For me, fashion is a form of self expression - a way of showing personality, character and emotions. Beautiful clothes bring pleasure to our eyes and tell something about us - they can be a way of standing out or belonging to a group. However, in this materialistic world that we are living in, nothing seems to be enough. The constant feeling of wanting, needing and missing something from our lives is present everyday. Buying things might bring a short term feeling of satisfaction, a feeling of fulfilment and pleasure. Buying can be a substitute for many things and feelings; loneliness, sadness, displeasure, anger, feeling of emptiness, unconfidence... What wouldn't a good shopping trip solve?! Nevertheless, there are ways to do it a bit more sustainably.
I love shopping, like 99.9% of us do. However, sometimes it's healthy to stop and think before buying. Hardly anyone regrets not buying those shoes after one month has passed. For years now, I have chosen to buy less but better quality. I also like flee markets and recycling. Even old clothes can be turned into something fashionable and totally unique. I still wear clothes that I purchased years ago. Sometimes the feeling of "I have nothing to wear" is only due to the constant pressure to consume more from the society.
Here are a few simple tricks that you can try before you think of buying something else that you likely wear only once;
Clear your closets. Sell or donate the clothes that you really will not wear again or that you cannot reuse. This creates more space in the closet for you to notice dresses that you haven't worn for a long time but still love.
Arrange your clothes. Arranging clothes according to occasion (party, work, coctail, evening, day...) or by color is fun and it also makes finding suitable outfits easier.
When you buy, buy what you will wear (more than once). If you feel awkward in a deep cut dress, don't buy it. You will most likely never wear it even if it looks awesome in photos or you have an image of wearing in on a beach in Bali with you love (unless you have the trip booked, it's likely you will not).
Don't compare to others. This rule applies way beyond dressing but it's important to create your style according to what suits you, makes you happy, what you like and what makes you feel comfortable. Just like other choices in life. Buy shoes that you feel comfortable in. Just because you think others look nice in high heels or your man tells you that you would look great in a dress that Scarlett Johansson wore in a movie, doesn't mean you should try to wear the same thing. It's because you look the best when you are yourself, not a copy of someone else, and confidence in wearing the outfit you chose comes from feeling at home in it.
Forget trends created by ads, tv stars, even bloggers. Ok, so why am I writing a blog including fashion? I love fashion magazines, fashion blogs and beautiful clothes. I get a lot of inspiration from them. Fashion is self-expression, pleasure for the eye and a way of telling a story. I'm not trying to keep up with the constantly changing trends but to keep a style that lasts time and I only buy clothes that I'm sure I will love next year too.
Don't believe everything you see. Just because a dress looks great on a model brushed with photoshop and make up, doesn't mean that it's a good buy. The dress might look completely different on you only because that dress in the photo doesn't exits; it's been modified to look like it fits perfectly. Remember that almost all photos and even moving pictures that you see are modified and what looks fashionable and good is media-created. I do not photoshop my photos but I do choose them carefully. I do not publish photos of a day when I look like a zombie because that would be a different blog (good idea though ;)...
Buy special. I like imperfections, a story in a clothing or a jewel. I usually get good quality clothes made from natural materials that last wear and tear and that are designed in a way that lasts through trends. If an item tells
me a story, I will buy it. The story makes it unique and meaningful. I
still wear clothes and jewellery and use bags that I purchased ten years
ago. And I still remember their stories. Special also means picking up carefully an item, not buying bags and bags of clothes that you can't even remember after you get home (been there, done that - until my credit card wasn't accepted). Getting one special item that you adore, bringing it home and wearing it gives much more pleasure in the end.
The items shown in the photos are all old. The dress is bought more than five years ago for a very affordable price. The Furla bag is a good quality purchase that wasn't cheap but I have used it for years and it's still in good shape. The belt is from the flee market and the earrings are bought from Italy almost ten years ago. Like all my jewels, the story is still fresh in my mind. A small shop on a remote alley in Southern Italy. A warm day. Ice cream dripping. An old goldsmith selling handcrafted jewels. Those golden starfish... Hesitation. Determination. And I have never regretted buying them. They are more than earrings to me. They are a Story.
X Ang Moh Chick
