I had an eye-opening experience recently at a charity discussion on sustainable fashion. The panel was fantastic, with information on how and where to re-work old but beloved clothes, and statistics about the damage clothing production does to our planet. As the session came to an end, however, one of the panelists mentioned there would be some of her accessories (possibly sustainable, I don't know) for sale at the exit.
All the combined middle aged wisdom, and all the female intelligence in the room evaporated at once in the throng to reach the accessories table first. At the vendor's station people were ripping at packages, pulling them out of others' hands, frantically handing over money to acquire more stuff.
Home sweet home, new house finally starting to have some character.
I walked home feeling depressed about the future of sustainable purchasing behaviour, wondering whether simply telling people to buy less would ever work.
As usual I have no answers, but one thing I know from personal experience: if you regularly review everything in your wardrobe, throw it all on the bed, see what fits or what doesn't, you will feel much happier (at least for a little while) with what you already have.
Most of us don't have Instagram-worthy walk-in wardrobes - an IKEA Pax and some dusty drawers under the bed are pretty standard city storage - so when you buy too much it inevitably ends up crammed in the back somewhere, unlikely to be seen or remembered.
Shopping your closet may sound a bit dreary but I think it's a fun thing to do on a Sunday afternoon. It's not necessary to wear musty second hand clothes all the time in order to help fight clothing waste. You don't even have to buy expensive clothes. What's important is that you make use of the things you already have, and think a bit harder before you buy something else.
It's all about dreaming up outfits in different ways, mixing colours you haven't tried before, and actually using the accessories you may have stuffed under the bed somewhere.
Here's a lovely example of making different patterns work for you. Many of us have some kind of checked blazer in our closet - why not combine it with a stripy top and a white shirt for a modern mixed pattern look. This outfit is also interesting because of the different textural layers, smooth trousers and shirt, with a mohair sleeveless jumper and a tweed jacket.
London layers: the V&A museum (built in 1857) blends in perfectly with a red cast iron telephone box from the 1920s and modern day zig-zag paving.
I like adding patterned socks to my outfits. The logo print shoes look more interesting with the black polka dot tights. I also wore jeans and a textured velvet blazer, a plain white shirt, a stripy wool scarf and a croc print bag. If you keep your colours in the same family, a variety of textures and patterns will make your outfit so much more fun, and probably even better than something new from the shops.
Here are some more tips for getting the most out of your wardrobe:
1) Plan five perfect outfits, lay all the clothes and accessories out and take a photo. Stick the photos on the inside of your wardrobe doors.
2) Buy some grosgrain or satin ribbon in colours you adore or in the colour of those wayward yellow shoes you never know how to wear. Use them to weave through a bracelet or necklace, or as a belt, or as a pussy bow tie around your collar. If you have a red bag you never carry because it seems to overwhelm the rest of your look, thread a slightly darker red piece of ribbon through a chunky necklace to bring the whole outfit together. Hermès Twilly scarves are perfect for this as well.
3) Try a different method of coordinating your outfits, matching the colour of your bag to your top, and your shoes to your bottom. I did a post on that HERE.
4) Force yourself to combine three colours in an outfit, but black, white and denim are excluded until you have your first three shades. For instance, a burgundy jumper with beige trousers and a pink belt. Once you have your three colours, you could add a black coat and shoes and a bag in any of the four options. This trick stops you from always grabbing your jeans first.
Anine Bing jumper, find it HERE
Antwerp Essentials belt, find it HERE
Prada trousers, find them HERE
Saint Laurent espadrilles, find them HERE
Loewe coat, find it HERE
Have a lovely weekend everyone, and seriously think of taking a glass of wine up to your wardrobe on Sunday afternoon. Actually, you're saving the planet, so why not have two :).
Thank you for reading. If you have any other tips or suggestions, comment on Instagram @fashionexpat
xx Dianne
