Beg. Borrow. Steal. A barganistas ethos to fashion though borrow, rediscover and restyle would be a much more accurate representation of the state of my wardrobe at the moment. I can’t remember the last time I bought anything that was full price (I’m a certified sale rail junkie) and I’m more likely to pinch something of my sisterling or borrow something off the bestie than buy a complete new look. After doing a MAJOR wardrobe clear out recently (and I mean major) I still managed to find clothes that I bought, that I loved and still hadn’t worn. FOR. SHAME. I never considered myself one of those people who like to “keep their clothes nice for special occasions” but some how a long sleeved little sequined number I’d picked up in Zara for £20 had managed to be relegated to the back of my wardrobe for months. Luckily after an invite to the Feast of the Commonwealth landed in my inbox I had the perfect reason to crack this little guy out.
Dress – Zara
Necklace – H&M
Jacket- Debenhams (similar)
Shoes – New Look (similar)
Bag – Chanel
I’m not usually in to wearing anything this short, for a variety of reasons (I dance between not loving my legs and doing my darnest not to flash the general public as top of the list) but it’s a gorgeous light Summery dress and I’m trying to employ a use it or lose it policy to my clothes at the moment. Pretty much everything I’m wearing is an old sale number and it’s kind of nice to be rediscovering old favourites and refreshing them with a few key trend details. I love clothes. I could buy clothes for days but it’s nice to fall back on things that work and wear them with different bobs rather than just buying new things. Like a normal person. I’m very wary about posting very similar outfits on the blog and become very self conscious if I find myself wearing the same certain items over and over again. And then I realised I needed to crawl out my own arshe. I don’t have endless wardrobe’s and there is no use in pretending I do. While I can’t say I’m in a particular rush to do anything like One Month One Dress again (if I ever see that black t-shirt midi again it will be too soon) the challenge did make me very hyper aware of my wardrobe, what pieces have clung on to years and what’s been handed down to the sisterling. It’s made me a better buyer and more aware of what’s going to have longevity in my wardrobe and what I’ll want to burn in a few months. I feel completely daft that it’s taken me so long to click on to it. It’s not anything particularly new, or innovative. It’s just clothes. Buying smarter, experimenting with different styles and actually wearing our clothes. I’m going to start operating the use it or lose it rule on my wardrobe more this year (this goes double for my shoes) to see if I can actually rediscover some of my style mojo, save a bit of cash money and see how with the things that I know and love work rather than having to do completely new outfits. With the notion of beg, borrow, steal (or borrow, rediscover, restyle) I’m going to see if I can manage a self imposed clothes spending ban. No idea how it’s going to pan out but I imagine I’m going to either going completely bonkers in the first couple of weeks or come out completely fashion zen.
Let the great purge begin.
