The Slow Fashion Season challenge is now over, which means, for me, Wearing It All 2019 is over too. SFS was about buying no new clothing for the three months of the summer, and my Wearing It All idea was to wear a different outfit everyday for the summer. I managed to wear all but a few of my many summer clothes.

















I'd almost given up on having a proper summer, we'd had so much rain, lots of drizzle, and were battered with high winds. The temperature wasn't bad, it allowed for bare ankles and arms, but it was less than ideal. It gave me the opportunity to wear a few of my many shirts, and a few jumpers got an airing too, but for August the weather was a disappointment.



Until the final week when the sun returned! It was so nice to be treated to several days of gorgeous weather that coincided not only with my birthday, but also with Andy's sister and her family coming home for a visit. We went to the beach - twice - swam in the sea (I can not remember that last time I did that in this country), spent a very enjoyable afternoon in the garden playing in a paddling pool and throwing myself down a makeshift water slide. And we camped out in the back garden, toasting marshmallows over a campfire, none of which would've happened if the weather hadn't been so good.





My shorts came out in force, and I tracked down all my sleeveless tops. The weather was glorious!

The khaki dress and the red floral sleeveless shirt are birthday gifts from Andy. I briefly wondered if accepting gifts of new clothes broke my Slow Fashion Season pledge. I decided that I didn't buy them so it doesn't count. I love both items and know they'll be worn a lot. There is no such thing as disposable fashion in my house.

This is everything I wore over the summer, except for two outfits worn at Latitude, and the scruffs I wore to decorate in.

This challenge has made me wonder if it's time to rethink my seasonal capsule wardrobes. The reason I started them was to stop those moments when I looked into my overstuffed wardrobe and declared that I had nothing to wear. I wanted to streamline what I had, which I did, and then I stored out of season and non capsule items under my bed.

It worked, living with a capsule wardrobe simplified things but it has lead to a lot of lovely clothes languishing in an old suitcase, out of sight. I wasn't willing to part with a lot of things because I liked them so much, but I also continued to add items to my wardrobe. I now probably have more clothes than before I started the capsules. It's time to start wearing more of my wardrobe, and shopping a little less!

I've decided to continue Wearing It All into the autumn.

THIS YEAR

I said in my last Buyer's Archive post that I wasn't going to buy anything this month, but I didn't believe that when I wrote it anymore than you did when you read it. I've been very restrained though. The only thing I purchased was this coin purse.



I did wonder if a coin purse really counts as a wardrobe purchase but as I've counted a previous coin purse I felt I should include this one too, it's an accessory of sorts.

My current one is three years old. I like fabric ones and I don't see them in charity shops very often, especially ones that haven't been used. There are plenty of vinyl or plastic ones to be found but I don't like them. And this one has a button so...


LAST YEAR

I only purchased one item last August too. A secondhand mustard yellow bag for £4.75. I used it a lot but it was plastic and it started to split and flake after a few weeks. I tried to mend it with some very basic embroidery skills but I ruined it, and that was the end of that.



It was fun while it lasted and I'm keeping my eyes open for another bag in this colour as it proved to be rather versatile.


Total for August: £2.00

Total so far for 2019: £275.23

Total at this time last year: £247.41

Left of £500.00 budget: £224.77

Items purchased: 45 (pre-loved: 40 / new: 5)


One of my new years resolutions was to spend less, and buy fewer new items. Last year I purchased 71 items (63 in 2016). I'm already up to 45 so I need to start being a little more discerning with my purchases from here on in.


For the fourth year running I'm keeping track of my spending on clothes and accessories with A Buyer's Archive.

As Slow Fashion Season marches on I'm steadily working my way through my wardrobe, wearing what the weather allows. A few more pleasantly sunny days would be nice, it doesn't feel like summer is really trying it's hardest.

I heard on the radio yesterday that the temperatures are not going to rise again this summer, but I'm sticking to my theory that it's impossible to predict the weather further than a week in advance, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I have three pairs of shorts that have yet to be worn this summer.



Above is a mix of never worn before (long navy jumper and pink jumper) and things that have been seen a lot on the blog (both skirts), and things that have been worn many, many times (jeans). You'll notice a distinct lack of truly summery outfits.



You might be wondering about my choice of footwear in the outfit above, top right? I was going to meet my husband in a field to spend the afternoon in his cab with him. The fields have heavy clay soil and we'd had some rain so I wore my I don't-care-how-muddy-they-get-boots (aka my farmer's wife boots), and the same shirt I wore the day before as I was bound to get grubby - light colours and tractors do not mix - even the bag I took with me was wipe clean!

