Knee deep into the typical fall fashion season, many are wondering what’s the point – at this point? Who knows when we’ll ever be out celebrating or socializing again, so what does it matter what we wear? And who has money or interest in buying new clothes when so much of the world is in disrepair and distress? In fact, there’s a movement afoot called “considerate consumption” reminding us that our purchases, whether of food or fashion, should be thoughtful and respectful of our environment and our surroundings. In the fashion world, as fashion blogger Alyson Walsh points out, that means buying clothes carefully, thinking about the manufacturing and impact on the environment, supporting small brands, and buying second-hand or vintage, in addition to holding on to your own wardrobe for a long time rather than rushing out to splurge on “fast-fashion” purchases.

For some good advice on this concept of “considerate consumption” in the time of COVID, look at the suggestions of The Guardian’s fashion writers. In response to an inquiry from a 70-year-old reader who can’t justify buying more yet wants to move forward “interestingly and stylishly,” these experts suggest a complete inventory of your entire wardrobe and a rethinking of the way you wear your items. As they say: “Take everything out of your wardrobe and think of a new way of categorizing it…put your old clothes in a new order, a bit like rehanging photos on your walls. New juxtapositions will give you fresh ideas…style isn’t about shopping.” And to emphasize the point that style comes from mixing textures and eras as much as purchasing a new outfit, take a look at the stylish seniors profiled in the new book “Chinatown Pretty,” that photographs and profiles stylish seniors across six different Chinatowns in the US and Canada. The “accidental hipsters” profiled in this new book have a joyous yet resourceful philosophy of putting their outfits together, mixing new and old, high and low, and handcrafted with store-bought. Their outfits are exuberant while their attitudes are thrifty, and at the same time, they convey a sense of freedom to experiment, which is suggested by 69-year-old Instagram influencer Norma Alcala, who boldly states, “If you find a benefit for yourself (physical or mental), you should feel free to try, experiment, invent and modify. And have fun!” with fashion.

And for some ideas of how to repurpose and resell some of your own items, or indulge in some “new” second-hand purchases for yourself, take a look here and here.