Hello hello!
I've been lurking for the past one or two weeks and I thought I might as well say hi
I'm finally feeling interested in fashion again, even though I think my style has shifted slightly. I was never much of a trendy person, but now I'm actually into modern classic styles and timeless pieces. Not shopping (much) for the past 1-2 years has helped me understand my current wardrobe, what I actually like and what makes me feel blah, and I'm finally getting rid of all that makes me feel blah. Ruthlessly. I'm having a pick up from a charity in a week and they will be taking a lot of stuff with them.
I did a first purge that included clothes that didn't look good, didn't look good on me or didn't fit me. Bye bye, grey jeans, but I've already found a replacement. I've continued to add to the pile each time I wear something for the day and don't love what I see in the mirror. Same applies for t-shirts that get smelly armpits (bad cotton, toss), jeans that are uncomfortable (bad fit, toss), t-shirts with tiny holes in them (really, I deserve (and luckily can afford) better).
I've also been saying 'no' to anything acrylic, and have been a lot more conscious about fabric and composition. I can deal with the pilling (I find clothes last me forever in decent condition, even stuff from the likes of Primark, H&M and Forever 21), and I can even deal with the plasticky feel, but I can't deal with those smelly armpits, a smell that goes away only briefly after a good wash but that quickly comes back after a couple of hours of wearing the garment. Ever since I bought two wool sweaters from Benetton last year, I've become a fan - don't smell, don't need to be washed often, and warm but not chunky.
So after my purge, I went shopping, and after visiting a few stores, I settled for a Uniqlo merino wool sweater which is the perfect length, perfect fit (for me) and so fine and soft. It was also 40% off. And I bought it in black, navy, cream and grey. Now I know Uniqlo don't offer the best quality out there, but bear with me - I used to buy from Primark. I'm taking baby steps here. I don't love Uniqlo's colourful options, but I think their neutrals are fine. I've been testing two of them (black and navy) and loved wearing them during the week. They are warm enough for my office (now that I finally got a new desk that's not under the AC) and work well with the rest of my wardrobe.
Many of you will be like, duplicates, and so many, really? But if I think about it, I just tend to do that. I have the same dress in two prints, same jumpers in two different colours (this is like a thing, I can think of at least three examples, not including cardigans), all my jeans are Mango's Alice style and all my coloured jeans are from H&M, same style, too. Stuff I don't duplicate? Skirts and shoes, and dresses (except for that one). And I think my neutral sweaters will go very well with my fun patterned winter skirts
Finally, I also got the Clarks Othea Ruby - first pair of high-heeled ankle boots. Not super comfortable for me, but I usually can't do heels and I can wear these all day long (provided I don't walk a lot).
http://www.clarks.co.uk/p/2611.....5&
I am now looking for two specific things: necklaces to give those sweaters some spice and a black leather/pleather skirt to replace my old black denim skirt that's not black anymore, but rather a blueish dark grey.
Any ideas on the skirt? I've been looking in different stores (Zara, which was disappointing, Stradivarius(?)) today and was only convinced by the ones at River Island (had NEVER been in that store until today, and in general don't like their style, but their pleather made me think it was real leather, so I'd say they are quite decent.
http://www.riverisland.com/wom.....m=1&c
http://www.riverisland.com/wom.....irt-688607
http://www.riverisland.com/wom.....irt-688672
Any recs?
I think I've been spending quite a lot lately and need to slow down now that I feel I've got nice clothes again (a very casual office dress-code was really taking a toll on my style and I was going from fab to meh to... just drab), but I want to sort out the skirt issue before I put a stop to the madness
PS: I just told my mom today that I'm counting on her to brighten up my wardrobe with some fun stuff. She's a lot better than I am at buying fun pieces
