The Big Questions Of Life

Yesterday I went to the biggest shopping mall in the city, to buy a pair of jeans, which I've been postponing for a long time, and not without a reason. My lifestyle change is still ongoing, still have a few kilos to lose and don't want to waste too much money on clothes that are going to be too big (hopefully) in a month or two, but could literally not wear my old jeans anymore.

I'm not a plaza cat, as we call those ladies who are spending their free time (that they have plenty of) in shopping malls, so go shopping when I need something, not when I'm bored. I'm never bored by the way. The reason I chose that shopping mall is because most of the big brands are represented there and having everything in one place saves me from a lot of headache and saves me time as well.

Photo by Alberto Cognetti on Unsplash

This is all nice, but having so many shops and boutiques means you need to visit them all, browse through the merchandise, try on several jeans and the chance to still come home empty handed is there.

I'm not going to lie, I was enthusiastic at the beginning and full of hope, that finally I'm going to have a pair of jeans that fit, but after the 5th, or 6th shop, I started feeling sorry for myself and wondering how those plaza cats can do this several times a week. Not only do this, but enjoy it as well. This remains a mystery for me, but at the end of the day, it's not my life, not my problem.

Photo by Mesh on Unsplash

It was before noon as I wanted to get home for the New York trading session, the mall wasn't packed yet, but there were still several people carrying a few shopping bags full of things.

Browsing through the offer, which ranged from slim jeans, mom jeans, boyfriend, straight jeans, barrel jeans to wide-leg jeans, bootcut, flare jeans and skinny jeans, was thinking how much money teenagers and not only, spend on fashion items each year. I'm a simple person and buy something when I need it, not every season when something new appears, throwing away the old one, so following fashion blindly for me is out of the question, but I'm part of the minority in this regard I think.

Photo by Dark Light2021 on Unsplash

Fast fashion has been dominating our life and while it is good for the industry, it has the opposite effect for the environment and our pocket as well. Second hand market exists, but you can't say it can absorb the offer efficiently, so just a tiny portion of these slightly used clothes are able to find a new owner. The rest? Take a wild guess.

I've seen a documentary about the jeans industry once, saying 150L of water is needed for a square meter of jeans. That means contaminated water that has to be discarded somewhere and while developed countries have strict lows regarding pollution, countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and India, where most of these fashion items are coming from, are nowhere to be found when it comes to environmental protection. This is one of the reasons why jeans are made in these countries, obviously.

Photo by Vasi on Unsplash

The other reason is cheap labor, along with loose legislation. If you look at the label, you see most of the low and mid-price category items are coming from these countries. The rest that are made in developed countries are for the top few as not many can afford it.

My strategy for years has been to buy quality clothes, even if it's not cheap, but this way you can rest assured that it's going to last more than a season or two and you don't have to go through the torture of going shopping and try on half of the shopping mall, till you find something that fits not only your style but your budget too.

Photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash

I can consider myself lucky as was able to find a pair of jeans that I liked, at the 8th boutique I think, so that's not too bad. My plan is to adjust them if I lose more weight and wear them till I reach my goal. Then we'll see.

How about you? Are you a fast fashion lover? How often you buy clothes or shoes?

I only took one photo as a few years ago I got into trouble with security for photographing in this mall, so the rest are borrowed 😬

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I think like this! Most people who walk the earth dress like soldiers, they all look the same, with little variation. I don't mean camouflage clothes that real soldiers wear.
The soldiers have clothes that are way too small they try to fit into.
I have dressed oddly in every way my whole life. I like colorful clothes. I have chains that I still wear after 40 years. Because I don't give a damn about the size, because I find or buy clothes that are big. That I don't have to bother changing. It's the big clothing companies that decide how you should look!
I've always been a rebel.

