A blue shirt purchased in September '18 has hit #30Wears, as has a stripe jumper that was added to my wardrobe a month later. It's true that it wouldn't take me so long to hit #30Wears if I had fewer clothes, but I don't, so it took me over two years. They're both still in good condition and will continue to be worn for a while longer.

Both my black, and grey jumper took just a little over a year to reach #30Wears. They're both excellent wardrobe staples and are still in good condition so I'll continue to wear them until they reach the end of their useful lives. It's not often that I wear something out completely but I think both of these will be threadbare before I can bear to part with them. 

#30Wears is about wearing my clothes more before I part with them. The point is to buy less, wear what I have more often, and to keep items for longer. Buying fewer clothes is something I'm working on, but I still have more clothes in my possession than I realistically need.

I really like each item and am torn between keeping them all and wearing them until they wear out or donating / selling things I don't wear very often and having a more streamlined wardrobe. The conundrum here is that I wear things rarely because I have so many items, not because I don't like them.

I become weirdly attached to clothes and find it hard to part with them, and I love charity shopping and finding a bargain. I feel my wardrobe is destined to always be bursting at it's seams.

To see all of my #30Wears posts click here.

The #30Wears concept is the brainchild of Livia Firth, you can read more about it here.

xx

Here's my annual breakdown of spending on clothes and accessories for 2020. I've been keeping track since 2012, and I've included the figures from previous years for easy comparison. You can see every item I purchased in my previous post.

Spending total?
2012  £1,751.00
2013  £1,188.00
2014  £745.65
2015  £1,207.87
2016  £742.39
2017  £663.03
2018  £546.18
2019  £400.10
2020  £205.85
I'm delighted that I managed to reduce my spending so much this year, I think being in lockdown might've helped as I didn't step foot in a charity shops for weeks on end!

These yearly totals illustrate the journey I have been on since I started blogging. My spending habits are certainly nearer to what I'd like them to be, when I first started blogging I used to buy mostly new and didn't give much thought to how long I kept something or how many times I wore it, and I rarely purchased second hand.

How many items did I buy?
2012  138
2013  131
2014  76
2015  74
2016  63
2017  83
2018  71
2019  66
2020  20
Just 20 items in 2020, that's rather neat. I had planned on buying one item per month but I'm still happy with this total. Can I get it lower in 2021?

What percentage of items purchased were pre-loved?
2012  42%
2013  58%
2014  46%
2015  41%
2016  37%
2017  52%
2018  69%
2019  87%
2020  80%
Not my highest percentage but still good, however I would like to improve on this in 2021.

What percentage of items purchased are still owned?
(at the end of the year they were purchased)
2012  90%
2013  65%
2014  ??
2015  75%
2016  85%
2017  85%
2018  97%
2019  86%
2020  95%
Only one item has been donated back to charity, a pair of men's jeans that proved to be a little bit too snug about the hips.

Total of discarded items
2012  unknown
2013  £240
2014  £91.47
2015  unknown
2016  unknown
2017  £88.14
2018  £21.17
2019  £29.72
2020  £4.50
And if they'd been a better fit they would've stayed in my wardrobe.

What percentage of items purchased remain unworn?
2012  33.3%
2013  13%
2014  ??
2015  5%
2016  12%
2017  19%
2018  22%
2019  3%
2020  30%
A swimsuit and a preloved dress remain unworn. I had an inkling that the dress wouldn't get worn but it was so pretty and such a bargain (£9.00) I couldn't resist it. I bought the swimsuit hoping that I'd get to the beach at some point in the summer but I stayed away when we were allowed to return to avoid the crowds. Also not worn were 3 tops and a pair of shorts that were purchased at the end of the summer when the weather gave up and my opportunity to wear them vanished, but they'll be worn as soon as they can be.

What was the most expensive item?
2012  £105.00 (half price) Kurt Geiger shoes
2013  £35.00 each for a pair of Toms and Next ballet pumps
2014  £64.00 for my very first pair of Irregular Choice shoes
2015  £85.00 on an occasion dress
2016  £95.00 for a winter coat
2017  £25.60 for my green skirt
2018  £66.15 jeans (full price £105)
2019  £32.00 ASOS jumpsuit
2020  £70.00 new leather rucksack

What was most expensive pre-loved item?
2012  unknown
2013  unknown
2014  £45.00 French Connection maxi dress  
2015  £34.99 Irregular choice frog shoes
2016  £18.00 ASOS floral wiggle dress
2017  £24.99 burgundy leather knee high boots (sold in 2018 on ebay for £22.00)
2018  £12.00 black knee high boots
2019  £13.00 sequin bag
2020  £9.50  Seasalt dress
It's expensive for a second hand dress in my opinion but as they retail at around £80, and it's good quality and well made, so I was happy to part with the cash. It's still the cheapest of the most expensive items bought over the years, so I'm calling it a win.

