Forget Fashion - Have Fun!

Reading posts by bloggers identifying gaps in their wardrobes, complaining they've nothing to wear and identifying what they need to see them through the forthcoming season is a constant source of fascination for me. I mean, what happens to the clothes they already own? Do they honestly disintegrate and have to be binned or, more likely, are these women simply bullied by the fashion pack into believing that their existing stuff is so outdated they'll be laughed out of town for daring to wear something that isn't deemed bang-up-to-the-minute?

I love clothes, I really do, but who wants to spend all their hard-earned cash on relentlessly keeping up with fashion? Life's for living - not for filling your wardrobe with this year's trends and investing in "classic wardrobe staples". Want a transitional piece to keep you going between seasons? Sod cashmere and squirrel print jumpers,

- stick a shawl on over your favourite frock and save your cash for a holiday.

Having no interest in fashion is so liberating. I simply buy what makes my knees go weak when I see it second-hand, be it a fake fur coat in August or a halter neck maxi dress in the depths of winter. There's no worrying about whether it'll still be in style by the time it comes round to wearing it - most of my wardrobe hasn't been in fashion for the last forty years.

A cupboard filled with clothes bought because they made my heart beat faster means I'm never bored of putting on the same old dress time and time again.

Footwear for A/W 2013? Pah! I've had some of these boots for years and, other than the silver platforms, every pair was bought second-hand (I'm a UK 7/40, I never have a problem finding footwear in my size). I get them re-heeled when necessary (my cobbler charges £3.50 a pair). Are they fashionable? Who cares? I wear them because I like them - not because someone told me a certain style was "in" this season.

These coats have been making regular appearances ever since I started blogging back in 2009, each one at least forty-five years old and in brilliant condition. There's no way I could afford to buy anything of comparable quality new, and why would I want to? They receive no end of compliments when I wear them. They're bright, they're fabulous and, being vintage, it's highly unlikely I'll ever bump into anyone wearing the same thing.

I have to cull my fake fur collection regularly as I keep finding something else that steals my heart.

Constantly buying new stuff is no good for the planet, your sanity or, let's face it, your bank balance. There's far more interesting things to spend your cash on...like having fun.

Talking of which, there's a blogger meet-up taking place in Birmingham this Saturday.
As usual it'll involve copious amounts of booze, gratuitous fondling of vintage clothing, raucous laughter, bad language and having a right old laugh.

Email me or Curtise if you want to join us.

Linking to Patti's Visible Monday.