Lottie from Into The Eco // My Sustainable Outfit

GUEST POST
My Sustainable Outfit is a series highlighting the different ways we can dress sustainably. The clothes we wear and the way we shop are unique to us. Everyone has a slightly different style and budget. Throughout this series, we hope to inspire that sustainable fashion is available to everyone. This week the fabulous Lottie Woods from Into The Eco blog has shared her favourite sustainable outfit and the memories she associates with the clothes. Lottie has an effortless, cool-girl style and loves vintage, secondhand and getting as much wear out of her clothes as she can.

Hey, Lottie from Into The Eco here, to tell you about my sustainable outfit of the day. Before I start a little about myself and what we are about. I have worked in fashion for six years as a designer for different fashion suppliers. To say the journey has had its ups and downs would be an understatement. Fashion is a crazy fast-paced industry and I have learnt that when it comes to my wardrobe, personally, I like to move a lot slower. 

When I find something I love to wear, I want to wear it every day. I have always been that kind of person. I just always loved knowing I am getting my value for money, but I also always understood that clothes are so much more than that. Our clothes are an extension of who we are and allow us to feel like we can become who we want to be when getting dressed in the morning. This makes our clothes so much more valuable than the price on the tag.   

Into The Eco is all about valuing what we have, appreciating the simple things in life. We are passionate about encouraging people to come together and make more sustainable and ethical choices. For ourselves and the planet, because both go hand in hand. We hope we can inspire others to challenge the status quo, through our everyday lives and feel better for it. 

Talking about our everyday lives, here is my favourite outfit right now that I wear often with pride. 

The dress: I was so proud of it when I wore it for the first time. I found this one sunny afternoon when wandering around town, picking up groceries, you know the usual. A charity shop window caught my eye, there was a really cool top hanging in the window, so I went in to look around. I remember I had left my bank card at home so I had been into the bank to take out some cash and only had limited funds left. So I felt very lucky indeed when this dress caught my eye and it was in budget at £7.99. I had change from a tenner. 

It is so bright and fun and I love styling it. The dress works as a true summer dress as the fabric is 100% cotton but I also like to team it up with my big Dr Marten boots for an 80s style twist, add a denim jacket and there you have it, one of my favourite outfits. Sometimes I layer it over a t-shirt if I want to dress it down. I have been known to wear a lot of black in the past, so this piece really lifts my wardrobe and my spirits whenever I wear it. That is what I love about second-hand shopping, it makes me so much more adventurous than usual.

The jacket: this was originally bought in Zara about 4 years ago and you can tell how much I have worn it, it is literally falling apart at the seams. Just a few more than 30 wears! I guess it was not the best quality purchase ever but I do love how it has aged. When I bought it I was obsessed and I feel I have so many fun memories attached to this jacket, it was the summer I met Josh. I am in the process of fixing it up a little and adding my stamp on it, with badges, safety pins. I need to learn how to darn some of the holes up so it doesn’t disintegrate while I am wearing it, but I love how it now has become unique through the wear and tear. It may have started as a mass-produced garment but I don’t think of it that way anymore. I will wear it till it falls apart.

I want to talk about this dress a little more. I am not sure when it was made but you can tell this dress is older for a few different reasons. Firstly the quality is really good, lined in nice fabric, not cheap dyed polyester, the bodice is fully boned, and the skirt is full of fabric. If this was made in production now corners would be cut to make it cheaper. There would be less fullness in the skirt, less boning in the bodice and I don’t think it would be half as comfortable or the overall look and finish be the same.

Secondly it is a size 12 and at first, I was not sure if this would fit me at all because on the hanger it looked so small. They say people used to be much smaller in the past, this backs that up for sure. Due to the shirring panel in the back, it stretches to fit, without this there is no way it would fit me. I am roughly an 8/10 depending and luckily it fits me perfectly.  

The third reason why you can tell this is an older garment, it says ‘made in the UK’ inside, proudly featured in bold on the label. When was the last time you picked up a garment that was made in the UK? I genuinely do not know if that has ever happened for me. Now everything is outsourced to different developing countries all over the world. 

Can you tell now why I love this so much? It tells a story. It shows how times have changed, but most of all it still looks great. Good quality clothes have the ability to transcend the era they were originally made, becoming timeless pieces. I plan to keep wearing this for some time, then pass it on hopefully still in great condition.

I love looking through vintage stores and second-hand shops, I feel it helps to push my personal style boundaries without being misled by trends. I have never been a big fan of dressing to trends, I think I am too stubborn to be told what to wear by anybody. When I was young I always wanted to be unique and finally, I have found a way of living that matches my ideals. 

I sure wish this slow movement was around when I was young, it would have saved me so much money. This dress is proof that good quality can last forever, the dress looked as good as new when I bought it. I wish I could thank whoever gave this dress away. It has brought me a lot of joy. 

Thank you for reading, I hope this has made you think of something in your wardrobe that you love. Maybe it has been forgotten and slipped to the bottom of your drawer? Give something you own a new life today, style it differently. Most importantly have fun being you.

Love Lottie xx

To read more of Lottie’s writing – Into The Eco.

You can also connect with her on Instagram and Twitter and Facebook.

Photography by Josh John.

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