What was the cheapest of both categories?
2012  unknown
2013  unknown
2014  New grey vest top £2.00. Pre-loved scarf £1.25
2015  New blue pants for my wedding day £4.00. Pre-loved cork purse 75p
2016  New I purchased several items for £4.00. Pre-loved bracelet £1.25
2017  New flip flops for 90p. Pre-loved maxi skirt from ebay 99p
2018  New flip flops for 90p. Pre-loved £1.00 each for a pink scarf, and red summer top
2019  New ASOS boots £9.50 (sale). Pre-loved heart print vest top £1.00 (sale)
2020  New £19.49 New Look floral midi dress. Pre-loved button down camisole top £1.50.

2020 Buyer's Archive Resolutions - how did I do?
My goal for 2020 was simple. To buy, spend, and discard less than 2019, and I succeeded on all counts!

In 2021 I want to buy only what I need. Wish me luck!

Links to previous years - 2012   |  2013  |  2014  |  2015  |  2016  |  2017  |  2018  |  2019

Here are all the clothing and accessory purchases I made in 2020, a total of just 20 items. I had planned to buy one item per month and whilst I obviously didn't stick to it, it was successful in curbing my spending more than anything else I've tried.

When I saw an item I liked I would ask myself if I liked it enough for it to be my 'one item', most of the time to answer was 'no', and it went back on the rail.

I don't doubt that being in lockdown had an impact on my spending, even when we were out of lockdown I didn't want to venture out too much, I can probably count the number of times I stepped foot in a charity shop since April on one hand. Which is no bad thing (except for the shops obviously).

My only truly nonsense purchase was a pre-loved Monsoon dress. It's not the sort of thing anyone needs during lockdown but it's just so lovely. I'm sure that at some point the perfect occasion to wear it will present itself, even if I have to wait a while.

The most expensive purchase was the leather rucksack and given that this was purchased a week before we were put in to lockdown for the first time, and the need for a bag vanished overnight, it's actually been used a decent amount. It's the only bag I've used when I've been out since I purchased it. With luck (and mass vaccinations) I'll be able to use it so much more in 2021.

I hope you're well, stay safe, stay inside, and keep smiling!
xx

With Wearing It All Summer complete, I moved onto Wearing It All Autumn. I didn't know how long I'd keep it up for as the deeper into Autumn we got the more the weather thwarted my efforts to take daily outfits shots outside, my efforts to take photos inside has always been fruitless, but I continued for as long as I could.

I don't rejoice in the arrival of autumn, I prefer the warmer months when I can go out without a coat, the first time I wear a pair of socks after the summer always elicits a sigh of resignation, no more sunshine for a while...

I like jumpers, scarves, lighting the wood burner but letting go of summer is always a bit of a trial. This year it seemed that summer vanished overnight, replaced by howling winds and lashing rain. There was no gentle transition.

By the time I'd started week four of my autumnal Wearing It All, and I'd given up on trying to wear just one layer or going sockless. I wore scarves, and three layers on some days.

I started this challenge with a haircut. I did it myself, after watching a number of YouTube tutorials I decided to give it a go. It looked OK (it now needs another trim). I've yet to find a hairdresser that cuts my hair exactly how I ask them too, so in terms of getting what I wanted it's a success. Sure, it wasn't technically brilliant, but it was good enough, and I saved myself £35 and half an hour in a chair wearing a face mask, making small talk.

So, five paragraphs into the post, here's week one of Wearing It All Autumn. The first two days saw the last of the sunshine. I actually took off the long navy cardy and pottered in the garden relishing the feeling of the sun on my skin. But the next day it started to rain, then the wind got up (see day 5) and it didn't get much better.

Day 3 and 4 I wore one of my new tops. With the Summer Wearing It All challenge I know I have to wear something different everyday otherwise I wouldn't stand a chance of wearing all of my warm weather clothes. The summer challenge caused a lot of washing, and it took me a while to work my way through the resulting ironing pile! But as I have fewer cold weather clothes I can wear them more than once. I normally rarely wear something just once and then wash it, unless I dribble my dinner down the front (which happens more often than it probably should). I'm happy to wear something 3 or 4 times before dropping it into the laundry basket, especially if it's been worn with something underneath. How many times do you wear your clothes before washing them? My Aunt will wear something a maximum of twice, but my Uncle will wear something all week - if my Aunt lets him get away with it :)

The rain continued into week 2.

