Everyone has a weakness, and you might think mine is a good sale. I do love them, but there’s nowhere I can do financial damage quite like the site drop of a slow fashion label. www.sinewmoon.com has really taken off since I discovered them back in spring of 2019 (ask me about my camping pants), and I had almost given up on scoring any more pieces that I really wanted. Then they dropped this tunic hoodie in honey. Yellow is not my color. Yellow is a challenge for me, and damnit, I love a challenge.

• Label: Sinew Moon
• Material: Hemp blend
• Age: 2021
• Source: http://www.sinewmoon.com
• Year: 2021

Why it’s Dojogirl worthy: It’s a hemp blend. Really, I could stop right there. Hemp is one of my favorite fibers, not just because it’s eco-friendly, or even because it seems to feel good in every climate. No, I love the slubby texture, and I especially love how it softens over time. Hemp develops textural patina like leather or denim, but it never looks too new or feels too stiff.

Eco-friendly: It’s hemp, ’nuff said. It’s also handmade and hand dyed, and I know I will keep it forever. Really, that’s the most important thing. It doesn’t matter how sustainable a fiber is if I only wear it once.

But how do I wear yellow? Maybe with some Athleta Renier tights in rust… https://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=4877450820001&pcid=999&vid=1&searchText=Renier#pdp-page-content Yeah, I like these colors together. And then a fun jacket, but I can’t possibly show that yellow is the challenge for me. How about snakeskin to take the edge of?http://www.thredup.com/sl?u=14529513&i=84526282&p=102

• Label: Leggings: Athleta, Jacket: Slate and Willow
• Age: Leggings: 2020, Jacket: 2019
• Material: Leggings: recycled nylon blend; Jacket: leather
• Source: Leggings: Athleta, Jacket: Rent the Runway by way of Thred Up.
• Purchased: 2020

Ok, I think I can do this. It’s not a bright yellow or even that trendy, buttery yellow. It’s like a neutral. But what if I let the yellow sing for itself? So I tried a true neutral.

• Label: Helmut Lang
• Age: ???
• Material: Leather and shearling
• Source: Poshmark
• Purchased: 2021

Material: This jacket is warm, not war enough to wear through a blizzard but definitely warmer than a leather jacket has a right to be. I have to guess that’s because the shearling is real.

Now is as good a time as any to talk about leather and fur because yes, shearling is fur. All of us have to draw our own lines about what we wear and what we don’t. My line is this: I wear domesticated animals raised for meat, invasive species, and animals hunted and killed by indigenous people in traditional methods. I am making an effort to avoid artificial leathers and furs because unless you are really putting money into them, they don’t last as long. There are few things sadder than pulling out a favorite jacket and finding that it is falling apart in your hands. Plus there’s the toxic chemicals involved in faux fur. That’s not to say that natural is perfect, but I believe that valuing what I have is better than churning through more, and I know that I will treasure the texture, patina, and warmth of natural inputs for years to come.

I bought this Vince blouse at the Rent the Runway “Sample Sale” (yeah, that means clearance) over the 2019-2020 holiday break and hadn’t quite figured out how to wear it. Then I scored these Theory pants from the outlet in December 2020. Add a cami for office appropriateness, and there you have it, perfect outfit.

• Label: Top: Vince., Pants: Theory
• Age: Top: approx 2018, Pants: 2020
• Material: Top: silk, Pants: wool blend
• Source: Top: Rent the Runway, Pants: Theory outlet.
• Year purchase: Top: 2019, Pants: 2020

Why it’s Dojo Girl worthy: I love natural fibers. They just feel good. I just find them overall to be more comfortable than a lot of synthetics in a range of climates and weather conditions.

So I scooped this blouse up as soon as I touched it… without trying it on (naughty me, but true to its name, the Rent the Runway Sample Sale does not have a pleasant dressing room experience). So I only found out when I went to wear this blouse that it it quite voluminous… And there are no buttons between the top and bustline. Oops. I didn’t regret the purchase, but it would definitely take more thought to pair these piece than I was willing to give at 6am on my way out the door. It needed a partner to give it balance.

Color: I bought these pants for the color. It’s a rich teal, classy but not boring, able to be the centerpiece of an outfit or be a supportive neutral. And it’s a color I was missing, or at least would be after I donated the Express slacks I had outgrown (Am I actually too big for these or have I become too sophisticated to wear them in public? In the end it doesn’t really matter).

Cut: Clothing should adapt to the wearer, and with their cloth belt, these pants actually do. High waists have always been difficult for me, because they almost never seem to be just right. Well, a cloth belt means the waist doesn’t have to be just right; it can adapt to me.

Balance: To be fair, I wouldn’t blog about either of these pieces by themselves. I bought them to be basics, and any difficulties I had in making them that was completely on me. But clothes are like people in that they can bring out different attributes in each other for better or for worse. My blouse needed a pant firm enough to tame it, but not so firm as to give it wrinkles. My pants needed a simple but elegant shirt to let them shine.

I had a random craving for a dress that looked like a salmon sashimi. It was one of those, “I really hope this thing already exists so I don’t have to make it myself,” moments. I searched through a few resale sites, waited for some price drops, and added this Reed Krakoff cocktail dress (or is it daywear? Do these designations mean anything anymore) to my collection.

• Label: Reed Krakoff
• Age: Autumn/Winter 2012 collection
• Material: Silk and cupro
• Source: Poshmark
• Year purchased: 2021

Why it’s Dojo Girl worthy: Firstoff, just look at those colors. They are so bright and bold, kind of reminds me of a koi. The cream lining gives it a certain depth and translucency. And we this much color, we can drain some out of the image and still look good.

The silhouette: Maybe it’s because even wearing jeans feels like a chore now, but I love a dress that feels like wearing nothing. This dress just drops straight from the shoulders to a low waist and a slightly asymmetrical hem. It’s an updated flapper vibe, all very free and easy, not even a zipper. Seriously, the back seam is left empty, only closed by a couple of metal hooks and thread loops. I can’t wait for a party so I can eat and dance in this dress with nothing binding me.

Quality: Cupro jersey, silk chiffon, silk crepe de chine. These are some amazing fabrics, and the simple cut lets them sing. The seams are smooth and unobtrusive. It’s technical in a minimalist way, which is refreshing after all the fussiness of the poofy sleeves and big collars of Zoom shirts.