pandasforpandas-blog - Tumblr blog

[pandasforpandas-blog]

Panda dress two ways.From sunny garden party to sci-fi chic, a staple piece should take you wherever you want to go. Days 17 and 18. #pandadress #pandasforpandas #minimalist #minimalism #summerfashion #environmental #beconscious #hm #h&m #dresses #dress #grey #floral #yellow #space #scifi #aliens #gardenparty #metallic #layers

[pandasforpandas-blog]

15 days in to the panda dress experiment, and I have some thoughts.

[pandasforpandas-blog]

Swishy little yellow panda with a lace overlay from H&M. also a screen grab from my youtube update talking about the experiment. https://youtu.be/2BBX22xtNS0 #pandasforpandas #minimalist #minimalism #summerfashion #environmental #beconscious #hm #h&m #dresses #dress #yellow #video #youtuber #day15 #dayfifteen #90daychallenge #90days #pandadress #panda

[pandasforpandas-blog]

"hey, will you take a picture of my dress sometime today for my project?" ... he takes it while I'm washing my face and talking about the coffee budget. Another dress with trim sewn on to meet the length requirements for work. #pandadress #pandasforpandas #minimalist #minimalism #summerfashion #environmental #beconscious #hm #h&m #dresses #dress #floral #alterations #sneakypic

[pandasforpandas-blog]

Day 11. Missed pictures the past few days, but I've been wearing the dresses. Needed to post this one today because I love the alteration. This is how I do minimalism: with plenty of sequins and a few crystals! #bling #alterations #customize #pandasforpandas #minimalist #minimalism #summerfashion #environmental #beconscious #hm #h&m #dresses #dress #grey #sequins #irony

[pandasforpandas-blog]

Grey panda dress with black leggings and black crop for another cold day and a long shift at work. now naptime. #pandadress #pandasforpandas #minimalist #minimalism #summerfashion #environmental #beconscious #hm #h&m #dresses #dress #grey #blackandwhite

[pandasforpandas-blog]

With the warm weather, we are grilling! I managed to catch my littlest for a big old mama smooch. Floral panda dress all on its own. Easy, simple, and comfy enough for a family picnic. #hm #family #kids #love #summer #spring #sunnydays #pandadress #pandasforpandas #minimalist #minimalism #summerfashion #environmental #experiment

[pandasforpandas-blog]

The weather has finally warmed up! It's not a bad life, sitting on the patio and watching the doggo attack sticks. Floral panda dress worn alone with no layers. #pandasforpandas #day #day three #pandas #pandadress #hm #experiment #fashion #documentary #dogs #sunnydays #minimalist #minimalism

[pandasforpandas-blog]

Me and the doggerino chilling out max and watching some netflix on this super cold day. Black panda dress styled with long sleeve crop top and some H&M leggings from several years ago that my folks got me in Tanzania. My first video diary entry is up on YouTube and linked in tumblr! #pandasforpandas #panda #fashion #hm #h&m #dresses #dress #minimalist #minimalism #dogs #mypitbullisfamily #documentary #retail

[pandasforpandas-blog]

My first video is up!

I’m hoping to do one video diary a week throughout this experience, so stay tuned!

[pandasforpandas-blog]

Here we are. 4 of 6 of the dressex I will be wearing for the next 90+ days. By paring down my wardrobe to 6 panda dresses and some layering pieces, I will examine the quality of H&Ms fast fashion, the versatility of a staple piece, and my own mindset about fashion consumption. I will also be sharing information about the fashion industry's impact on the environment and what you can do to help! #minimalist #minimalism #day1 #dayone #pandasforpandas #panda #environmental #beconscious #hm #h&m

[pandasforpandas-blog]

MAY 20 - DAY 1

Today I start my Panda for Pandas experiment, to see how limiting my wardrobe to 6 dresses of the same style and some layering pieces would change how I think about fashion and my impact on the planet.

First of all, this is me:

(this is one of my favorite selfies. I had the flu and woke up from a nap looking like a character in a Tim Burton film)

My name is Erin. I am a sales advisor at H&M, and a self-confessed clothes horse. I have way too many clothes. But that’s all about to change.