Out came the thicker layers, I did try to go bare ankled on a few days but usually by midday I'd pulled on a pair of socks and some slippers. It was socks weather from this point forward.

I went out twice during week 2, you can tell by the fact I'm carrying a bag. One was a trip to the supermarket, the other a trip to the post office, charity shop, and garden centre. I filled the boot with plants, some for the garden, others for the hanging baskets. I was so focused on the plants that once I'd wandered about outside I was half way round the inside before I realised I'd forgotten to put on my face mask. I was mortified and hoped no one had noticed. There were only a few other customers, and I hadn't been in spitting distance of anyone (not that I spit, it's disgusting), but I still felt awful, I'd been so engrossed in my own thoughts that simply hadn't registered the fact that I'd passed from outside to in.

Week 3 and I grabbed all of my jumpers and cardigans out of storage, and every last item of summer clothing was stored away. The long mustard cardigan is my most recent clothing purchase. I'd popped to my local charity shop after my friend told me that they're getting loads of items donated but not much custom. I'd hate to see it close so I made a few purchases - every little helps right?

This is where I stopped photographing the Wearing It All challenge, the weather was miserable and didn't allow for daily photos so whilst I still tried to wear as much of my wardrobe as possible, I just didn't document it, and I'm sure there's only so many photos of me standing in front of a wall that you can stomach.

We're well into winter now with icy cold winds and gales, overnight frosts that last all day and the threat of snow. It's rather nice not to have anywhere to go at the moment.

I hope you're all well, take care, and keep warm!
xx

The warm weather already seems like a dim and distant memory doesn't it? Thankfully the last few weeks of my Wearing It All Summer challenge had enough warm days for me to wear a few more items from my Summer wardrobe.

Week 10 saw two days wearing DIY clothes, but the other days I focused on items I hadn't yet worn. I'd been waiting for the weather to warm up and the week started out warm enough to wear a sleeveless shirt, and then a knee length dress. I'm keeping the dress but the shirt (kept twisting) and the jeans (just a tad too tight) have already been donated to charity.

Week 11 started with my very long wide leg trousers. Now that I'm thicker around the middle than when I purchased them they sit higher up so aren't as trip-hazard long, but they could still do with being taken up. Which I will do, along with some mending that's needed around the waistband (a result of treading on the too-long hem).

It was lovely to wear my paisley dress again, I used to wear this a lot and it always reminds me of our honeymoon. I don't like the grey tee paired with my new-to-me stripe skirt so it's an outfit that won't be repeated. The final few outfits of the week allowed me to wear my old black jumper a few more times. I keep thinking 'this will be too tatty to wear soon' but it just keeps going.

Week 12 The dresses were both birthday presents, I liked the red one paired with jeans when I wore it but now that I look at the photo I don't like it nearly as much. The final days of the week were deliciously warm and allowed me to wear a few of my summer tops - something I didn't think I'd be able to do. It was nice to be able to enjoy a few days of sunshine. I was aware that each sunny day could be the last one of the year, and spent time outside to enjoy it before autumn made it's presence felt.

The challenge got me out of my habit of wearing the same items on repeat, and it helped me slim down my wardrobe a little, which hopefully is something I can continue to do over the coming weeks. Whilst I'm not someone who rejoices in digging my jumpers out of storage, it will be nice to continue with the challenge wearing my cooler weather clothes.

I sat down one Saturday and spent the afternoon making a dent in my mend pile. It's a very satisfying use of time. 

My ancient jeans needed further mending. I showed Andy and he said 'soon you'll be mending the mends', too late, that's exactly what I'd just done! As long as they fit and I can keep patching, I'll keep mending. I had to explain to my youngest nephew that the jeans were older than him, that they were once dark blue, without holes. I guess when you grow out of everything in a matter of months the concept of having an item of clothing for several years must be hard to wrap your head around.

I had a cardigan that had been sitting to one side for months after a hole appeared in the front. Not knowing how to mend it properly I just made it up as I went, used pretty thread and stopped when it felt done.

I folded my khaki maxi dress and left it on the floor overnight as I wanted to stitch the straps into place and in that time Socks bought in a mouse that nibbled it, and had a little wee on it too, just to add insult to injury (the mouse was caught in a humane trap and set free far from the house). I'd only worn the dress twice and was adamant that the little rodent wouldn't spoil it. I stitched some circles in similar colour thread so the holes wouldn't expand. It doesn't look too bad, and it's on the back so I can't see it anyway.

My skinny jeans needed some reinforcement around one of the back pockets. This is the first mend for them - probably the first of many. With interfacing on the inside for strength I added some overlapping stitches in white thread. I'm rather pleased with the result. I'm wearing them today for the first time in months.

