2018 Fashion on the Ration challenge

Laura_Elsewhere wrote: »

I really like the idea that we're starting to review our extant wardrobe and work out what we *need*, what to prioritise for 2019's coupon-spending.

I wonder when that stopped being normal behaviour? I can remember when I was little (1970s) and Mum or Gran saying things like "well, this will do for now, but next year you will need a new one" - winter coat, pair of sandals, school dress, whatever it was.

I can't recall the last time I planned ahead like that. For years and years, like many people, my approach to clothes-buying has been either "oh no! A big event coming up and I haven't a thing to wear, only forty thousand clothes that suddenly won't do in some mysterious way" or else "oooh, that's nice! And such a bargain too, at that price - I'd better get it or I'll regret it..."

It does actually feel good to be planning ahead in this way. I haven't yet identified anything specific, other than that if my skirts and cardis are more colourful then my tops need to be more neutral to go with multiple skirts or cardis.
I have some very lovely clothes in the cupboard awaiting about a stone coming off, that's been about to come off for some years, so I think I may push myself between now and the end of the year to see what I can do about that, because if I can resurrect some old still-good clothing, then it means "new clothes!" without spending any coupons.

In my case, I came face to face with needing more clothes but not having any money back in the early 1990's, so I've been in the Fashion-on-the-Ration mindset for quite a while.

I'd moved half a world away from home, with little more than the contents of a suitcase and a backpack. I was a nurse, so my wardrobe was 90% casual with 1 job-interview suit and a posh frock. However, after a horrible few months working in A&E in 1990, I decided I had to get out of nursing. (That job broke me as a nurse.) My other skills were secretarial.

I did agency nursing until a private practice I temped in offered me a job as part theatre nurse, part receptionist. I cobbled enough clothes together to get by but there was no way I had enough. (For instance, the winter of 1990/91 was pretty severe so a kind colleague gave me her daughter's old coat.) I started dressmaking again in 1991 when I married the now-very-ex-husband (aka Dumbo); he believed that what I earned was his and what he earned was his and bled me dry. My mum gave me a sewing machine as a wedding present.

I made several suits for work. At some point, I read Susie Faux's Wardrobe and that was a true light-bulb moment. I realised there was one big problem with the clothes I was making - they weren't neutrals, which mean that a) they were too memorable to wear frequently and b) they didn't go with other items in the closet. I also had my colours done, which was another light-bulb.

Both of those things have had a huge influence on me. These days, I have a capsule wardrobe (or ten, since while I don't have a huge quantity of clothes, at least half are waiting for me to lose the spare tyre from around my waist). I buy things and wear them to death. Also, I'm a fairly fussy shopper - I like natural feeling fabrics, ones that feel like they're wool or cotton. It helps, too, that fashion has diverged considerably from my personal taste. When I do find things that I like that look good on me, I will buy them and the entire outfit that goes with them.

For me, the Fashion-on-the-Ration challenge is all about being a thoughtful shopper and appreciating what I have. It's also why I have a "Boot Fund*". I plan ahead to a point, because I know there are certain things I need/will need in the foreseeable future and, if I spot them, I want the freedom to buy them.

- Pip


* The Boot Fund came about after several winters wanting a decent pair of boots and being too broke to buy them. It started with squirrelling away £10/month. These days, it's used for all clothing and beauty-related purchases.