Style

Let’s talk about Why I don’t really shop

I don’t know when it started, but at some point I stopped going out shopping for clothes. I still love new gorgeous things, but it’s not about the hunt for the next wardrobe item anymore…

Some pics of my friends and some of me looking school uniform - chic!

I think it’s a combination of getting more comfortable in my own skin and really knowing what I like to wear. There’s also a pragmatism that comes with being busy and not having time to deliberate over outfits in the morning.

The threshold for what I have in my wardrobe is quite high – I only have things that I love so much I feel good in them every time I put them on. And because of what I do, they also need to be easy to move in.

To maintain this I have two rules:

  1. A maybe is a no

    I only buy things I absolutely have to have when I see them, if it’s not love, then I will leave it

  2. Be excited

    The second rule is to discard things that no longer bring me joy (taken from Marie Kondo’s Spark Joy). So I don’t hold onto anything I don’t actually wear.

I find that this approach to my wardrobe has really simplified the process of getting dressed! It also means my sense of personal style has become much stronger. Generally, I think the best way to describe my style is inspired by school uniforms. Which means traditional shapes and old school stuff like tailored pants, knits, shirts, loafers, brogues and loose fitting blazers or jackets. I like for things to have a military edge to them and for colours to be easy to mix and match – blues, greys, khaki, navy and black. If I’m going to buy a dress it needs to be pretty major…

How do I achieve this without shopping?

  1. Know who makes great shirts and t-shirts and stock up.
  2. Invest in a few really great pieces that can take your outfit up a level, like fabulous heels (Stella McCartney, Prada) and great coats (Burberry)
  3. When I really like something I buy two – I love the latest Margaret Howell range of knits and pants and kept going back to buy doubles!

I don’t think I’m alone in this approach to my clothes – a mixture of sticking with tried and tested things and injections of truly fabulous things I simply have to have. The best thing about it is always feeling confident when I leave the house.

READ NEXT: Marie Kondo Method

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