Despite the backsliding I described in yesterday’s post, I do think that this year’s exercise in looking at my clothes shopping habits has been helpful.
I went into town yesterday to have a look in the sales, but it was incredibly uninspiring; I looked through the rails and just went “meh” as nothing made me excited. What I think I have evolved is a bit more of an original style than I had when I was thoughtlessly spending money on clothes and I just bought anything that fitted.
Pretty much all of the clothes I have bought this year and have kept fit me really well. Most of them have a slight retro feel to them, and I have definitely moved away from any bohemian, frilly, lacy or draped sort of styles. My wardrobe seems to have refined itself into simple but strong structured garments; either nipped in waist swing dresses with cropped cardigans or straight or slightly A-line skirts with fitted jumpers.
As a fat child and adult, I always veered towards clothes that draped, hid or disguised my body. This just made me look shapeless when actually I do have a shape, albeit a bit of a butternut squash rather than traditional hourglass shape.
What I have been learning this year during my wardrobe wearing experiment is what suits me. I have moved out of hiding and into the light of Instagram and blogging. I take photos of myself and I use them to give other women confidence that they can wear nice clothes too. Life is too short not to wear pretty clothes, I don’t need to cover myself in shapeless baggy fabric. I don’t need to apologise for existing as I am.
What I have also learnt is that charity shopping is thoroughly satisfying, enjoyable and productive, but internet shopping is my downfall. It’s too easy to turn to the Facebook selling pages, the online vintage repro dress retailers and that old time and money pit, Ebay. I turn to the internet in times of stress and look at pages and pages of clothes. I don’t even like most of them, but feel like that old void that needs filling with stuff is still there.
So my plan for 2017 is no internet shopping for clothes, shoes, jewellery or makeup. If I want to buy something I have to get it from a shop. I also have to buy it with real money, not with a credit/debit card – I have to see those notes cross the counter. Much as I’d like to, I don’t think I can continue my shopping ban as it really hasn’t worked for the whole year. I do however think that stopping my internet shopping habit will be a helpful and more to the point an achievable goal this year.
Meanwhile, I will continue to wear the gorgeous clothes in my Wardrobe. Bring on Wearing my Wardrobe in 2017.