Go through things

Runiza Sibgatullina, organizer of volunteer actions of the Posadiles.ru project, Moscow

Last October, I “decluttered” 496 items (including not only clothes, but also cosmetics, kitchen utensils, threads, etc.). I gave them away by posting them on Instagram stories. After that, I decided to take the 333 challenge, which I learned about from the live broadcast of designer Anita Gray. The bottom line is that a person chooses only 33 things from his wardrobe and uses them for 3 months (a period approximately equal to one season. - Note ed.). I easily passed this challenge: there was a period of self-isolation, and I didn’t have to go to many places. In addition, a year before that, I had a shopping accompaniment with a stylist, and we put together a “capsule”. There are few things in the "capsule", but they fit together well. We found some of these things in the mass market, some in second-hand stores, and, for example, I bought bags directly from the stylist. When I first started the “33 things” challenge, I had an internal dislike for shopping malls, for the fashion industry in general. I watched a lot of documentaries about non-sustainable fashion and became so ascetic that I stopped buying things altogether - I only wore what I already had, or wore out what my friends gave me. After the challenge, I came to the conclusion that asceticism is impossible in the modern world. We need to go to meetings, dates, go to work, travel. We just can't afford not to look good. At the same time, overconsumption should be avoided so as not to harm nature. nine0013

Thanks to the challenge, I came to a balance. I buy things not constantly, not chaotically, but pointwise, with a stylist and wear them for a long time. I really love Second Wind second hand stores and vintage stores.

Advice: If you want to do the same challenge, I advise you to invite a stylist (can be a beginner) to analyze your wardrobe. Then you will understand what to combine with what, and get rid of some things right away. And you need to internally tune in: "I will wear 33 things." And this does not have to include clothes, shoes, accessories, and underwear. You can set your own rules, no need to drive yourself into too narrow a framework. And I also advise you to make a public promise on social networks that you will participate in such a challenge - this encourages you to go through it to the end. nine0013

Polina Saitova, eco-stylist, sustainable fashion blogger and co-founder of WILD BEAUTY eco-lingerie brand, St. Petersburg

In the past, I am a shopaholic. I grew up in the 90s when there was a shortage of everything in the country, including clothes. I had to wear things. When I grew up, I wanted to make up for what I didn’t receive as a child, and the shopping race began. When I was sad, when I was stressed, when I just wanted to take my time, I went to the mall. I opened my online clothing store, then another business, and then returned to fashion again, but in a different way. There was a desire to slow down. In January 2020, I made my last purchase and realized that I didn’t need anything else. I built my capsule wardrobe so that I have enough of everything. And I decided to challenge myself - a year without buying new things. I do not buy anything made from primary resources, but I allow going into second-hand stores or borrowing from the wardrobe of a young man, sister, mother. nine0013

A year without shopping does not mean denying yourself everything, dragging out a miserable existence, walking in a potato sack and envying those who have not set this challenge for themselves. My goal is to show that this is normal and that reuse of clothes, slow fashion, and conscious consumption are the future.

Since I made a condition to myself not to buy new things at all, there are difficulties with underwear and socks. It is not sold in secondhand stores. When I found a vintage Soviet lingerie store, I was very happy. Still there are problems with the change of season. When summer came, I realized that I simply did not have shoes. Before that, I was very much decluttered: I donated a lot of things, resold. I also realized that I didn't want to wear heels. Therefore, having come to this “summer without shopping”, I was left almost without shoes. I began to think about what to do, and turned to communities where people resell their things. All the difficulties associated with the “year without purchases” and generally with the rejection of overconsumption can be seen as growth points. It opens up your fantasy. You can look at your old things in a new way and redo them, or find some alternative service (for example, renting things), or just borrow from someone. nine0013

It is important for me to pass this challenge in order to understand how strong my attachment to things, to the material world is. At some point, I realized that there was a substitution of concepts: instead of pleasing ourselves, doing some kind of hobby or just spending time with loved ones, we go and buy shoes for ourselves. Now I feel like I really don't care how much stuff I have. It is important for me that every thing is about me. A place in my wardrobe is like an Oscar in clothes :). nine0013

Things mean nothing and mean a lot at the same time. They mean nothing in the sense that you can do without them. And they mean a lot, because behind every thing there is a story: from a cotton bud to a place on a landfill. It is very important to be aware of this and be responsible for your choice. Tip: If you want to go through a "shopping-free year", take it lightly as a game. "I'll try to live without buying anything - I wonder what will happen?" If you are an avid shopaholic, set a period of one month, three months - as long as you feel comfortable. You can practice: hide some things, leave some and try to live with a minimum number of things. You will be surprised how much free time you have. You may start to live the life you wanted, but marketing "noise" interferes with you. nine0013

Evgenia Izotova, space organizer, trainer, author of the Life Optimization Order School and Optimiziruem.

Evgenia professionally helps people to put things in order in the house and learn how to maintain it. She realized that she had “overgrown” with unnecessary things during one of the moves. It then took her two days to collect all her things, and also a truck plus a passenger car to transport them. She remembered her first move as a student, when all her belongings fit into eight bags. Evgenia decided to start decluttering from the wardrobe and conducted an interesting experiment. What it consisted of, what conclusions she made and what benefits it brought, Evgenia tells in this video: nine0013

Prepared by Natalya Zakharova

Cover photo: multiurok.ru

The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters on the planet. Learn how to make your wardrobe not only beautiful and functional, but also eco-friendly! Join the online marathon "Fashion without" but "! Try any of our tips in life - and you will notice how your approach to choosing things will change!