I ripped the sleeve on my heart print shirt by simply pushing up the sleeve. This has been mended once already on the upper arm but it's hardly noticeable.

I then discovered a small tear on a summer top that I stitched to stop it getting any worse. I used white thread to try and keep it inconspicuous. And, after a few years, I finally mended a hole that was caused by catching my top on a door handle. The thread colour was a really good match so it's hardly noticeable.

With every mend I feel pleased that it's an item saved from landfill. Even if I were to put it into cloth recycling I have little faith that it would actually end up being recycled. If I can mend it and wear it a little longer, then I will. 

I mended some rips on two pairs of Andy's jeans, and have five pairs still in need of repair!

When it comes to Andy's old work clothes - they all eventually end up threadbare, ripped beyond repair, and stained - I tend to pop them on the bonfire. After reading some stats on how little of our clothing is actually recycled I felt that burning them was a way I would know they wouldn't end up in landfill.

Anything of good quality will always go to a charity shop, or is listed on ebay, but Andy's old work clothes are good for nothing, and if I can't be certain that they can or will be recycled, on the bonfire they go. I often wonder if this is the right approach, but it feels like the lesser of two evils.

I still have a pile of mending to do, I've resigned myself to the fact that I'll never get to the bottom of it, but as long as I can do a little mend here and there, I'm happy.

I finished my Wearing It All Summer 2020 challenge yesterday. I've shared weeks 1, and 2 and 3, and weeks 4 - 6, so here are weeks 7 - 9.

These are the final few weeks of August, turning into September. Week 7 was a week of dresses. The final three were ones I had in the pile of stuff waiting to be listed on ebay, but I tried them all on first before doing so. I'm keeping the white one, it's about 5 years old and this is only the second time I've worn it! But I love it so it's staying (this could be my favourite outfit of the summer). The navy dress with what looks like a dolka dot pattern (it's actually raindrops) has a peter pan collar and a narrow band of pin tucks up the front, it's lovely. I picked it up at a clothes swap years ago but this is it's first wear. I think it's a little too short though so I won't be keeping it.

The burgundy polka dot dress hasn't been worn before either, I purchased it in 2016 and have no excuse for not wearing it, it's been saved from ebay... for now...

The only dress I'm not keen on out of these is the floral midi dress, which is a shame as I purchased this online at the beginning of lockdown, and I loved it when it arrived. I'm going to try it with different shoes, possibly add some accessories but if that doesn't work it'll go on ebay.

During Week 8 I actually went out! (you can tell by the wearing of a face mask). The first instance was just to the supermarket to pick up a few provisions. Day 5 was a photo an hour and a trip to the seaside for art galleries, and tea and cake.

Many tops worn over this week are rarely worn, the pink v neck top and black dress are items usually worn at Latitude (easy to wear and do not crease), but the blue dress is a new-to-me purchase, picked up from a charity shop on my way home from Aldeburgh the day before.

At this point I was starting to run low on clothes that hadn't been worn for the challenge that I could wear, I needed more sunny days so I could finish wearing all my summer tops and shorts but that wasn't to be...

Week 9, the weather was less than ideal and definitely not shorts weather. I took the opportunity to wear my recently purchased preloved stripe midi skirt again, which has knocked my green skirt off it's top spot, and it was lovely to wear my navy jumpsuit again.

I'm thinking the green dress is destined for ebay, it's pretty but rarely gets picked over my other dresses and I don't have the room to keep them all. The point of this challenge was to purge my wardrobe and it's worked to a certain extent, but I still have items I'm dithering about. Even though I want to wear all my clothing items as much as possible (ideally 30 times or more), if  something doesn't work I'm not going to wear it, so there is no point in keeping it.

I'll post the final update in a few days. In the meantime I've turned my attention to what to do next...

The last time I mentioned my Wearing It All Summer 2020 challenge was back in July. I've shared weeks 1, and 2 and 3, so a catch up is in order. If you have no interest in my daily outfits, look away now.

Week 4 was the last full week of July. The challenge has given me the opportunity to weed out the items in my wardrobe that I don't like, and those that aren't working. Each item is being assessed and I've already donated a number to charity and listed other items on ebay without wearing them for the challenge. Some items I picked up and simply thought a very definite 'no', and that was that. Other items I'm dithering about. 

I realised that my decision to buy only one clothing item per month this year, was partly due to not having room for any more clothes. I want to wear everything as much as I can but if I don't love something, or have a use for it, then it needs to go. A purge is long overdue.

