The Completely Crazy 2012 Clothes Challenge

babysteps24

I have loads of clothes, one dress size smaller than i am now! Back on the diet tomorrow if i stick to it i think ill prob need no new clothes for ages! Think i can do £50!

Lula-Hula

BabyJayne wrote: »

I have to go to town tomorrow so will try and resist the clothes shops - bank and library only!! May have a mooch for a style book such as gok / trinny& susannah. I saw a gok one a while ago in a book shop but at the time I thought it was quite expensive, not sre if something like that may be a good investment?

Hi BabyJayne,

well done on the Freedoming :A. I was given 'The Body Shape Bible' (Thinny & Satsuma) & it really did help to confirm my own thoughts on what style & shapes suit me & which ones really dont. Once you have worked out your shape though, the rest of the book becomes irrelevant, I'd recommed trying your library or maybe amazon or ebay for a used copy rather than buying brand new at full price.

I found a Gok style book in the charity shop last year, might have been year before, cant remember & while I do enjoy it & think he's great for boosting morale, I still have some issues taking style advice from a man (lovely though he is) who really believes that wearing trousers halfway down his legs looks good. It didn't really tell me anything new, although I believe he has another book out now which may be ore substantial.

My most recent style book is by Nicky Hambleton-Jones, I've only flicked through it so far, but it seems to be about how to pull various looks together & looks great. I loved her 10 years younger show & I'll report back on the book once I've thoroughly digested it, but it looks to be something I'd refer to again & again as I change my look depending on my mood, whimsy or which persona I'm flying each day .

Welcome back to rosemary54 & welcome to newcomers alliboy03, joyce63, wishfullthinking, mad_scientist & babysteps24

Miss149

If its not too late, 100% sign me up for this.

I am awful at spending money on clothes, literally awful. There isnt a month where I dont buy a new pair of shoes, or a new dress, working 5 minutes for the city centre Im forever strolling in on my lunch 'for a look!'. Its time I start learning to re-wear stuff, I have a wardrobe and drawers stuffed full of clothes, some still have the labels on (hanging my head in shame!).

I am going for £100 this year too, I actually dont 'need' anything but £100 is enough for a little treat for me when I need it.

Brilliant Idea, this is the one area I can never seem to resist, hopefully this will make me think twice! xxx

ruby_eskimo

Hi everyone! I'd like to join and would also like to set a budget at £500. This is so high not because I buy a lot of clothes (at the moment) but because I can see that I will need to buy some new clothes in the coming year (possible change of job will mean I need business wear and losing weight will mean smaller sizes) and I really don't want to go crazy. So if I set a budget, I know I will have to stick to it hehe.

rosemary54

hi all,
it's lovely to be back:)i set my budget at £500 but that was just a figure I pulled out of the air as I can't remember what last years was!(probably lower so maybe I am more realistic this year?)
re style books...I must have read them all and would echo someone else and say get them from the library or second hand.
Gok is a laugh but is more concerned with young thin women in some of his books ,the type who'd look good in a bin bag!
My fav shop is East but I hardly ever buy full price as their sales are huge and quite often there is a mag with a discount or promotion instore on....make syou wonder just how much clothes do cost?
I like buying from a range like East as the colours remain the same so you can buy say a print skirt one season and a plain top the next that is a colour from the print so looks as tho they should be worn together.
My wardrobe is jam packed at the moment but nearly all my clothes are in it except blatently summer white ones.
the style books did help me with what shapes to wear(think it was Gok)I am high waisted with big boobs so used to avoid belts.He got me into wearing a fuller shorter skirt witha belt and a cardi ontop to cover bulges which does look so much better than a mid calf straight skirt I always use dto wear and last year I bit the bullet and ditched all my old(and old styled CC/windsmoor) skirts in favour of Phase Eight /Kew and Laura Ashly who all had full 50s skirts in.....all bought in the sales of course!I would say try a new style instore in the sale(or online if you can get free delivery/returns using quidco etc)
gtgn and feed Dh breakfast:)

Eltee12

Happy New Year

I'd like to join in at £300 please. some of my clothes for work are a bit shabby now (or too big or too small) so most of the budget will be on clothes for work.

