Do you have self control when it comes to fashion?
Each night I plan what I am going to wear the following day. Nothing new about that I hear you say. No, but when you have two double wardrobes of clothes (make that 4 as I rotate by season), more shoes than you can shake an insole at and bags inside bags of bags but you wear the same few items day in day out, you know something isn’t quite right.
My main problem is lack of self control when it comes to shopping. I am not going to blame celebrities and the media, credit cards or feeling blue, I just love to shop. I go home and hide bags in my study but when you have been with someone for 12 years they know what you are up to and saying ‘this old thing’ when you put something new on just doesn’t cut it these days.
Whilst I love to shop, I have come to the conclusion I am a bad shopper and my main problem areas are:
- Ending up with "fashion orphans" - items that look great in the shop but don't go with anything else in my wardrobe
- Finding something that will ‘sort of do’, buying it in every colour only to realise 29 days later it doesn’t work at all and it is too late to do anything about it
- Buying something just ‘incase’ and never wearing it, which is a waste of money and valuable closet space
I have just had a look upstairs and can sheepishly report there are two pairs of jeans, seven tops, one jumper, a pair of cashmere leggings, four dresses, two bikinis and a sarong, two bags, a pair of Ray Bans and a pair of Jimmy Choos that still have tags on them and have never been worn. Oops!
Whilst I am embarrassed, I am not alone in my hoarding. Recent Government funded research has shown there are 1.7 billion used clothing items languishing in wardrobes around the country, which equates to £30bn. It also revealed that 75% of people would re-sell their wardrobe and that increases to 84% where items are worth £100+.
OK, so what are the options for this ‘bring and buy’ type of activity? Well classifieds in local papers (yeah right), swishing parties with family and friends, giving away to charity shops for the feel good factor, EBay or car boots sales? If you’re not feeling the recommerce love for any of these, how about something a bit more exclusive like the London based site buymywardrobe.com?
Founded by Kal Di Paola, who has been in the fashion industry for 15 years, BMW is an online marketplace for fashion savvy individuals to trade pre-owned designer fashion. There are real people behind real profiles, including some of the country’s most stylish women making it the perfect place to browse and be inspired as well as buy and sell pre-loved designer fashion.
So what they are saying is I can sell the Chloe dress that is two sizes too big, the Gucci glasses that I never wear, the skyscraper Prada heals I can’t walk in and Ted Baker suits from my corporate life and use the money to streamline my wardrobe.
Of course the key to success is that when I do sell, I only replace with the staples that I know work. Skinny jeans and classic tees with cute boots or a shift dresses with pumps which look fab and make me feel great - no fuss, no mess and no waste.