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Top 10 things to do in St. Petersburg

We tell you what you should definitely do in St. Petersburg not only for guests of the northern capital, but also for local residents

When you first find yourself in St. Petersburg, you don't really understand where to go in the first place. Maybe go to the Hermitage? How about a canal tour? Peace and only peace! Especially for you, we have prepared a selection of 10 things that must be done in St. Petersburg for both visitors and those who live here. And yet, all the excursions in St. Petersburg described in this article are available for order on our website! nine0013

Content:

• 1. Walks along rivers and channels
• 2. Those same courtyards
• 3. Famous museums
• 4. Call in the legendary parade
• 5. Walk in parks and gardens
• 6. Look at the city from the roof
• 7. Modern Petrograd side
• 8. Mysterious Vasilevsky Island
• 9. Get to the imperial residence, Tsarskoe Selo and Vyborg
• 10. The best end of the day

Absolutely everyone should sail along the canals of St. Petersburg and see the city from the water. The most important thing is to choose a tour that you will definitely like. So, we advise you not to respond to the advertisement of the first cruises that come across on the street, but to approach this matter in detail.

Embankment of the Griboyedov Canal.

Study in advance the existing excursions in St. Petersburg. For example, during the day you can go on a trip along the Griboedov Canal, and in the evening go for a boat ride, where you will see how the bridges are raised. Agree that it is better to look at how the bridges are being raised not in a huge crowd from the shore, but directly from the water itself. nine0013

Speaking of yards. It is a must to walk through them. The visiting card of St. Petersburg is courtyards-wells. Historians say that they built them not only out of a desire to make "like in Europe", but also out of economy, but does it matter now?

Here you can easily order a tour of the most interesting courtyards of St. Petersburg.

So, you are in St. Petersburg and want to visit the courtyard-well. The most important thing to remember is that not every such courtyard is open to the public, but don't give up. Wait for it to come out sometime or try your luck and ring the intercom. nine0013

Buck's house

Address: st. Kirochnaya, 24

One of the most famous and beautiful is the courtyard of Bak's house. Here you will see galleries that connect one part of the house with another, and if you manage to go inside, you can admire the old stained-glass windows and even visit the floor that once was an underground casino. By the way, this house is also known for the fact that it has its own souvenirs, symbols, and from time to time, tours are held around the courtyard and the house itself, the funds from which are directed to its restoration. nine0013

A well inside a well

Address: Fontanki Embankment, 92

On Fontanka Embankment, 29, there is a courtyard, inside of which there is another courtyard-well. You can even get into it, as it is currently being rented out for office space.

Ghost house

Address: 4th line of Vasilyevsky Island, 5

If you are looking for something more mystical, then go to Vasilyevsky Island. Here you will find a ghost house. This is the smallest courtyard-well in St. Petersburg, its size is only 1.5 by 2 meters, and due to the fact that it is not so easy to find it, many mystical theories go around it. For example, they say that he is able to change his location and even grant wishes. nine0013

In general, walking around the city center, you can easily find many interesting courtyards. Do not be afraid to look into the arches and turn off where your heart desires.

St. Petersburg is called the cultural capital of Russia, so visiting a couple of interesting museums or galleries is an obligatory part of the program of any tourist.

Hermitage

Address: Palace Embankment, 38

Hermitage.

We hope that you have already bought tickets to the Hermitage? Yes, of course, you won’t get around it in a day, but this does not mean that you don’t need to go there at all. In the Museum of Fine and Decorative and Applied Arts, you can see the collection that Catherine II herself acquired. nine0013

But besides seeing various expositions, visiting the Hermitage gives you the opportunity to walk through such historical buildings as the Winter Palace, the Spare House of the Winter Palace and others.

Kunstkamera

Address: Universitetskaya emb., 3

View of the dome of the Kunstkamera.

A rare tourist has not heard of the legendary Kunstkamera. If you plan to go through the classic tourist route, then the Kunstkamera is a must-see. nine0013

By the way, the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the Russian Academy of Sciences is known not only for its huge collection of rarities, but also for being the oldest museum in Russia. You can not only see amazing exhibits, but also walk along the corridors of the first museum building in Russia.

Russian Museum

Address: st. Inzhenernaya, 4

The Russian Museum is another important point in the program of any guest of the Northern capital. The Mikhailovsky Palace and the Benois Wing have a collection of 400,000 exhibits, from which you can learn a lot about the history and types of Russian art. nine0013

The Russian Museum is also worth a visit for the reason that it is the world's largest museum of Russian art.

Walking through the yards, take the opportunity to look into some front doors. Some St. Petersburg front doors are still able to take you into the past, while others can immerse you in an unusual atmosphere.

House on Bolshaya Morskaya

Address: st. Bolshaya Morskaya, 35

If you are looking for front rooms with stucco and stained-glass windows, then the house on Bolshaya Morskaya is what you need. At the beginning of the 20th century, architects Ilyashev and Gimpel built a four-story building. There were shops on the first floor, the offices of the insurance company occupied the second and third, and the tenants settled on the fourth floor. nine0013

Stucco and stained-glass windows can be seen if you walk along the spans. If you're lucky, you can even see concrete figures of frogs.

Bernshtein Profitable House

3rd Sovetskaya, 9