From week 4 the green cords are going. I bought them from ebay, they're preloved and have been worn over 30 times. I dyed them last year from khaki to dark green, which I like but I just don't wear them anymore.

The other items are a mix of hardly worn, and worn a lot. The wide leg jeans, yellow maxi, and navy jumper have all been worn over 30 times. The jeans worn on day 5 and 6 are over 11 years old, and patched so many times I always wonder if they'll survive their next wash!

Week 5 took us from July into August. I decided to wear my face mask in any outfit shot taken on a day when I'd need to wear it, to keep a record of when I venture out, which as you will see isn't very often. This instance was a trip into town, my first since March. 

During this week the temperature started to rise and it finally started to feel a little more like summer again. Dresses and skirts came out of the wardrobe, and I dared to bare my arms. The khaki maxi dress has been mended, I'll tell you the story in a future post, and the skirt worn on day 6 and 7 was one of the three items I purchased in town earlier in the week.

Week 6 starts and ends with tops I bought on my trip into town in week 5. I'm not completely sure about the navy / orange vest top but I think I'll persevere. If I decide against it I have a few people in mind who might like it. 

The weather really started to heat up over the course of the week, hence the wearing of shorts on 4 consecutive days. I could've worn shorts on day 3 too, but I left early for a trip to the beach when it was still overcast, and I didn't trust it to warm up much. I wore the mask for a minute when I went inside to buy ice cream. The day before I'd been into Tesco, popped to the Post Office, and thoroughly enjoyed wandering around a garden centre for the first time in months!

The burgundy heart print shirt has been mended recently too. I sat down one Saturday and mended a number of items, which was such a satisfying way to spend an afternoon.

I'll leave this here and catch up on weeks 7 - 9 in another post. I still have items unworn (and some new-to-me items to wear!).

How are things with you?

Two items to add to the #30Wears Badge of Honour list. They're both good wardrobe staples that have plenty of wear left in them, despite being worn a lot.



This F&F jacket has been worn 44 times since I purchased it in April last year (a month in which I purchased rather a lot). I was on a charity shop rummage with Sophie and someone brought it into the shop whilst we were in there. I spied it on the counter and liked the look of it. Before the staff could even hang it up, I asked if I could have a closer look, I checked the size and enquired about the price, within a minutes of it being donated I was paying for it and happily popping it into my shopping bag.

I wore it that day. It was a day of the strangest weather. We had sun, rain, wind, hail and, I think, even a tiny flurry of snow. The extra layer was most welcome.



These pre-loved (but almost brand new) boyfriend jeans were purchased in May last year and have racked up 52 wears.

Do you ever automatically team two items together? It seems that since I found a pair of heeled burgundy boots in September last year, I haven't worn these jeans with anything else! I have a green jumper that until very recently was only ever worn with a particular pair of wide leg jeans. It seems I'm a creature of habit.

Anyway these jeans need to be worn with a heel as they're rather long in the leg, I've tried to wear them with a roll up but it just looks daft, they're too wide. These jeans and my burgundy boots go well together, why mess with a good combination?

---

The 30 Wears concept was the brainchild of Olivia Firth, founder of Ecoage, the idea is that the next time you want to buy new clothing or accessories, ask yourself if you will wear the item at least 30 times? If not, don’t buy it!

To see other items that have earned the #30Wears Badge of Honour click here. 

Back in April 2019 I'd worn my skinny jeans 71 times - well over my #30Wears goal! You won't be surprised to discover that I continued to keep a tally of the number of wears these jeans rack up.



They still have plenty of wear in them and currently stand at 145 wears. At £66.15 that's about 45p per wear, but you know I'm going to continue to wear them, as I do all my jeans, until they fall to pieces.

They are starting to show signs of thinning in places - knees, belt loops - but when they do 'go' I'll be repairing them with visible mending.

The 30 wears concept was the brainchild of Olivia Firth, founder of Ecoage: the next time you want to buy new clothing or accessories, ask yourself if you will wear the item at least 30 times? If not, don’t buy it!

I was fascinated by this concept and this is why I've been keeping a tally of both new and preloved clothing purchases since Autumn 2017. My biggest question was - how do I know how many times something has been worn? Which is why I started counting...

To see other items that have earned the #30Wears Badge of Honour click here. 

Here's my annual breakdown of spending on clothes and accessories for 2019.

I've been keeping track since 2012, and I've included the figures from previous years for easy comparison.

Spending total?
2012  £1,751.00
2013  £1,188.00
2014  £745.65
2015  £1,207.87
2016  £742.39
2017  £663.03
2018  £546.18
2019  £400.10
Just look at the difference between this and 2012.

