It's quite common to see blogger's wearing various outfits, barely re-using items. Maybe it's due to being caught up in trying to be fresh (I'm guilty of this too), but it's a double edged sword. I mean how many people really don't re-wear their clothes? Who can afford to live like that? So I decided to create a series that I will be doing from time to time focusing on one item, worn different ways. After all our wardrobes need to be versatile and be realistically based.
In addition to the 're-wear' reasoning, there are two other prominent motivations behind this series. I thought this a good opportunity to show you what I consider when I shop. Foremost I ask myself 'do I have existing items in my wardrobe that it will go with', 'how many outfits can I make with the item' and 'when will I have the opportunity to wear it'? When you start assessing items like this, styling becomes easier and the liklihood of maximising wear increases. You will notice that the possibilities to mix and match items becomes exponential so much more so than if you merely purchase an item because you like it. My old purchasing decisions were based on what caught my eye at the time, but none of my purchases went together, or were lifestyle inappropriate (I was easily distracted from reality by all the pretty things). I had a jam packed wardrobe and was flat out making an outfit! It sounds ridiculous but it's true. So this is what I do to keep me on track.
The last point worthy of mentioning is the benefit of investing in even a few mid-high end items. Ones that are able to be on high rotation. I personally buy quality over quantity (most of the time), due to durability. This provides better cost per wear than buying a cheap copy which will no doubt fall apart or look shabby after short usage and cost you more in the long run of buying repeatedly. Mid-high end is more justifiable and relevant when buying things which are multifunctional and fit with many items. Also, they tend to hold better value too. I'm an avid re-seller so this is important to me as it provides me with income to purchase new items.
I've tried to keep to more simplistic styled outfits throughout this series. The kind of looks that can easily be replicated with similar items in your wardrobe, if you are in any way inspired by the outfits. I hope you enjoy the series.
Inspiration - Colour blocking
What I'm wearing:
Karen Walker mustard wool coat (old)
Isabel Marant 'Poppy' heels (old)