Hello, pals!
I’m writing this curled up on the sofa with a cat on my lap; our stove is lit, and I’m listening to crunchy goth pop with a glass of chocolate stout in my hand. It’s definitely autumn at long last, and I am LIVING for it after all those endless months of sweaty discomfort – I’m so excited to get all my knitted cardigans back out!
That said, as my knitwear comes out of hibernation, I’m having to keep a wary eye on myself to make sure I don’t go into it. I love this time of year for the crisp mornings and the lemony-fresh slants of light that make York Minster glow bright gold in the afternoons, but as I get older I’ve become increasingly aware just how much I start to draw into myself as the nights draw in.
I’m especially prone to this when I’m tired or stressed, and this year is no exception to the rule: I start a new job at the end of next month, which is VERY exciting (I’m moving out of the marketing world and into a training and consultancy role for a sexual violence prevention charity – eek!), but due to the way my notice period works out, I’m doing my induction training for my new role concurrently, in my own time, so I’m losing quite a few of the days and evenings I’d otherwise be using as buffer time to catch up with myself a bit. It’ll definitely be worth it once I’ve done it, but in the short term this autumn just feels a bit overwhelming.
I’m trying my utmost, though, not to get through this tricky couple of months in my usual way by just cancelling every plan and spending all my free time recuperating in my pyjamas. Instead, I’m working really hard to keep to my usual routines and hobbies around the extra stuff: I’m still making time to go running, I’m trying extra hard to find time to sew and knit and read, and I’m trying not to neglect The Little Quince while all this is going on.
Oh, and did I mention it’s Slow Fashion October again?
If you’ve been reading The Little Quince for a while, you might remember my posts about Slow Fashion October from 2016; I was on a bit of a blog sabbatical last year so unfortunately didn’t get round to taking part in 2017. Here’s Slotober founder Karen Templer’s summary of what the movement is about:
Fast Fashion is destroying lives and the planet at our collective behest. There are loads of people who aren’t part of the problem, thankfully. There are people who are part of the problem and don’t realize it, and I hope we’ll reach some of those. And there are people who are part of the problem, come to that realization, and want to make changes. That’s what Slow Fashion October is about: A discussion in which all points of view are welcome in a global discussion about how to avoid (or minimize) contributing to the problem and how to be part of the solution — starting at home, with our own closets.
I didn’t get round to polishing off all the prompts for Slow Fashion October 2016, unfortunately, but I found taking part to be a really useful and valuable experience. At the time, I was pretty sure that the responses I’d written to Karen’s weekly prompts were garbled and contradictory of one another, but as someone who’s trying to live a more ethical life across a very broad spectrum of aims, I actually found them a really useful way to consolidate my thoughts, examine the flaws in my reasoning, and refine and reevaluate my ethical fashion goals.
So I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into Slow Fashion October 2018 – partly as a way to keep my standpoints on the fashion and textile industry dynamic so I don’t start resting on my laurels and congratulating myself for a job well done, and also as a way to focus my mind and keep me productive in my downtime over the next couple of months.
When I started typing this evening, my plan was to write and post my answers to Karen’s Week One prompts; seven hundred words later, all I’ve managed to do is ramble on about feeling autumnal and stressed and lay out my rationale for getting involved in Slow Fashion October 2018. So it’d probably be best for everyone (my sleepy self included) if I claim this as my introductory post, then come back later in the week with a fuller response to this year’s first prompt: ‘What’s your look?’.
Come back over to The Little Quince at the weekend for my first ‘proper’ Slow Fashion October 2018 post about my signature style, colour palette, pet hates, and favourite garments. For now, here’s a roundup of my previous Slow Fashion October posts, and a wee collage of some outfit photos which really exemplify my standard ~lEwK~.
Til soon, team!
The Little Quince 