. I have been meaning to post about Alt Summit and how the conference went this year (hint: awesomesauce) but I’ve also been meaning to post my outfit round-up for Alt. On a day-to-day basis I’m not a big outfit planner. However, when I’m vacationing or at a conference like Alt, where I want to look and feel my best, while at the same time being totally comfortable while I go, go, go all day, I find that it’s a good practice to put together some outfits ahead of time. It saves me time at the conference and I save packing space since I’m not throwing in a bunch of “just in case” pieces I most likely won’t wear.

The Investment Pieces
I’m not a shop-a-holic, but I still love me some fabulous clothes. I have found that I’d rather have 1 really good, knock-out piece that I love that costs a little more, rather than 3 or 4 inexpensive pieces that I just merely like. An “investment” piece is going to be a different price point for different people. Maybe an “investment” piece for you is a $40 shirt, for someone else it might be a $400 shirt. The exact price is going to vary, but the point is that perhaps you’re willing to spend a little more than usual because you know its something you’ll love and wear for years to come. These were two recent investment pieces that I was willing to splurge on–a linen jumpsuit from Christy Dawn and a floral wrap dress from Anthropologie. The fact that both of these are complete outfits in and of themselves, makes me feel better about spending a little more than usual. Also, since Christy Dawn is all about sustainable fashion, that also makes me feel a lot better about spending money on clothes. But get this, I still saved a little money with both of these purchases! First, I bought the jumpsuit from Poshmark. For those of you who don’t know, Poshmark is a place were people sell items from their closet they no longer use. This jumpsuit was worn only once by the previous owner, but I saved $50! The Anthro dress I initially paid full price. Then a couple of days later I saw that it was Anthro day and everything was 20% off. So I called right away and had them price adjust that dress for me and bam, another $50 saved.

The Thrift Store Scores
You guys. YOU GUYS. All three of these shirts (plus 2 sweaters) were found in one trip to my local thrift store a week before I left to Alt. I had been feeling like I couldn’t find any newer shirts that I really loved at all the usual spots. I had been meaning to hit up the thrift store and finally made me way there one day and couldn’t believe all this goodness. The light blue number is a vintage Diane Von Furstenburg. I KNOW. I’ve also been looking for a delicate short-sleeved 80’s sweater and this white one (right) was the answer to my prayers from the vintage gods. And that polka dot number was just another great, actual-vintage (as opposed to some of the fake vintage I see in these places) button up. All the shirts were $5 a piece and gave my closet an inexpensive and environmentally friendly boost. And the jeans in the middle photo–the vintage 501’s–were another recent vintage find. I’ve actually been considering a year-long vintage/second-hand only clothing fast. Maybe this is the push that I need to jump in feet first? (The jeans on the right + left are Doen. The clogs are Bryr–again, I’ve had them for 3 years and I LOVE them–and the flat Sandals are Madewell.) 

Jumpsuits All Day Long
All hail the return of the jumpsuit! Glory, glory hallelujah! Is there a better addition to your closet than the jumpsuit? Me thinks not. It’s a one-and-done outfit. You can bend over to scrape screaming toddlers off the grocery store floor and no matter how much floundering on your part, no one sees your undies/bummy crack! Comfy? Yep. Cute? Absolutely. If you have not jumped on the jumpsuit bandwagon consider this your formal, engraved invitation. (Both of these jumpsuits are Madewell, but not super recent.)

Above all, whenever you’re packing for a trip especially when there is an excitement element like a conference or a meetup with friends, always make sure you’re comfortable in what you’re wearing–not just the fit, but the style. Make sure it feels like you.

A few other thoughts… as I mentioned above I’ve been toying with the idea of a shopping fast of sorts where I’m only allowed to shop for clothes second hand. Yes I have enough clothing, so that’s part of it, but I don’t feel like I have TOO much–no need to Kondo my closet right now. I regularly go through my clothes and get rid of items I don’t wear anymore (I should actually do this again), so it feels very manageable in that sense. But what I don’t like is the feeling that when I’m buying something I’m adding to environmental waste and most likely supporting terrible working conditions in places far away where I don’t have to think about the impact. I’m planning on reading a couple of books about fast fashion and the impact it’s having on our lives. I recently noticed that what my parents spent on clothes in the 90’s when I was a kid, is about the same or even less than what I spend on clothes now! And while that sounds great in one sense, we are most definitely paying for it in another. This book is on my list. 

Secondly, when I say “dress like yourself” what does that mean to you? I ask because I feel comfortable with my clothing and fashion choices, but watching shows like What Not To Wear or the new and amazing Queer Eye makes me realize there are a lot of people who don’t put any effort into their clothing choices and don’t really feel like themselves. Sometimes I think it’s simply a matter of someone giving a person permission to change, other times it seems like people don’t want to feel superficial so they think not caring about how they look is the answer. Of course some people are superficial when it comes to outward appearances, so that makes sense. What about you? Where do you fall on the fashion spectrum? Do you care how you look? Do you not care? Do you feel comfortable in your clothes, or could you use some help? What if changing your pants could change your life?