I really don't want this blog to become an ode to my own wardrobe, but I think some things I'm talking about need the occasional example to show my opinions stem from my own experience. This is my favourite leather jacket it is Polo Ralph Lauren circa 2003, purchased in the sale for £185@70% off. When I bought it, I was excited by the bargain not the actual jacket but someone who knew more than I did, back then convinced me.
The leather was hard and because of this, it was boxy and shiny. I'm long in the body, so as far as I was concerned there was too much space between the top of my jeans and it. (Remember that was the time of baggy combats and hipster jeans, bad days for the chubby, which I was).
However over time the leather is now butter soft and every scar and scuff has a story, the leather has moulded to my frame meaning that it is quintessentially my jacket and would fit no one else in quite the same way. Luckily jeans' rises are higher and I'm older and more inclined to cover my arse.
This is why it is worth making an investment in your wardrobe, my wardrobe is not 100% designer but the pieces, I will continue to wear in the future are. Partially as these are the pieces I look after, they are an investment in my image and the way I want people to perceive me. (Shallow but true)
Part of what I do is wardrobe organisation and it confuses me when I see the amount of money people spend on clothes and don't look after them, using wire hangers, I know they come free from the dry cleaners but your clothes didn't and they will not last, if you don't look after them. Without bulk to the hanger the weight of the garment will start to stretch the fabric, much like if your breasts are unsupported the tissue stretches and they droop, this can be seen quickest with knitwear but it happens with everything. So whether you spent £100 or £10, the item will last longer if you look after it and leaving it in a ball on the floor won't protect it either.
I keep being asked why I am drawn to designer pieces, the truth is I'm not. I'm drawn to interesting pieces - things that are a bit different. In an interview situation I might ask a candidate what do you bring to the table? In a funny sort of way I wonder the same thing about clothes, what will that piece add to what I have? Am I excited about wearing it? Sometimes its worth taking a punt, like with my jacket. However if you are just buying 9 variations of the same thing - STOP! Dullsville, try quality not quantity. You'll spend less and the clothes will work harder for you. I couldn't bare to walk into a situation that someone was wearing the exact same outfit as me, so I like to try and wear clothes in an unexpected way or with items from the back of my wardrobe that have been there for years.
It shouldn't be about having the biggest wardrobe but the best one for you. x
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