How many items did I buy?
2012  138
2013  131
2014  76
2015  74
2016  63
2017  83
2018  71
2019  66
Whilst I am pleased with this number being one of the lowest, it still means that I purchased more than one item per week, and when looking at it that way, it seems rather a lot!

What percentage of items purchased were pre-loved?
2012  42%
2013  58%
2014  46%
2015  41%
2016  37%
2017  52%
2018  69%
2019  87%

What percentage of items purchased are still owned?
(at the end of the year they were purchased)
2012  90%
2013  65%
2014  ??
2015  75%
2016  85%
2017  85%
2018  97%
2019  86%
At first I was a little disappointed with this figure but the items that were sold or donated weren't items that I would've gone on to wear. I'm trying not to hang on to things simply because I've bought them, better to donate or sell on to someone that might actually wear them.

Total of discarded items
2012  unknown
2013  £240
2014  £91.47
2015  unknown
2016  unknown
2017  £88.14
2018  £21.17
2019  £29.72

What percentage of items purchased remain unworn?
2012  33.3%
2013  13%
2014  ??
2015  5%
2016  12%
2017  19%
2018  22%
2019  3%
Just a swimsuit and a t-shirt remain unworn. The t-shirt will come out in the spring, and as we have a holiday already booked the swimsuit will definitely be worn next year.

What was the most expensive item?
2012  £105.00 (half price) Kurt Geiger shoes
2013  £35.00 each for a pair of Toms and Next ballet pumps
2014  £64.00 for my very first pair of Irregular Choice shoes
2015  £85.00 on a dress worn for my Mum's wedding
2016  £95.00 for a winter coat
2017  £25.60 for my green skirt
2018  £66.15 jeans (full price £105)
2019  £32.00 ASOS jumpsuit
The jumpsuit has only been worn 4 times since I purchased it in April last year, which is much less than I'd envisioned, but I'm hoping that once I've whittled down my wardrobe further I'll be able to wear my favourite items more often.

What was most expensive pre-loved item?
2012  unknown
2013  unknown
2014  £45.00 French Connection maxi dress  
2015  £34.99 Irregular choice frog shoes
2016  £18.00 ASOS floral wiggle dress
2017  £24.99 burgundy leather knee high boots (sold in 2018 on ebay for £22.00)
2018  £12.00 black knee high boots
2019  £13.00 sequin bag
I bought the sequin bag when I got caught up in festival fever but I do use it. It hangs at the front of my wardrobe so I don't forget about it. What's the point in owning something this pretty and not using it? I'm sure it'll be going back to Latitude with me this year.

What was the cheapest of both categories?
2012  unknown
2013  unknown
2014  New grey vest top £2.00. Pre-loved scarf £1.25
2015  New blue pants for my wedding day £4.00. Pre-loved cork purse 75p
2016  New I purchased several items for £4.00. Pre-loved bracelet £1.25
2017  New flip flops for 90p. Pre-loved maxi skirt from ebay 99p
2018  New flip flops for 90p. Pre-loved £1.00 each for a pink scarf, and red summer top
2019  New ASOS boots £9.50 (sale). Pre-loved heart print vest top £1.00 (sale).
The boots are a staple, not worn often but good to have for when I need black on the end of my legs. The heart print vest top was purchased in September and only worn a few times but I know it'll be a favourite when the weather warms up again.


2019 Buyer's Archive Resolutions - how did I do?

Reduce the number of clothes I buy overall.  The lowest number is 63, and this year I purchased 66, so it's not my lowest number of purchases, but fewer than last year.

I have a shopping challenge for 2020, I'm going to try and buy just one item per month because I don't need any more clothes, but I do love shopping. I have so many lovely items that deserve to be worn more often, so that's what I'm going to do.

Buy more pre-loved clothes than new. I'd hoped to be somewhere above 80% for 2019, and I'm pleased to say that 87% was the final figure. I am pleased that I shop secondhand more these days, but now I need to reduce the number of items I have overall, my wardrobe is stuffed. I probably have more clothes than I can wear in a year (which sounds like another challenge!).

Stick within a £500 budget. Yes! I spent £400.10. As you can imagine I'm really pleased with this. As I plan to buy less this year I'm wondering if I can come in under £200 for 2020?

Alter / mend all items that need it. I mended some but not as many as I ignored.

Sell or donate all the things that don't fit or I no longer wear. I sold numerous items on ebay in the summer, so many that I almost became a permanent fixture in my local post office. I donated some items too, but there is still a pile of things to list on ebay. I have a feeling it'll be a pile that I never get to the bottom of, I add to it more often than I remove something from it.


