Starting with month one of trying to be more green and sustainable the obvious place to start for me is with something that I love – fashion!! I love clothes and will always have a passion for vintage but I am thinking a bit more before I add more pieces to my wardrobe and only buying things that are so fabulous I can’t say no!!
So with this in mind I spent a few hours “Shopping my Wardrobe”. It is a great way to get new outfits without having an impact on your wallet and the environment at the same time. We have wardrobes full of clothes but nothing to wear so go out or so we think so we go out and buy something new to get a fix when we probably have items that we have forgotten about or are lurking in the depth of the wardrobe.
So here are my tips on making more of what you have and finding ways to wear more of what you have.
- First step is to take a look at what you have – take everything out and spend a bit of time sorting out what you want to keep and what to take to charity, swap or sell. If it doesn’t fit – let it go – there is no point in hanging on to something hoping you will diet into it. Things that you have bought but never worn – those sale bargains that were never really you – be honest with yourself or get a friend round whose opinion you trust to be honest!!
- Next sort out into sections – put all your jackets, skirts, trousers, dresses etc in one pile and split up any suits you may have – that way you will wear them separately to give you more options.
- Pick one item that you really love say a skirt or blouse then see what other pieces it will work with.
- Now look at colours and print – don’t be afraid to mix patterns as long as they are the same tone of colour it will work together.
- Start mixing and matching pieces – try on lots of combinations and see what works. Suit jackets with a different skirt or over a dress.
- Think season-less wardrobes – layer up sweaters or cardigans over your summer dresses add some coloured opaque tights and boots. Mix a chunky sweater with a floaty skirt or what about sequins in the day time toned down with your jeans or knitwear?
- When you put back the pieces you are keeping sort them into colours – it makes it easy to see what works together and put like with like so all jackets (split up suits), blouse, dresses and so on.
- Folding your sweaters and t-shirts as the new clean up guru everyone is talking about is actually a good idea as one you can get more in your drawers and two you can see exactly what you have. So take a few tips from Marie Kondo and start folding!!
- Take a photo of each of the outfits you create on your phone so you don’t forget them – you can even put them into a separate “outfit” folder or print them and pin them on your wardrobe door to give you inspiration when you are deciding what to wear.
One of my favourite blouse from a charity shop mixed with wool vintage skirt and boots from M&S, also mixed with blue cords another charity shop find.
Orange silk blouse from Wild Daisy Vintage teamed with velvet blazer from Attic and Seller, brown pleated skirt Lulu Vintage, orange tights Jarrolds and vintage shoes. Outfit 2 worn with one of my favourite skirts from Retreat Vintage and boots H&M from a few seasons ago.
Charity shop skirt mixed with lots of other pieces I already own.
Orange sweater from Wild Daisy Vintage mixed with one of my favourite YSL scarf.
Trousers from Sue Ryder Vintage – lots of options.
These are just some of the options that I came up with so why don’t you have a play with your wardrobe. If the task seems a bit daunting you can let me help you with my “Shop your Wardrobe Service”
This is what my lovely friend Liz Hollis said about our recent wardrobe sort out ….
“I love clothes. I have a wardrobe full of some classic pieces, such as an Agnes B jacket and lots of amazing vintage and charity shop finds. However, the challenge is that I find it difficult to mix and match a finished outfit using all these clothes and scarves. So, in a hurry as I usually often am, I mostly throw on jeans or a denim skirt and a t-shirt. My outfits don’t do justice to all the lovely clothes I actually own – two rails full of them.
So, I have a few items that I wear all the time and feel comfortable in – denim skirt, jeans and sweaters. But this gets incredibly boring, but I just don’t know how to put stuff together. Not short of nice garments, but I almost have too many and it’s overwhelming.
I work in media which is a relatively stylish and young industry and as an older woman I don’t want to look frumpy – or as if I’m trying too hard. I just want to look comfortable, stylish and modern. I want to look my age but more fashionable.
I called Karen in because I definitely needed help. She suggested I should have a go at stepping out of my comfort zone and trying a few new things. The trouble is I need her help to work out where and how to step out of my comfort zone. I need expert guidance.
She started by pulling out some colours that went together – mixing some of my designer and high end high street pieces with a vintage scarf or blouse or adding a belt.
I forced myself to try on things I would never wear together – such as a gold lame skirt with a striped t-shirt and denim jacket. Or a vintage green 70s blouse from a weigh and pay vintage sale under a next-t shirt from a charity shop – which made it look like a retro tank-top. This was put together with an old-favourite denim skirt, which it revitalised. I loved it. A whole new outfit, just from things I already have in my wardrobe. I’d have been happy to go out and spend money on all this stuff. It looked so new and made me feel great.
Karen’s particularly skilled at taking items you love, but just never wear or don’t really know what to do with. I have an amazing vintage tailored pin-striped jacket, but I never wear it because it doesn’t look right when I match it up. I usually put it on and take it straight off again. Karen matched it up with a herring-bone maxmara skirt and green tights – plus a vintage green scarf. I would never ever have chosen this combination of garments but I loved it.
Karen had so many ideas for new outfits that I honestly felt as if I’d been on a massive shopping spree with loads and loads of exciting new outfits – all of which I already owned. A fresh eye on my wardrobe and I’m delighted with the results.”
