In which we become a fashion blogger

It is difficult to buy clothing. It is especially difficult to find clothing that is

• Comfortable
• Flattering
• Well-made
• Affordable

And it is extremely difficult to find clothing that is all of the above and also

• Environmentally friendly
• Socially responsible (especially: made by adult workers in good working conditions)

But like many people, I am now trying to Shop Responsibly. This is prompted in equal parts by liberal guilt and my own experience making clothes (it's hard! it's expensive!). The catalyst for me was John Oliver's compelling segment on Last Week Tonight:

What I've discovered since I've started trying to shop this way is that a lot of what's available costs a fortune and makes you look like you're wearing a very elegant burlap sack. And by "you" I mean "definitely not me, because there's no way I'm wearing a brown linen shift dress." 

But there are some good options out there. I'm not anyone's idea of a style maven, but I'm good at online shopping and I've been doing a lot of research (because you have to, because it ain't easy to shop responsibly), so I figure I might as well share it.

For the record, my fashion sense is somewhere between "saucy grandma" and "disheveled librarian." I live in New York, work in an office, and wear a size 10.