We’ve all heard the phrase ‘it’s quality not quantity’, whether it’s been about friends, food or fashion and as my next mission in life I’m taking quality over quantity when it comes to my wardrobe.
A little while ago my mum gave me Elizabeth Cline’s book ‘Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion‘. I’ve always had an interest in clothes and I like to sew so mum thought I would find it interesting, and I did.
‘Overdressed’ has really changed the way I see my clothes and this has been a view shared by a lot of readers of her book. I’ve always wondered about the process of making the clothes we wear everyday and why some cost the same as my lunch and others my weekly wage. After reading just the first half, it already had me considering my role in the rise of fast fashion. I had so many clothes in my wardrobe that I had bought because they were either a good price, on sale or were a big trend at some point. Most of those clothes had been worn once or twice since I’d bought them and others had simply worn away so quickly that they were just sitting in the bottom of a draw or had been thrown out.
So my plan is to reinvent my wardrobe!! I’m doing this by focusing on quality, versatility and timelessness. I want clothes in my wardrobe that suit my style, are made well with friendly fabric, can be styled to suit any look and that last years instead of months or weeks. I’ve come to terms with the fact that clothes like this will probably cost more but I’ll buy less (hopefully) and they’ll last longer so I have faith that in the long run my wardrobe and my style will be better for it. And quality doesn’t always mean more expensive, this mission is about being savvy as well as being knowledgeable and doing my research on what clothes are made out of and where they’ve been made.
I set aside a day the other week to kick start the redesign and I cleaned out my wardrobe. I managed to get rid of at least half the clothes and shoes I owned (which was easier than I thought) and as I took clothes out they went into one of three piles: donate, sell or sew. I decided to keep a sewing pile because a good portion of my clothes would look better if they were adjusted or they were a great fabric and I want to try and repurpose them. I have an amazing orange blazer that I found in a second hand shop a couple of years ago and have been too afraid to wear it thanks to the 80’s style shoulder pads. A problem with the fashion industry today is that people are so quick to throw out clothes they don’t want, that don’t fit or are worn out instead of trying to use them differently or fix them! So to save money and good clothes I’m going to start getting more creative.
One thing I did notice while cleaning out my wardrobe is that I don’t really wear dresses, at least not the ones that I own. There were a lot in there but I never wore them. I think part of it is probably due to body confidence and it’s also just about personal style. I prefer mid-length skirts, maxis or two pieces and more than all those, I love pants! I’ve always felt more comfortable in them, especially the high-waisted kind. It might be that I’m not a big fan of my bare legs, so pants always make me feel more comfortable which is important when it comes to knowing your style, or it could just be that pants are just great and so versatile. So on my redesign mission I’m aiming to only buy dresses when I 100% love them and know that I will wear them and to invest in more amazing pairs of pants!
If I had to describe my own style it would be ‘simple’. I still love patterns and colours but the majority of my everyday wardrobe is made of t-shirts, shirts and pants in black, white and grey. Simplicity can be beautiful when worn properly! So stay tuned because for as long as it takes me to get my wardrobe in order, you’ll be hearing about it. I’ll be explaining why I got rid of some clothes and kept others, talking about the problems with certain materials and also where some clothes are made these days. I’ll be sharing my first ever flea market experience where my sisters and I are joining forces to make the most of our unwanted clothes. There will be plenty of sewing posts on my attempts to repurpose and mend some lovely clothes and during the whole adventure there will be plenty of information and opinion from designers, tailors, mums, sisters and the wonderful internet (not to mention Elizabeth’s book, which started this whole thing).
P.s. There will also be some bits and pieces from my trip to Japan, they do have an amazing sense of fashion over there!!
Ronnie 