My #TideChic look #1 featuring a Margiela top and 2NDDAY cotton blend skirt
There are a lot of things I got from my mama – a unique sense of style, a mind for business, a love of great food, a big heart – and despite our mutual love for clothing (my mom has owned her own womenswear boutique for thirty years), one thing I most definitely inherited from her is a disdain for the dry cleaner. Even as the owner of clothing store, my mom frequently shares her refusal to buy clothing for her clientele that will need to be cleaned professionally. She is a woman who truly believes that everything should be wearable, functional, beautiful and WASHABLE.
As I listened to a Spring 2016 Trends presentation by Kim Mimran, the President of Pink Tartan, and Mary Johnson, P&G Fabric Care’s Principle Scientist, at the Pink Tartan flagship boutique in Toronto this morning, I was reminded of my own mother. Here were two smart and stylish women sitting in front of me talking about how and why fashion pieces can and should be washable.
Kim Mimran, very notably, has dedicated a significant portion of her design career to developing clothing and fabrics that not only look great but can be washed at home, over and over. While her fabric research and development surpasses her partnership with Tide, her three-year partnership with the brand has certainly helped shed light on her commitment to washable fashion pieces that go from the runway to real life.
My #TideChic look #2 featuring my Raptors bomber and poly-blend Ganni dress
During the presentation I couldn’t help but think of the countless pieces of ‘Dry Clean Only’ clothing that have piled up in my closet – worn and since forgotten – due to my extremely infrequent visits to my nearest dry cleaner (which is not very near to me at all) and how sad it felt to realise just how many pieces I have that I never wear just because of how I have to care for them.
Mary Johnson shared an interesting statistic that we wear 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time, and that really struck a chord with me, and my own closet. The brainy beauty also revealed that Tide has been conducting research with Cognitive Psychologists to determine how clean clothes affect us. Does clean clothing put you in a better mood? Are you more confident? How do clean vs. dirty make you feel?
“Our brains evaluate what (clothing) will look and feel like, even just by looking at it. Even if subconsciously there’s something wrong with the look, feel or smell (of a piece of clothing) you’ll put it back (in your wardrobe) and think ‘not today’” shared Mary in a one-on-one chat with me after her presentation.
My #TideChic look #3 featuring a lace skirt combo by Asilio made from poly and spandex
I could instantly relate to what she said, and have recently been making more of a conscious effort to buy less “Dry Clean Only” pieces, and more investment pieces that I know I can wash at home – and maintain their look and quality with help from Tide – to reduce waste, clean my clothing in a more sustainable way, and ultimately get me wearing more of my favourite pieces more often.
When looking into my own closet – and I’m sure many of you can relate – most often the non-washable items are dressier pieces that I reserve for parties and special occasions. With this in mind, I started digging through everything with the personal challenge of putting together three different #TideChic looks that show what I would wear to a party or event this spring/summer that could easily be thrown into the wash right after, without a worry.
The first look at the top features a Maison Margiela top paired with a striped cotton-blend skirt by 2NDDAY that I recently picked up from the Agency One sample sale, the second middle photo features my new favourite Raptors bomber jacket and sheer polyester-blend Ganni dress, and lastly the Asilio lace skirt set I got from Curriculum Shop that’s made from polyester and spandex.
Although everyone should always pay attention to a care label, looking for garments made from fabrics such as polyester, spandex, elastane and cotton (to name a few) will make washing your favourite pieces at home with high quality detergent products like those from Tide not only much easier, but will have them looking (and smelling) better for longer too!
For more information on Tide products please click HERE.
xo
*Please note this post has been sponsored by Tide, all thoughts and opinions my own*
The post What I Wore: Three #TideChic Looks That Go From The Party To Washer appeared first on Gracie Carroll.