Also, I will not be paying full price for anything, and even in the so-called 'sales' will only pay if I think is worth the money.

so there

El

his_missus

Hello all!

I'm impressed with myself!:j I have ignored the sales leaflets dropping through the door from my catalogue, they've gone straight in the recycling (apart from the parts that needed shredding) AND I have resisted the temptation to buy any clothes in the sales. I've even purposefully avoided the clothes aisles in the supermarket, DH was amazed when my shopping trip started at the veg aisle :rotfl:

silvermist05

Happy New Year everyone. Can I join you please I'd like to set my budget at £480 I know it sounds a lot and it's more than I've ever spent on clothes but I am in desperate need of a whole new wardrobe I have next to nothing decent to wear and I have promised myself this year I am going to lose a stone and buy everything new, that includes underwear, gym wear, work wear also have a hen weekend and a wedding to attend this year.

debbiedeejay

Morning all!

I ventured into town yesterday with DD2,taking the M&S giftcard I won last summer "just in case":o
Anyway I did use it and bought a couple of presents so that was good and a bottle of perfume down form £12 to £4 (as no one bought me any this Xmas),a pack of undies to replace the Primarni ones I got last year as a pressie - the elastic round the top part has come away on most pairs so have lots of big holes round the back!
Then I was marched down to sale rails by said DD2 telling me "please buy a pair of jeans that fit - am fed up watching you hoick the current ones all the time,it looks awful"
I hadn't realised that I seem to be "hoicking" them up so much:oeven though I have put extra holes in belts.

So thank you to the shoe company I won the girtcard from I now am the proud owner of a pair of dark skinny indigo jeans(£13)and a black straight pair(£8) too now a size smaller 10 - and the best bit is I don't have to declare them or undies for this year,woohoo!

Trouble is,don't want to get rid of my size 12's as I like them too much.

Oh and I had a freedom day yesteday too - liberated a black short winter wool jacket from DD3 wardrobe as I had to wash my CS skiing jacket (bought her it 18 months ago from Geor**e at the pricely sum of £8, but she never wore it - been stuck there ever since) and had some great comments from others.


My biggest tip to to others is, to make your wardrobe your personal boutique - think of it as a shop and your're the shop keeper - so exhibit your clothes as if it was a shop and as if people were going to buy from it - buy nice hangers ( those skinny velvet ones are my fav)put shoes/bags into those see through boxes you can buy - and get into the habit of putting clothes away and ironing(I hated doing this,now I put TV on and watch old detective series and do ironing this way, actually next to the wardrobes ,so put stuff away as I iron) Put them in order that works for you -either evening stuff, work stuff or colours & seasons

I would love new wardrobes but I can't afford any so I have to put up with two old kids ones,one of which has pony stickers and drawings on it) but maybe one day I will.

It's taken me 2 years and this challenge to get me think like this so it's baby steps all the way, but it is soooo worth it.:)

Also I was never one to have many designer names in my wardrobe - just mass volumes of clothes from high street mainly - now I have a few but at bargain prices - usually 2nd hand buys or treasured CS finds or hand me ups from friends, but even from these souces I only now keep quality items, especially wool garments ( I now proudly have a couple of pure cashmere jumpers and a cardi plus a merillion fine wool jumper) in block classic colours - but I mix and match them with some of the fun, mad stuff I have too

Sorry for long post - just got carried away

supasick

Whoop! a sort of freedom day! I dug through my underwear drawer and found some la senza bra's in there. They've barely been worn due to weight changes. They're bigger than my current bra's so i tried them on and they fit! So i dont need to buy new bra's now! Yay! I'm planning on going through everything and having a serious cull. Anything decent that i dont want will be ebayed, anything i dont want thats tatty will go in the new rag bag. With any luck i just might be able to actually fit most of my stuff in ONE wardrobe!!