Don't mind me - just ironing my clothes.
no-buy year | week 2
This post is part of my no-buy series for 2024. To catch up on what you might have missed, click here. If you enjoy The Nook, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription.
I’ve had an epiphany.
It turns out air-drying and ironing my clothes makes them look better and last longer.
I’ve been a toss-it-in-the-dryer-and-go kind of gal for all of my adult life. A good tumble was just fine except on the rare occasion when a pair of pants or button-up required a crisp, clean look. If I think about it now, I can see how my clothes were still rumpled most days. Not wrinkled, per se, but certainly not pressed. This led me to feel rumpled more often than not, even when I wore my favorite pieces. Now I understand why.
(It’s sort of like when you sleep hard and wake up with a pillow crease on your cheek. You’re still beautiful, of course, but the overall effect is somewhat subdued by the giant wrinkle across your face. Now try sleeping on your back after a luxurious five-step skincare routine. Isn’t that much better?)
I spent a quick hour last week ironing the shirts and thick sweaters I love (but never wear because they’re wrinkled) and my life is forever altered. Since then, I haven’t walked into my closet once and thought “I have nothing to wear” because I do! And it’s all so smooth and clean! Why did I never think of this before?!
This will be the secret to my no-buy success this year. If I can iron the most pesky pieces before they go on the hanger, I might not run to Target to purchase another polyblend in the hopes that it will be the ultimate solution to my outfit woes.
Let’s face it: it’s hard to take care of our clothes. Not many of us were raised with the skills of our grandparents, who knew how to mend and knit and darn. Even if we were, fast fashion is made more of plastics than sustainable fabric, so our efforts to keep those pieces in good condition are limited. They will inevitably wear out ten times faster than their quality counterparts. I won’t go on a tirade about shopping ethically because I understand the financial constraints of doing so, but I will encourage you to look for sustainable items secondhand. My very best pieces are made of 100% linen or cotton (and in desperate need of an iron!) and were all purchased from the thrift store.
I’m learning that the best things take time and attention. I suspect I will have to learn this lesson over and over in 2024. If I want my clothes to look good and last for years, then I’ll have to spend more time caring for them. If I want to feel good and stop thinking it’s my body that needs to change (another post for another day), then I’ll need to press those shirts and learn how to mend. (I checked out this book at the library to do just that.)
I don’t want to become overwhelmed by another task that requires my attention, which I suspect is why so many of us quit our resolutions before February. We don’t make real room for them in our lives, or we set an unrealistic goal without smaller changes to get us there, and then we feel like failures when it all goes up in smoke. So I’m trying to make incremental space each day—with the iron, or whatever it may be—to ensure the temptation to shop is cut off long before I ever get to the store. I’ll iron my shirts and pants, then I’ll feel stylish and put-together, and then I won’t walk into Target with self-esteem issues and run for the nearest cute dress to make me feel better. A pressed shirt is not going to solve my every insecurity, but I am kinder to myself when I like what’s on my body.
Fast fashion doesn’t allow us to like much for too long. We have to keep up with trends, which means buying new clothes every season, which means most of what we purchase gets worn a couple of times and then it’s forgotten, after which it goes into the landfill or takes up valuable real estate in our homes for years on end. I want off this merry-go-round, please and thank you.
For outfit ideas, Pinterest is always a delightful place to spend an afternoon. Kendi Everyday is also a great resource for us tall girls and I’ve pulled inspiration from her style guides on and off for about a decade. (Once upon a time, I tried to be a fashun blogger *cringe* Those posts are now deleted.) I also love to watch YouTube shorts sometimes. It’s easy to waste time scrolling, but I’ve found a few women who embody the aesthetic and style mindset I’m going for these days and their stuff has been helpful while I get past the initial discomfort of saying no to myself.
Because it is uncomfortable. It’s okay to say that. Sure, it’s just stuff, but also it’s not. It’s identity and self-esteem and socioeconomic status and mental health all tied up in material goods I’ve been convinced will save me from…what? A bad hair day? Getting older? Another OCD episode? Yes, yes, and yes.
Ironing my clothes is a spiritual practice. It brings me back into my (very good) body and offers me the chance to connect more deeply with what goes on it. When I have to care more for what I have, I care more about what I have. The resulting gratitude lends a gentler approach to the discomfort of abstaining, and, thus, makes it more likely that I’ll keep at it.
Now if I could just figure out how to make iced coffee at home taste as good as the outside stuff…
I loved ironing as a teen, but as a mom appreciating that most clothes don’t need that.
I have found the best iced coffee comes from a slow cold brew.
Interested in the process of ironing thick sweaters.