The day I wore the pale orange t-shirt and jeans I went into town thinking that it was just about warm enough for short sleeves, only to get caught in a torrential downpour. I returned home soaked through to the skin, and shivering. And to think I so very nearly put my rain poncho in my bag...

With five weeks left of the Slow Fashion Season I have a lot of items still to be worn. I've been avoiding the temptation of charity shops as it's clear I don't need any more clothes. On the flip side this challenge has helped me to identify items I no longer want, which helps to whittle down the wardrobe, I'll take any extra space I can get.

We're almost halfway through the Slow Fashion Season. I'm yet to buy any new clothing, although I did buy a lot of secondhand items last month! This month I've challenged myself to buy nothing at all. I've worn a different outfit everyday since June 21st and I've still got many unworn items. I don't feel I need to add anything else in to the mix, so I'm staying away from the charity shops - they're just too tempting!


The items above are rarely worn (with the exception of the jeans, which always get worn a lot). The red tunic hasn't been seen on the blog (or worn) since the summer of 2013! It's well and truly on my radar now and will get the wearing it deserves. Isn't it pretty?



This lot above are items I used to wear a frequently, but not so much recently. The paisley dress was my first ever attempt at visible mending after the waistband frayed. And the yellow skirt was brought back to life with some fabric dye a few years ago. The wide leg trousers still need to be taken up as they are trip hazard long - even with heels!

The only recent purchase here is the sequin bag in the first outfit. I bought it to take to Latitude, but it was always going to be something that I used again. I read on the Barnardo's Instagram feed that this summer 7.4 million single-use outfits will be purchased for festivals by us Brits. It's utterly horrifying. How do we change this idea that clothes are disposable?

I bought rather more than I intended to this month, but, because I'm taking part in Slow Fashion Season, it's all secondhand.

THIS YEAR



Stripe crop top £2.00
I bought this to wear under my navy jumpsuit which I hadn't worn much due to the weather not being as consistently scorching as last year. It's perfect for it's intended use and will hopefully mean I wear my jumpsuit more often.

Mantaray shorts £2.00
Comfortable and a nice length, I can't pass up shorts that are my preferred length, they're not easy to come by.

Joules trainers £10.00
Purchased to wear at Latitude. When I was deciding what to pack I didn't want to take any of my footwear because it's so flippin' dusty and anything I've worn in previous years has been ruined. So I bought these. They still had the original £35 pricetag on but I decided I liked them too much to take to Latitude, so I continued my search.

FootGlove sandals 5.00
I tried these on when buying the Joules trainers because they're the sort of thing I've been looking for. They are so comfortable there was no way I was leaving them in the shop.

Bracelet 50p
It's cute and it made me smile, so why not?

Sunglasses £3.99
Bought to be back-up in case I lost my other pair, and it's a good job too because a few days later I misplaced them.

GEEK t-shirt £1.49
I like a slogan t-shirt.

Crocs £3.00
Love them or hate them, I brought them for the garden.

M&S trainers £6.00
These are the ones I ended up taking to Latitude and whilst they did get really dusty, the metallic finish meant that I could wipe them clean and they're still wearable.

Heart sundress £2.00
Worn in the garden. It's too short for public wearing but gets worn when I'm pottering about outside and no one else is around!

Sequin bag £13.00
I wanted something cute and sparkly to take to Latitude (yes I feel into that trap), but I didn't intend for it to be single use, even though I purchased this for a festival it will, and has already been, used again. It was preloved on ebay but came with it's original pricetag.

Navy bag £5.00
Another Latitude purchase, and again one that will be used again. I needed a zipped bag, not too big, wipe clean, not leather and this was perfect. It had a horrible chunky chain strap so I swapped it for a yellow fabric strap I already had - it looked so much better.

It's been my spendiest month so far this year. But I like everything I purchased and have already worn / used every item. Most importantly it's all secondhand.


LAST YEAR

Fat Face denim shorts £4.25
These are really comfortable but I've only worn them once. Writing these posts certainly draws attention to how often buy things and wear them only a few times.

Khaki cropped jeans £10.99
I've worn these a number of times but they're not something I'm drawn to, they might be on ebay soon.

Jigsaw sequin top £3.20
I was annoyed that the ebay seller didn't mention a mark on the back of this (handwash only) top, and that some of the sequins were missing, but it was still a nice top. That is until I pulled at a loose thread and unraveled a whole line of sequins. I gave up and put it in the charity bag having only worn it once.

Total for July: £53.98

Total so far for 2019: £273.23

Total at this time last year: £242.66

Left of £500.00 budget: £226.77

Items purchased: 44 (pre-loved: 39 / new: 5)

For this first time this year my total spend has crept above that of last year, but I don't intend to buy much over the next few months so I might reverse the situation, and if I don't it's hardly a huge sum of money. I do hope to stay within my budget for the year though, so I better stay away from the charity shops - they're just too tempting!