2020 Buyer's Archive Resolutions

My goal this year is simple. To buy, spend, and discard less.


Links to previous years - 2012   |  2013  |  2014  |  2015  |  2016  |  2017  |  2018

Here's my complete Buyer's Archive for the year, every item of clothing, every pair of shoes, and every accessory I purchased in 2019.




There are so many purchases that I really like and enjoy wearing from this year. The burgundy boots have barely been off my feet since I bought them. The brown leather bag has been in almost constant use. Both of my check coats have been worn a number of times already, and the floral shorts I purchased in September will be the first to grace my legs next time the temperature allows.



And the jumpers, it's been a good year for jumpers! I purchased 13 in all, with the first and the last both being gorgeous shades of green.



I've found five footwear items in charity shops this year, which is a lot for me as I rarely find footwear I like. Yes, one of those was a hideous pair of Crocs, but they have their place, acting as the perfect garden shoes.

There have been a few items that didn't stay in my wardrobe, for various reasons, but I made a huge effort to list these items on ebay, and made a small profit in some cases.

It feels like a really successful year of shopping. I purchased fewer items than last year, and kept within budget. Also, for the first time ever, I quickly identified the not-so-great purchases and either sold or donated them, instead of keeping them, trying to convince myself that I'd wear them at some point. It freed up valuable space in my wardrobe, which is something I need to continue to do, starting with a wardrobe purge...

And this concludes the fourth year of keeping track of my spending on clothes and accessories with A Buyer's Archive.

It also concludes my blogging for 2019, which just leaves me to say 'Happy New Year', and to wish you all a very happy and healthy 2020!

I have far fewer options in my wardrobe for this time of year than in the warmer months. Jeans and jumpers dominate my autumn / winter wardrobe. Skirts appear on occasion, but most days I'll be clad in denim and wool.

Once again trying to wear every seasonal item in my wardrobe has reminded me of the many, many items I'd forgotten about. I've selected a few that can be donated to charity, and a few to be sold on ebay.

It's hard to believe I started the season wearing shorts, it didn't last long of course, and it seems like such a long time ago now, but we're nearly at the shortest day, so it can only get better...

I purchased this jumper back in December 2017, and last week I wore it for the 32nd time. It's something I reach for when I fancy an injection of colour, normally on dismally grey days.

It's earned it #30Wears Badge of Honour, despite my early prediction that it wouldn't last long enough. It pilled very early on in it's life, but then stopped, and never got any worse.

Even though I washed it according the the care instructions, it's shrunk a little and now has sleeves that finish just above the wrist, which is a bit of a pet hate of mine. I like my sleeves to be long, resting on the backs of my hands, or to be 3/4 length, not flirting coyly with my wrists. That said, it's not annoying enough for me to discard it, when worn with longer sleeves underneath, or on days when sleeves can be pushed up, it's more than wearable.



I really like wearing it over my blue shirt, to my mind it works really well, and to be honest this is how I wear it more often than not. This little pink jumper will definitely be around for a while longer.

I've rambled on about the #30Wears campaign in other posts, so I haven't really explained it, but you can read more about it here if you wish.

To see other items that have earned the #30Wears Badge of Honour click here.

In April this year Glamour magazine wrote that on average we wear an item of clothing just 14 times in the UK (not that they quoted the source of the findings). In France it's higher at 30 wears.

30 wears is also the number that Livia Firth, Co-founder and Creative Director of Eco-Age, puts on a purchase, saying "The biggest message is every time you buy something, always think, “Will I wear it a minimum of 30 times?”. If the answer is yes, then buy it. But you’d be surprised how many times you say no. That should tell you something about how the current model in fashion is unsustainable - and needs urgent change." (source)

I started to keep a record of how many times I wore new and new-to-me items back in October 2017, so I could see the items that were worn 30 times or more, and how long it took me to do so. It'll come as no surprise when I say that I've become fascinated by the amount of times I wear an item of clothing.

As well as keeping a tally of the number of times I wear certain items, I also keep a tally of my spending on clothes, shoes, and accessories in A Buyer's Archive. This has made me aware of how much I buy, and spend, and how much either never gets worn or is worn only a handful of times.

I've been doing this since the beginning of 2016 and as a result I've changed my spending habits. The biggest, if somewhat gradual change, is that I buy fewer new items from the high street, preferring to choose used instead.

Not only that the way I shop has changed too. I'm much more aware of what's in my wardrobe, and what I'm most likely to wear time and time again. Give me a well fitting pair of jeans and I'll wear them until they fall apart. Give me a summer dress that has fussy sleeves, that I can't put a cardy over, and it'll languish in the back of my wardrobe for most of the year.

