Did you join me? We are now about half way through the challenge to buy anything new – in my case I was trying to limit my purchases – full stop!!
I have been very good with just a couple of vintage or pre-loved pieces and nothing new at all. It is quite difficult working in a charity shop where fabulous pieces get donated every day!! But I have only bought things that I really need or “spark joy” to quote the de-junking guru Maria Kondo – a very cute second hand striped T-Shirt with a very Chanel/Gucci style ribbon and a vintage Burberry over sized blazer at a very reasonable price on Ebay that I couldn’t say no too – could I? Both pieces I know I will wear again and again, especially the blazer.
For the most part I have been wearing what I already own and mixing and matching pieces that are already in my wardrobe.
I must say I have found it quite easy not to buy things that I don’t really need – I find that I tend to gravitate to certain pieces and wear those over and over again which made me thing do I actually need so many clothes in my wardrobe so with this in mind I am looking a downsizing what I have and de-cluttering a bit more.
Working in a charity shop means I can easily donate my unwanted items but also having a business selling vintage on Etsy I can move pieces on and not feel bad if I buy new “old” clothes to replace the ones I have sold!! So it easier for me.
The other week on social media I saw a quote about people buying new clothes just to go on holiday – we are heading for a well deserved break to Amsterdam in about a month – I am beyond excited to get away and discover something new, I am hoping that it will kick my creative juices back in as they have been running on empty over the last few months – all due to the menopause I am sure!! Any way it got me thinking about how much we buy new stuff for occasions – a wedding, a holiday or whatever we think we need a new outfit for, so I am going to look at pieces I wear all of the time and work a capsule wardrobe around those items. I have been meaning to do a capsule wardrobe for ages so I think that starting in September in conjunction with the Oxfam Second hand September I am going to try to document on IG and a weekly blog post on what I wore for September and beyond.
Mustard blouse and the exact same purple version from Sue Ryder Vintage!! These are two of my favourite pieces that will feature quite a bit in my capsule plan.
As we move into Autumn I will need to add a few sweaters in – but a few will be heading to the charity shop as I have a draw full but always wear this one from Wild Daisy Vintage.
Some of the pieces that I have styled together over the years – some will stay as key items in the wardrobe others will move on and be donated so others can enjoy them.
My first step will be going through my entire wardrobe – shoes. bags, scarves and accessories including tights sorting out what I really want to keep, what I REALLY LOVE. What I do is bag them all up and put them out-of-the-way – if I look for them and wear them they will go back into the wardrobe if not they will head to the charity shop or become part of the new collection at The Vintage Hub in The Treasure Chest or Etsy.
Apart from making more space in the house I am hoping that de-cluttering and downsizing will help to clear my mind and allow me to focus, and not thinking too much about what to put on in the morning – Feng Shui and all that.
Once I have my capsule wardrobe of piece I love it will be a challenge to see how many outfits I can create from a few pieces – don’t get me wrong I am not going to cull my entire wardrobe down to a handful of items – I love clothes to much for that but I am going to have a bit of a turn out!! Nor does it mean that I won’t be adding to my wardrobe from time to time but I am going to try to limit myself to things that are “to die for” not just because I like the look of them and of course I will be researching the trends to find vintage versions to up date my style at the beginning of the season.
Moving into Autumn – incidentally my favourite time for dressing up – some inspiration to get me started.
Watch this space and my Instagram feed for weekly updates on my capsule wardrobe challenge on how I get on and how a self confessed vintage fashionista gets on with fewer clothes!! I may even get my act together and do a You Tube video on the cull and the outfits!!