For the fourth year running I'm keeping track of my spending on clothes and accessories with A Buyer's Archive.

For this set of outfits I decided to wear items that I still owned from 2011, when I did the Wearing It All challenge the first time around.

We'd just moved, everything was chaos, and as I unpacked my clothes I wondered if I really needed so many, that's when the Wearing It All challenge was born.

Below are the first three items, 2019 on the top row, 2011 on the bottom.

The white jeans have recently been rescued from the charity bag. After I read that it takes 1,800 gallons of water to make just one pair of jeans, I vowed to wear all my jeans until they literally fall apart. They're good for summer afternoon BBQs, family gatherings, when you just don't know what else to wear and need something semi smart.
The grey cardigan was from New Look, cheap and cheerful but it's worn really well and is showing little sign of age despite being worn a lot over the years. I took it to Latitude recently, it's always been the perfect thing for layering, and it's great for wearing with dresses as it's waist length.

The grey skirt isn't something that's been worn a lot but I love it. It's a really soft material, and has pockets! I wore it last year, probably for the first time since 2011. A few hours after the photo was taken back then, Andy arrived home and told me that his Grandma had passed away. We hadn't been together many years and I'd only met her a handful of times but she was lovely, and deeply loved by her family. She'd been unwell for some time and we'd been to see her a few days before, and I'm so glad that we did. This skirt always makes me think of her.

Next up I wore some shorts (below) that I never thought would see the light of day again. I really like them, which is probably why I hung onto them for so long, but as I stepped into my late thirties I had a wobble about what I should and shouldn't wear. These shorts seemed too short, but now that I'm in my 40s I just think 'stuff it'.

Perhaps my legs aren't as slender as they once were, they have a few wobbly and dimpled bits, and they're as pale as porcelain but they're strong and part of me, and I don't give a stuff about what others decide is appropriate for 'a woman of my age'. If I like it, I'll wear it, and I like these shorts.

I've had the jeans for a long time, I bought them before I met Andy, which makes them over a decade old. When they were new they were a dark wash, even back in 2011 they'd lost a lot of their colour.

They've been patched many times, the first hole appearing after I accidentally stuck them to my leg with super glue. It wouldn't wash out, it cracked and the first hole of many was created. More are soon to follow as they continue to grow thinner in places, but I'll mend them until they can be mended no more.

I cringed when I noticed the ballet pumps worn with bootleg jeans, I wouldn't do that now, ballet pumps are worn with skirts. It seems I've been subconsciously developing my own rules on what I should and shouldn't wear.

The black shirt dress has been worn occasionally, it's never been a go-to item but it's earned it's keep. In 2011 I was embracing hosiery for the first time in my life. And those boots. I loved those boots, I haven't stopped looking for a similar pair.

It occurs to me now that I should've taken these photos in the same locations as their 2011 counterparts, you'd see a much more organised wardrobe, a new bedroom carpet, the house painted a pale yellow instead of white and a different front door. Oh well... an opportunity missed.

It's been fun to look back over these items. They all hold so many memories, and have stories to tell. Clothes are never really just clothes are they?

Having full rein of my wardrobe after a few years of utilising capsule wardrobes is actually really rather nice. After the first few days of the Slow Fashion Season I decided to put together a series of outfits containing at least one item of clothing that rarely gets worn.

Everything below, with the exception of the skinny jeans, has either never been worn, or has only been worn a few times. The first outfit is made up of entirely second hand items (with the exception of my under garments), and every outfit has at least one secondhand element.

The weather hasn't been as glorious as I'd hoped for. I was fully expecting this summer to be the same as last year with day after day of beautiful sunshine. But as you can see I've had need of a jumper or a jacket on occasion. The weather hasn't been awful, it's been warm enough, but overcast and a bit breezy. I'm going to need some more shorts weather if I'm going to succeed and wear as much of my wardrobe as possible.

As for making no high street purchases, I was in town and noticed a sale in Accessorize, I spotted a straw bag similar to one I've been looking for. I was in the door, admiring the bag and checking the price tag (£7.00) before I remembered the challenge. I put it back on the rail and left, wondering how many more times I'd temporarily forget signing up to Slow Fashion Season before the three months was up. It would've been so easy to forget and make a purchase, and I would've been so annoyed with myself. At some point in the future a similar bag will turn up in a charity shop and I'll buy it then.

Are you taking part? How are you getting on?

I've got a fun series of outfits planned for the next installment, (well I think it's fun anyway...)
x

I signed up to Slow Fashion Season last month, it's a pledge to avoid purchasing any new items for the summer, to encourage shopping your wardrobe, shopping secondhand, and making do and mending.

