You have a problem. You are a compulsive repeat buyer. You are! Don’t bother to deny it. You are because we all are. Open your wardrobe and tell me what there are five of. Or ten of. Or fifteen of?
For a lot of people it’s stripes. Striped vests, tops, sweaters. There is something about the horizontal stripe that is so appealing. It says: holidays, freshness, the seaside. The weekend. So when we go shopping and we are feeling a bit mindless, we buy something striped.
For other people it’s white vests. Nothing so lovely as a lovely fresh white vest. Or t-shirts in any colour. Or trainers, or mini skirts, or jeans. Or whatever!
I was a vest person. Always a new vest. And mad things – mad, embroidered, pointless things from Anthropologie that you couldn’t really wear anywhere. And crappy jewellery. Lord! The crappy jewellery I have could sink a battleship.
But I never had anything to wear.
As we march relentlessly on towards January, newness, freshness, yucky drizzly, samey, non-sparkly, no-sunshine, dismal, change and determination – consider putting among your private resolutions to identify what you buy over and over again and stop.
Then ask yourself: do I have in my wardrobe:
1 a black dress
2 black trousers (can be jeans or cords)
3 black courts or heels
4 a navy or grey blazer
5 a denim jacket
6 a pale blouse
7 plain white, black and/or grey t-shirts
8 a fresh pair of navy tracksuit bottoms without holes or indelible stains
9 a denim shirt and checked shirt
10 trainers that do not look like they’ve been chewed by a dog
? Well do you?
If you are missing any of these, get yourself a good example. With those ten items you will never not have anything to wear. Personally, I’m completely addicted to those capsule wardrobe pins on Pinterest but possibly I just don’t have enough to do.
I love this
If I could open my closet door……I’d check….:0)
mine is navy sweaters and pyjama bottoms. But at least I can slob around in a different one every day.
God, yes, stripes. I’ve been doing it for ten years. I do it for my four year old now too, so we often end up matching and looking like red herrings in a Where’s Wally picture.
I’m very interested in the ‘navy tracksuit bottoms’ idea. Is this a thing? Are they nice? The only tracksuit bottoms I’m acquainted with are of the sagging grey rhino-bum variety. Which are the best navy ones, please, and will I look like a PE teacher? Pressing questions.
Mine are from Jack Wills. If you have a nice, slim fresh navy pair you can look really perfectly alright. I mean not for a PARTY, but tracksuit bottoms are really very cosy and comfy and I like wearing them without also looking like a massive slob…
I think that sounds really nice. I’m off to source some now (will not wear matching zip-up top and whistle round my neck with them, though, because of PE fear.)
no, you must wear with check shirts or smart t-shirts, denim jacket, alpine chunky cardigan, christmas sweater. clean hair & some make-up essential. also: clean trainers. it’s not slobby, it’s cosy: key difference.
Please reveal where the photo of the striped Ts comes from; those are very nice colours!