Contrary to what you may think, I actually don’t spend a huge amount of money on clothes. I do on the other hand spend a lot of time (perhaps too much time) thinking about fashion. I love clothes, I always have.
I remember from a young age spending hours flicking through my Mum’s Kays Catalogue, ticking off what I liked on each page. And Saturdays were spent shopping for clothes with Mum, often down Roman Rd market in the East End in search of a few bargains!
Fashion is not just frivolity
In my opinion, what you wear speaks volumes about you as a person. An ex-boyfriend had the opposite view and we used to debate this topic a lot, needless to say we were not destined to last!! From the Personal Impact training I later became well-versed in, I know that in the first 3 seconds of meeting someone we make assumptions about that person based on their appearance. I am a firm believer that clothes play hugely important role because they form the outer projection of our self-image.
Despite placing fashion and style high on my priority list, I am not a slave to fashion. I am acutely aware of the latest trends and I get massive enjoyment from following them. Over the years, I have developed my own sense of style and know what looks good on me, and what doesn’t. I don’t adopt all the latest ‘looks’, instead I choose carefully what fits with my personal style.
Slower fashion
Where I get the most pleasure and reward, is if I can be ‘on trend’, but still be thrifty. I do this in two ways:
- Looking at what I already have in my wardrobe and re-styling it to make it more relevant
- Buying pre-loved clothes
- Savvy sales purchases
Never throw out good clothes
There’s a BBC2 documentary “Absolutely Fashion”, about Vogue magazine where the Creative Director is frank about the business of predicting the next big look and confesses, “Sometimes there is nothing new.” Confirmation, if we didn’t know it already, that fashion is a wheel that keeps being reinvented to make us consumers buy the ‘next thing’. Lucky for us mid-lifers, we probably already own the new trend from the last time it was in fashion!
I reject the advice that you should throw out clothes if you haven’t worn them in the past 6 months. Absolutely not! Keep items of clothing that a) are well made, and b) I love. Chances are, they will become relevant again. Which is why – if you can – you should buy less, but spend well. Investment pieces, that is items that will stand the test of time because they are classic in style and are well made, are worth spending money on. I am happy to splash out on a good coat, tailored trousers or a quality white shirt. And I will always be on the look out for these type of items in the sales.
What really gets my creative juices going, is thinking about how I can update my ‘look’ by utilising existing items in my wardrobe. Styling clothing you already own, in a fresh new way is the way to be more sustainable with your style.
I am also a firm believer in not saving things for best… this is not a good use of money! Wear your special, high-end pieces with everyday clothes. For example, a gorgeous dress you may have bought for a special occasion – wear it with trainers and a casual jacket. Or a gorgeous faux-fur jacket looks so cool dressed-down with jeans! So called ‘high-low dressing’ is the best way to get your wardrobe really working for you.
