Clothes - Treat or Necessity?

MinnieSpender

LA - I, too, am cursed with short legs (fat and hairy too, but that's a different thread).

The cure? Boot cut trousers (dark colours), high heels, a wide belt and something eye-catching towards your top half - jazzy scarf tied a la French style, massive necklace etc - and NEVER forget your lippy.

Fantabulous!

benedictadams

Has anyone tried charity shops if they are on a tight budget (although nowadays they are nearly the price of Primark)

or even freecycle?

I tend to think that anything other than food and bills are a treat, so i posted a want on freecycle for winter-wear and some very kind chap gave me three decent quaility shirts which were too big for him but the right size for me.

Luckily the clothes i have last ages so can get away with no "new" trousers until at least spring and if i need new socks/ underwear Peacocks will do me fine (Peacocks are slightly more ethical than Primark). Although i could be tempted by Matalan

Still hoping for the size 13 shoes though

ZTD

MinnieSpender wrote:

something eye-catching towards your top half - jazzy scarf tied a la French style, massive necklace etc - and NEVER forget your lippy.

If that's all you're wearing - it would be eyecatching...

MinnieSpender

ZTD wrote:

If that's all you're wearing - it would be eyecatching...

No one has complained so far!

ZTD

MinnieSpender wrote:

No one has complained so far!

Not even their wives?

You must have universal appeal. :cool:

"I'm the Queen of the Swingers yeah,
The Sub-urban VIP.."

And I think I'll stop there, as downhill is rapidly approaching... :rotfl:

MinnieSpender

Their wives usually form an orderly queue to ask for fashion tips.

Trust me, I'm untouchable.

Peem

lookingahead - I aspire to 30" inside leg:rotfl:

Just call me the Ernie wise of legs - Short fat and hairy. I'm 5'2" but mostly body.

I've just caught up with this thread.

I agree the clothes thing is a dilemma - need or want. I do buy much less than previously. What I always found was that I would by loads of stuff but only a percentage of it would be worn regularly. I'm now working my way through my existing wardrobe.

I remember mum and dad having finance probs in the 80s (15% mortgage rate anyone?) an mum wearing cheap shoes with cardboard over the hole in the sole. I've not yet got that bad.

I like to by more expensive stuff and get it to last longer - I have a pair of Ted Baker trousers I bought before DS was born and I wear them every other day to work still (would wear them every day but people would talk) and they're in great condition. (he's now 41/2). Also Jugsaw and French Connection do me proud. I find I wear their stuff to death whereas when I try to be "good" and economise I end up not wearing the item.

I have other stuff I would wear but can't (too round!)

The thing that's worrying me about cheap clothes at the moment are the working conditions of the people making them and the environmental issues of cheap (for e.g.) cotton t-shirts. I'm not saying the more expensive ones are necessarily any better but it would be nice to know (remember the Nike sweat shop hou hah a few years back?)

Does any one have any definitive answers about who NOT to buy from?

one day I'll have enough cash to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe (and have the figure to go with it) But I'll still have short legs!

Aggie_3

Hi,

I did a "Trinny and Susannah" trick the other day and sorted my drawers and wardrobe out to colour order. It helped me see exactly what I had and what I needed and most importantly what colours to buy so that it would go with what I already had!

Charity shops are great, if you are prepared to root. Also is there a next clearance outlet near you? You can get all sorts for a fiver. I'm with the other girl on Primark too!

Have fun and good luck
Aggie

pookie

colour coding is the answer (so glad i'm not the only one- my OH thinks i'm odd!)
peem, that's exactly what i've been wondering about while reading this thread (the bit about being environmentally sound etc). i had this discussion with a couple of friends a few weeks ago. i normally buy clothes every few weeks and they are a definite treat but i don't go overboard. i ALWAYS buy in the sale but from brand names- monsoon, whistles, jigsaw etc (outlet shopping a godsend-best buy french connection top £1). i was hoping that because the clothes are more expensive to start with that the companies have paid the workers who made them a decent wage. however my friends said they thought the cheaper companies paid the workers no less but just had a (much) smaller profit margin. apparently m&s have started doing fairtrade undies and socks but don't know anywhere else on the high street. any thoughts anyone?

cupid_s

ZTD wrote:

We should all be grateful for what we do have. Those with long legs want short, those with short want long. People with straight hair want curly, those with curly want straight.

My legs reach all the way to the ground.

And that's good enough for me.

i think my legs are a perfect length (though the rest of me should probably be a bit longer) and i quite like my hair
am i strange?

regarding new clothes - i buy them when they are cheap. i have to convince hubby to let me get him new clothes. recently we saw some lovely shoes reduced from 85 to 32 and he didn't need them but i knew when he did they'd be so much more expensive so we got them

i never really buy anything full price so i dont ever feel bad. though at the moment i own over 50 pairs of trousers, 50 pairs of shoes, about 50 jumpers and over 250 tops so i'll never get to the point of having to wear worn out clothes before i find another bargain!