I've never liked to wear the same type of clothes as the masses, so I understand exactly what you mean and you are right. It's important to have your own style that suits you and your personality.

i only replace what is needed , since i'm only at home 90 % of the time

Then the textile industry is not going to make profit on you :)

not as much as they would like ,😀

shoes? i buy one pair for summer and one for winter, that's it, and keep them until they are broken 😂 i don't like to waste time trying shoes

dresses too, i just go to a few average shops, buy something comfortable and average quality and use it until it melts 😂 i'm not really interested in dresses and so, if i have to, then i go, otherwise no thanks... already 8 shops like you did would kill my patience lol

shoes? i buy one pair for summer and one for winter, that's it, and keep them until they are broken 😂 i don't like to waste time trying shoes

Yeah, but it's different for women though 😜 I don't want to wear the same shoes all yes, or half a hear 😉

Oh yeah, even though you sound less focused on dresses than most of the others, I know some have like 8 pair of shoes, 3 per dresses per day, something insane

Jeans is indeed not the most environmental friendly clothing. But I can’t life without them.
Guess I am wearing the same type for several years now. And like told before I wear them until it isn’t possible anymore after which they become work jeans for the garden or so.
So when I do need a new one. I know where I have to be and am out of the shop in max 10 minutes.

Knowing what you want and where to find it, makes shopping easier, but still, changing them and opting for something different is also good :)

I hate going shopping — it turns into torture for me. I hate trying on clothes even more (taking them off, putting them on, taking them off, putting them on, taking them off, putting them on). Maybe that’s why I love living in Thailand, where all I really need is a T-shirt and shorts — nothing more! 😄

I know exactly what you mean and I feel the same. It's a torture for me too, especially shoes. I like shoes, although don't have many pairs, but when I go shoe shopping, I make sure I buy comfortable ones that I can wear, not just show off with them, then come home with my feet hurting.

I remember I used this gif in one of my replies year ago and laughed at it for minutes 🤣

☝️ She’s lucky if she didn’t break her ankle. 😄
fashion is cruel!

fashion is cruel!

That is very true and some people are stupid enough to do anything in this regard :(

My wife and I started buying our jeans on Amazon. If they don't fit we just send them back. It's hard because every brand feels and fits different and the sizing is never the same across different brands and styles. I'm not a fan of clothes shopping in general for many of those reasons.

I've been buying online too, the last two pairs have been online buying, but this time I said I'd spare myself from sending them back and forth.

It's hard because every brand feels and fits different and the sizing is never the same across different brands and styles.

This is the reason I'm not a huge fan, especially when it comes to jeans, it's like a blind date.

It does get to be a pain after a while if you have a lot of stuff to return. My wife returns a lot of stuff.

How is she sending them back? Through post office? Or lockers?

We have to take them to the UPS store.

You both could follow me and buy the same brand and type over and over again. Don't buy them in massive numbers. Age does do strange things with the body 😁

Come on, a bit of change is good from time to time 😄

I've never liked to wear the same type of clothes as the masses, so I understand exactly what you mean and you are right. It's important to have your own style that suits you and your personality.

i only replace what is needed , since i'm only at home 90 % of the time

Then the textile industry is not going to make profit on you :)

not as much as they would like ,😀

shoes? i buy one pair for summer and one for winter, that's it, and keep them until they are broken 😂 i don't like to waste time trying shoes

shoes? i buy one pair for summer and one for winter, that's it, and keep them until they are broken 😂 i don't like to waste time trying shoes

Yeah, but it's different for women though 😜 I don't want to wear the same shoes all yes, or half a hear 😉

Oh yeah, even though you sound less focused on dresses than most of the others, I know some have like 8 pair of shoes, 3 per dresses per day, something insane

Knowing what you want and where to find it, makes shopping easier, but still, changing them and opting for something different is also good :)

I remember I used this gif in one of my replies year ago and laughed at it for minutes 🤣

☝️ She’s lucky if she didn’t break her ankle. 😄
fashion is cruel!

fashion is cruel!

That is very true and some people are stupid enough to do anything in this regard :(

I've been buying online too, the last two pairs have been online buying, but this time I said I'd spare myself from sending them back and forth.

It's hard because every brand feels and fits different and the sizing is never the same across different brands and styles.

This is the reason I'm not a huge fan, especially when it comes to jeans, it's like a blind date.

It does get to be a pain after a while if you have a lot of stuff to return. My wife returns a lot of stuff.

How is she sending them back? Through post office? Or lockers?

We have to take them to the UPS store.

You both could follow me and buy the same brand and type over and over again. Don't buy them in massive numbers. Age does do strange things with the body 😁

Come on, a bit of change is good from time to time 😄