Clothing - linen, merino, cotton, polyester?

If you're interested in learning more about this, the PutThisOn Knowledge Base is a great resource, particularly this shopping guide from 2010. I was working for a non-profit back then with deep student debt and a meagre salary, but this blog helped me be stylish in spite of it.

Ethics-wise I'm in the "no ethical consumption under an unethical economic system" camp, so I don't worry too much about it. The most ethical move is to minimize consumption in general and try to achieve political goals through political action rather than through individual consumer choice.

So I approach my wardrobe pretty strategically. I keep sort of an inventory in my head of what I have and what the gaps are in my wardrobe. I go browsing a lot without buying anything and, if I happen to find a good deal on a quality piece at a thrift store or something I'll get it. I know a good tailor who can fit things to me and, over time, I've developed a sense for what's a realistic/affordable alteration to make. I mostly avoid novelty items, fads, or themed t-shirts. If I REALLY want to fill a gap without waiting for the right piece to catch my eye, I search extensively and put as much research into it as most people would for a new car or appliance.

It took a while for me to get to that point though. Initially I had to actually get the staple wardrobe first. I'm pretty against treating clothes as disposable, so I focused a lot on finding good pieces that will last a long time and look better as they accrue wear-and-tear rather than looking worse. Most of my work clothes (business casual) are J. Crew or Banana Republic's higher end lines, and I'm really fastidious about taking care of them. I always wear undershirts so I don't sweat into them, I wash them on a very gentle cycle, and I hang dry. I also stay away from the weird "no wrinkle" things and stick to cotton and wool. I'd say the average age of clothes in my closet it at least 5 or 6 years at this point, and they're mostly still perfectly wearable.

Both of those stores have declined in quality recently, though (textile prices have been going up to the point where they just can't produce the same quality stuff at the same prices anymore) so I'm looking around for smaller scale boutiques these days.

I pretty much only wear cotton for day to day clothing, almost all fair trade (that sounds fancy but 90% of my clothes come from the local supermarket and that's what they sell). Bamboo is nice but it doesn't keep it's shape well and it's super pricey. If I'm feeling rich and they're having a sale, I'll treat myself to some jeans from howies but only maybe once every couple of years.

I have a merino base layer for cycling and it's pretty amazing at keeping me warm considering how thin it is. But I'm not sure it's all that much better than the polyester base layers I have that were a fraction of the price. I also have some merino socks for winter and those are absolutely worth every penny. Mmm, warm feet.

On a winter tip, I did replace my winter coat with a down-filled jacket last year and man that is good. It's like wearing a duvet (well, it's not because my duvet is wool, but still) and it's so so warm and light with it.

When I was traveling a lot in all seasons, I invested in good-quality washable merino base layers and underclothes because they're very light and compact to pack. Merino can be worn unwashed for several days without stink, unlike polyester. But the lighter-weight material can be fragile (I've poked a fingernail through), and it's a very expensive way to feed moths if you're not careful in storing your woolens.

Merino socks are indispensable for all seasons, if you can afford them. They're terrifically breathable and ward off athlete's foot far more effectively than cotton, which tends to stay damp.

Bamboo rayon is soft and breathes well in hot weather, but it's not very durable - the material will lose its luster, pill, and eventually shred.

You can get premium fair-trade Pima cotton T-shirts, which feel very nice and look attractive enough for business layers (if you're female, anyway). But we're talking $20 - $35 USD. I've found that cotton just isn't a great material for hot weather, travel, or sports - it takes forever to dry, and picks up stink almost as much as polyester.

Over the years, I've tried pieces in linen or hemp. It wasn't the expensive top quality stuff or current linen blends, and I found these materials too rough and itchy. They weren't especially good tropical clothing, either, as wrinkles and sweat stains were problems.

Down is a love/hate thing - do not get it wet (or even slightly damp), or it's worse than no insulation at all. There's a reason good down jackets are bloody expensive, and it's all the highly technical venting and waterproofing, as well as the meticulous stitching to keep feather bits on the inside.

I live in Icebreaker merino clothing. The lightweight t-shirts are breathable and don't tend to smell. Their socks are expensive but holy shit they are comfortable!