I have two panda dresses already, but I was going to need more if I was going to actually do a panda-dress experiment. Enter my best friend. This is her:

Lumberjack, burlesque dancer, pinup model, polka-band-drummer, general awesome human being Audrey. Otherwise known as the most interesting woman in the world. Audrey and I have known each other since we were 13 or 14, and if anyone will support me in an endeavor. It’s going to be her. Proof:

Audrey dressed as Tinkerbell for my daughter’s 3rd birthday party. Because we’re awesome and that’s how we roll.

I told Audrey about the panda dress experiment that was brewing in my head, and she loved it. So much, in fact, that she immediately sent me $30 to buy more dresses, and encouraged me to start immediately. So I did!

With 15 prints to choose from, it wasn’t easy to narrow it down. With my employee discount and an additional 15% coupon from bringing in clothing to donate (If you’re not familiar with H&M’s I:Collect program, which rewards you for recycling your clothes, check it out here!), I was able to get 4 more dresses for just under $30

Here are the final choices:

Right now, I’m feeling pretty good about my chances. With the two I’ve got (a soft, springy yellow and a dusty rose color) I’ve got three nice, springy dresses and three more neutral dresses.

I do, however, wish I’d picked a warmer day to start. May in Minnesota is like early April anywhere else, meaning cold and rainy and cold.

Fortunately, my husband was a good sport and was willing to grab a quick picture of me between raindrops while we tried to stay warm.

Styled with an oversized buttoned cardigan and camo leggings, this outfit (and my body language) says “okay, I’ll do it, but I wish it were fleece.”

[pandasforpandas-blog]

THE RULES

In my last post, I said I would be limiting my wardrobe to 6 dresses and some layering pieces. Here are some of the details.

1. I am aiming to get between 90 and 240 days worth of wear out of the dresses. Why? Quality garments should be able to be worn between 30 and 40 times before being retired. Having six of these dresses, that puts me between 90 and 240 days. We’ll be testing the quality of H&M’s $9.99 panda dress as well as my ability to handle such a limited wardrobe.

2. I am not allowed to replace a dress - if it becomes unwearable, I have to go without (so I will definitely be minding the care instructions!)

3. I can layer or accessorize a dress however I want/need to to make it situation or event appropriate.

4. I can make minimal alterations to a dress, such as adding or removing length, but MUST NOT change the basic construction of the dress (i.e. I can’t turn it into a romper or something like that)

5. I must wear a panda dress every day, but I can change out of it for activities where a dress is not functional or appropriate (going to the gym, taking my dog for a run, doing construction in my yard)

6. I will post pictures and updates about the whole process, and we’ll track this adventure together.

Those are the rules. Stay tuned, to see how we do!

[pandasforpandas-blog]

The Panda Dress

Let’s get this out of the way first: I like clothes. Like, a lot... way too much, probably. It’s a thing.

But it’s a thing that’s ruining my wallet, and the environment. And it’s time to change.

I’m not a minimalist. I like the idea of paring down on things, but it never seems to happen. As fast as I destash my living space, it fills back up.

Enter the Panda Dress.

The panda dress was released by H&M. It’s a skater dress made of super comfy jersey. It retails for $9.99, and comes in about a million prints.

This is a panda dress.

This is also a panda dress.

I work at H&M as a sales advisor. I see these all the time. They’re inexpensive and comfortable and just the right almost-too-short-but-still-okay-for-public length to draw in the spring and summer crowd. So I got to thinking:

These dresses come in something like 15 colors and prints... how long could I go wearing panda dresses as a key outfit piece?

Could the panda dress have a positive impact on my wallet and the environment?

Thanks to my best friend, I now own six panda dresses. And I have a plan to change my own habits in a big way.

I’m embarking on a journey to see how limiting my wardrobe to these six dresses, plus some layering pieces and accessories changes how I think not only about fashion, but sustainability and my own environmental impact. 

As I document this process, I will also be sharing information about fashion’s impact on the environment, how we can reduce our own impact, and ways that you can get involved and to help the world around us and the animals that live here (including pandas!)

Stay tuned!