Some people say it's boring, gothic or too severe but I like it! I think it makes me look skinner, it's elegant & it makes sense when shopping - if I know the primary pieces in my wardrobe are black, I know what will & won't go with things
Apparently Barack Obama has a number of suits the same colour & cut so that he doesn't need to waste time thinking about what he needs to wear & can actually focus on running America. & lets be honest when does he not look good! I found the following article on Forbes where it pointed out a number of famous people who have a 'uniform' & it even points out that often those people wear either singularly or a combination of black, white & grey. The article goes on to point out that it helps to builds a brand that audiences recognise & the wearer feels most comfortable in those outfits & therefore they are the best they can be. I have to say sometimes I'll wear something for ease & I just don't feel right in it. Something doesn't quite click & that does impact how I react to people. I have to say I feel most comfortable in my high waisted black jeans, one of my black jumpers (preferably a turtle neck) or my sandy brown knitted jumper (NEED to find another one) & my ballet shoes. I know it seems very boring but I do feel better when I know that I will be wearing that outfit in the morning. I am such an indecisive person (Josh used to complain that I took forever to choose a meal when went out) that just getting ready in the morning can be quite difficult so it makes sense to have these select items.
Because I have like to wear these certain clothes, I happily spend a little bit more on items, especially if I know it will get the cost per wear down to a decent amount. For example I LOVE my Linea trench coat, happily wear it all the time & it matches pretty much all my outfits (casual, office wear, church, formal etc) & though it was a birthday present from my dear Granny I know how much it cost & £125 for a jacket that is almost 2 years old & I have worn probably about half of the year during spring & autumn so £125/300 days (give or take) = 0.42p& will only go down each time I wear it. Really now isn't that economical thinking? I could buy a coat from Primark for £30 or so but I'd only wear it for a season or so before it broke/I got bored/didn't match my style anymore. Cost per wear might be about the same but really there is no future in the second coat & why not have something in your wardrobe that you constantly go back to again & again & love & have memories with it? I also have my Chanel handbag (was bought second hand, will probably do a post on it another time) & I paid a significant amount for it but I had earned the money & saw the opportunity to buy one at a reasonable price. Now the cost per wear is not quite at a high street level yet but I KNOW I will keep the bag forever & I have already had a number of occasions where I think fondly back when I was wearing the bag (first day out my brother & I took the ferry over to Sandbanks which I haven't done in years! I wore it when Sabrina & I went out for coffee after a long time not seeing each other. The other day I wore it, Josh & I went for a little date & it was a very day. Also I wore it to my Graduation which was a fairly big event) Every time I look at my bag I smile. Isn't that was fashion should be about? Not finding the last trends where you wear once, it break/you don't like it or whatever & you throw it away. Also the problems with keeping 'fashionable' is that everyone looks the same! I am all for taking elements of runway trends that catch my eye but I won't look at that cropped lacey racer neck vest & go 'oh I have to buy that because its IN'. I'll look for the shirts, the core pieces that I know I will consistently wear again & again.
Repurchasing. Now what do people think of that? There's the saying that's something like 'if you love it, buy it in every colour'. Now I might not buy it in every colour but I found the perfect tshirt in Topshop & knew that I probably wouldn't find one of a similar fabric/cut/price/something I am comfortablein so I bought, not all at once, a couple in black, white & grey. I haven't got all of them out, a few are still in the bag in my wardrobe. But it means I won't have to go searching for another shirt when the one I have falls apart. Also the aforementioned trench coat. Sometimes I don't always feel that the sandy colour is appropriate (or I am worried I'll get it dirty) so I have recently purchased a new one, in black that I can wear to create a different look but in a sillioute that I comfortable in. Also I am sometimes a messy person (though I am not always sure its my fault), if I only bought one white shirt, loved it & then split red wine on it, I would be quite upset, why not have a back up? If the top was £50 for one, obviously I am not going to buy 3 at once but for the shirts they were about £16, I know they were good quality, why not buy 2 at once?
I know some people will find out how much I spend on some of my items & think its a ridiculous amount to spend on a handbag/pair of shoes/jacket but I don't go out, order takeaway all the time, I'm frugal with my food shops & try to prevent my home waste wherever possible. But I make these efforts so that I can put savings into the things I want to spend my money on. My rent, council tax, car payments always come first & I never purchase any items indecisively but take time to consider the item I am planning to purchase so I think I am doing ok.
I would rather be stylish than fashionable. Sometimes I feel I achieve that, sometimes I don't feel I get it so well. But fashion should be about comfort, knowledge about what suits you but also about trying new trends (didn't really like high waisted jeans until I tried some amazing Topshop ones & now they are my favourite pair). What you wear everyday shouldn't be just because it was the first thing you grabbed but should be because you specifically chose those items to express how you feel about yourself & the power of wearing a great pair of shoes, a great dress or a beautiful handbag can be immeasurable & isn't that worth it in the end?
:)
(my computer isn't co-operating so I can't upload any pictures, sorry!)