It’s A No From Me
Do I love fashion? Yes! Is all fashion for me? Absolutely not!
On my quest to shop less and stick to this challenge of only purchasing 5 new things this year, I felt a helpful place to start might be to figure out what I don’t want. It's not as easy as you might think! As someone who consumes a lot of fashion content, it’s easy to say you dislike something only to be exposed to it multiple times and have the item you swore you’d never wear slowly creep into your consciousness. Before you know it those crocs/hiking trainers/ballet flats (inset any item here) are consuming your thoughts and your internet searches. How to stop this from happening is a question I have been thinking about a lot recently.
I have so many questions at the moment regarding my style and how it’s influenced by everything I see around me, whether that’s on the street or the internet. How do we know something is going to work in our wardrobes? Will slowing down the number of items I purchase help me focus on the pieces I’ll love? Will I regret any of the purchases that I’m going to make this year? What pieces did I purchase last year that I probably shouldn’t have and are there any lessons to be learnt from those? Will I ever have all the answers?
Over the years I’ve tried quite a few different looks and feel like I have a reasonable idea of the things that I like and what works for my lifestyle. However, I’m still making mistakes, I don’t feel like I have a definite style, something that’s truly my own. Some days I love a more minimalist look and then others my eye is drawn by everything maximalist. For this reason, I often look back at photos and think why the f**k did I wear that?
Will this list help me focus, I think it’s worth a try. Within my list, there may be items that you own, so please know that I’m not saying these items are bad. Many of these things I have either owned in the past or have tried on numerous times in the thought that they may work. The only purpose of this list is to serve as a reminder of the things that I should not be purchasing!
The List
Oversized Blazers - I have yet to try one that didn’t make me feel like a small child playing dress up in my dad’s clothes.
Cargo Trousers
Torn or Distressed denim
Denim with lots of Embellishments
Ballet Pumps
Colourful Tights
Patterned Leggings
Ladylike Top-handle Handbags
Dad trainers
Loafers
Tweed Jacket (the Chanel type)
Large Print Floral Dresses
Diamante Anything
Halternecks
Wrap Dresses
Snake Print
There are no doubt many more things that I could be adding here that have currently slipped my mind but this feels like a good starting point. It’s been an interesting exercise, sitting and thinking about the things that haven’t worked for me in the past or I can’t see fitting into my current life. I’d love to get to the end of this year knowing my style better than I do now, hopefully making fewer mistakes about the pieces I’m adding. In the meantime, if you see me thinking about or purchasing any of these items please reprimand me thoroughly!