I knew it'd be easy for me to do as I buy brand new items so infrequently these days. It's for this reason that I decided to make it more of a challenge for myself and take the 'shop your wardrobe' idea to it's extreme. I've abandoned my usual capsule wardrobe and plan to wear a different outfit everyday if I have enough clothes, which I suspect I do.

It feels a lot like my Wearing It All challenge of 2011, remember that? I wore all of the clothing items I owned and wasn't allowed to wear anything twice. I still have a handful of those clothes in my wardrobe. This challenge is a little different though as I will allow myself to wear items more than once, as long as it's in a different outfit.

It's a good time of year to do this as I have more summer clothes than anything else, so as long as the weather behaves I'll be able to wear a good portion of them. I'm actually rather enjoying it. I'm rediscovering things that I haven't worn in a while, and finding new outfit combinations by teaming new-to-me purchases with old favourites, and long forgotten items.

Here are the first outfits of the challenge.



Do you think you could avoid buying new clothes for three months?

June has been my spendiest month so far this year. I made a few carefully considered new purchases but these will be my last new purchases for a few months as I signed up to the Slow Fashion Season. I don't think it'll prove to be too much of a challenge for me, as in the last six months I've only purchased five new items.

THIS YEAR

We booked a short break away and that prompted the purchase of a red tropical print Warehouse swimsuit, £28.50 from £36.00. I don't think I would've paid full price for it - shopping secondhand has made me a bit stingy when it comes to parting with cash for clothes - I did look in the charity shops, even though the thought of a second hand swimsuit does make me cringe a little, I'd hoped to find one with tags still on. But our break was booked at short notice so I didn't have time to wait for a good one to turn up in a charity shop.

I've had my last swimsuit for so long I think it pre-dates Andy, which would make it over a decade old. I certainly hope I can repeat this timescale with this latest one.

I gave the purchase of a pair of Havaianas flip flops, £24.00, some thought. Yes, it's a lot for flip flops but I didn't want to buy another cheap pair, and I've already worn these so much, and will continue to do so until sock weather comes around again. I'm hoping these will last for a few summers at least. I had an ebay search set up but it turned up nothing except pink ones or ones with diamante detailing, neither of which appealed to me.

My first secondhand purchase of the month was a cornflower blue Escales Paris clutch bag for £6.50. When I got home, I Googled the brand and discovered that these retail for over £200 (I'm tempted to stick it on ebay!) It only had a wrist strap but I found a woven yellow shoulder strap that I can use that does the job nicely. I love the contrast.

My second pre-loved purchase came in the form of this ASOS embroidered dress. I really didn't need another dress but this was only £5.00, and I kept going back to it every time I tried to leave it on the rail, it's just so pretty!

Towards the end of the month I signed up to the Slow Fashion Season, which is a pledge to buy no new items for three months. They wanted 10,000 participants, and an encouraging 14,487 people signed up.

It seems like an easy challenge for someone who already shops secondhand a lot. But as you can see I do buy something new occasionally. My move to secondhand has come about gradually, and can be attributed to keeping a list and running tally of my purchases since 2012. Looking at where my money was going was a real eye opener, and yet it still took a while for my buying habits to change (and there is still room for improvement).

They say unless you analyse and question the things you do, you'll keep doing the same things over and over again. It's the analysis that brings about change - certainly for the better in this case.


LAST YEAR

All of my purchases in June last year where secondhand.


Oasis floral ra-ra dress, £6.00. This has only been worn twice so far. It's a casualty of owning too many dresses (she says having just purchased another one). It'll get worn again soon I'm sure.

Mink maxi skirt, £3.50. Again, this has only been worn twice. It's a tad too long and tripped me more than once. I'm dithering over altering it or donating it back to charity.

The pink v neck top, £3.25, hasn't been worn at all. It's a lovely shape, very flattering, but as it's a synthetic material it's not good for hot days. I keep it for evenings out, of which there aren't many, evidently! I'm keeping it though, I like it too much to part with it just yet.

The white shirt, also £3.25, is only classic white shirt in my wardrobe, it's 100% cotton and very soft but has only been worn four times so far. Even though I've recently decluttered my wardrobe, donated a lot of items to charity and listed a load of things on ebay, it's clear that I still have too many clothes. Further thinning out is required.


Total for June: £64.00

Total so far for 2019: £219.25

Total at this time last year: £224.22

Left of £500.00 budget: £280.75

Items purchased: 32 (pre-loved: 27 / new: 5)


For the fourth year running I'm keeping track of my spending on clothes and accessories with A Buyer's Archive.