New old clothes

I've been culling my wardrobe of late. It's wonderful to get rid of things that don't fit well or look good (why did I buy them again?? It continues to amaze me). But always, as the old go out I want to bring in the new! I'm running short on winter sweaters, and don't have enough comfy/casual pants, etc. I've been trying to get to VV (Value Village - my personal boutique) for the past while, and finally, Mick & I made a fabulous spontaneous trip there this evening. In addition for a search for wedding-related items, I managed to enrich my wardrobe in meaningful ways:
-black Banana Republic work pants that fit perfectly (I LOVE the Banana for their pants!)
-comfy velour house/sweat pants in a beautiful pale yellow (yay for lounging in winter!)
-great-fitting jeans in a medium blue of just the right length, with cool pocket patterns
-a wide-neck patterned sweater in a pale purple with other colours
-green fine-cable cotton sweater with a nice open neckline - so much more attractive on me than closer cuts

All this bounty for only $35!!!

Plus, I've been thinking more and more about the environmental impact of my purchases. I really really want to love my clothes, but the environmental consequences of buying feel more and more oppressive. Doesn't mean I don't or won't buy new. I absolutely will. But the more I can shift the bulk of my buying to second hand, the more significantly sustainable my lifestyle will be.

And yes: I could easily have justified buying some of these items new. The lounge pants, for example. Why buy someone's old pants? They're not that expensive new. Don't I deserve new, high quality bottoms?

Sure. Why not. Yet: why?? These pants are a gorgeous colour. They are in great shape. For this low price, I do not need to wear them into the ground before passing them back into the cycle of clothing exchange. And: my purchase of these did not demand any additional resources from the earth.