Before I'd never question how many times I might wear something, or how long I might hang onto it. When I hadn't worn an item for a while I'd donate it to charity or, on rare occasions, sell it on ebay. And there's nothing wrong with that, but I want to reduce my consumption as much as possible.

When I started this blog nine years ago, fashion was very much disposable to me, and it's not something that I questioned. But more recently I began to feel the need to question it, to make changes to limit my contribution to the damage the fashion industry has on the environment.

I'm pleased with how my attitude and spending habits have changed over the years, but there is always room for improvement. I still feel I buy too much, and don't wear what I have nearly enough.

Having completed a Wearing it All wardrobe challenge over the summer, I was made aware of exactly how many clothes I own, carrying on that challenge into Autumn highlights this further.

So, I'm pondering a limit of buying just one item a month for 2020, switching my focus to making the most of what I currently own, and getting more of my wardrobe up to 30 wears and beyond.

You know I like a challenge, and this would be my biggest yet.

I purchased this H&M jumper in a charity shop in April last year, knowing that it'd fit into my wardrobe with ease. A simple light grey jumper has featured in my wardrobe for as long as I can remember, in fact I currently have three jumpers that fit this description. It would've been four if I hadn't exercised some restraint on my last charity shopping trip.



It's worn all year round. It's slouchy fit makes it easy to sling on over almost anything, often being chucked on over summer dresses in the evenings, it's warm enough to be worn alone in spring, and perfect for layering in autumn and winter.

I've worn this 50 times now and it's still in reasonable condition - not bad for £4.75. It was second hand so it might've even been worn a few times before it was donated, but it was in very good condition when I purchased it, so I doubt it had been worn a lot.

I'm unsure how many wears I should expect from a high street item, is 50 a lot? Or do you think we should expect to wear things more? I'm interested to see how many more times this'll be worn before it wears out completely.

I've rambled on about the #30Wears campaign in other posts, so I haven't really explained it, but you can read more about it here if you wish.

And to see other items that have earned the #30Wears Badge of Honour click here.

I've been on another spree this month, mostly pre-loved charity shop finds that were too good to be left in the shop!

THIS YEAR



M&S v neck top £3.50. A classic wardrobe staple.

Lace top £3.00. Something a little bit unusual for me, but I thought would be nice to dress up jeans.

Christmas jumper £5.99. I've been looking for one for a few years. This was exactly what I was after. It's so soft and warm and as it's not overly Christmassy I can wear it into the new year too.

Sequin top £6.99. Something for the Christmas festivities.

Grey jumper £4.75. I love a grey jumper and as mine last one found it's way into a charity bag last year, this is an excellent replacement.

Tu Premium check coat £12.50. I did buy a check coat last month too, but this was too nice to be left in the shop.

Twist front t-shirt (not pictured) £1.50. Another staple, and half price in the sale.

George check shirt £1.90. Good for dress down days, with lovely long sleeves and made of the softest cotton.

Coated jeans £4.99. Purchased on a whim in a last minute ebay auction, I actually really like them, and they'll satisfy my hankering for a pair of leather trousers - which I've never seen in a charity shop, and I'd probably never be brave enough to wear anyway.

And a few new purchases, boring but necessary, two bras totaling £11.00.

LAST YEAR



Pre-loved grey jumper, £3.75. This was only worn a few times before it was put back in the charity bag. It didn't sit well over jeans and I knew I wouldn't wear it much as a result.

Pre-loved stripe top, £4.75. This has been worn a lot, I love the long sleeves but it's also really nice in slightly warmer weather as it's a thin material.

Pre-loved floral shirt, £6.00, was from an Instagram sale. I've only worn it a few times so I'm considering putting this in the charity bag too.

Pre-loved navy shirt, £4.00. I bought this knowing it would be a good wardrobe staple and I was right. It's not worn a lot but comes out when I need something I can rely on. I wore it with a big skirt on Christmas Eve last year and with shorts when the sun started to shine. It's pretty versatile.

Pre-loved French Connection embellished dress, £7.00. I've only worn this once, to a dinner and drag show, but it was perfect.

Navy heels, £24.99 (sale price). These were worn once and will be going on ebay as soon as I can get my act together, I just don't wear heels as often as I used to so I don't see the point in hanging onto them.

Boots, £45.27. These went straight on ebay as they didn't fit well and I couldn't be bothered to return them to the States (I didn't realise they were coming from the States when ordering). I sold them for £30.00, so I made some money back at least.


Total for October: £56.12

Total so far for 2019: £361.85

Total at this time last year: £456.88

Left of £500.00 budget: £138.15
This is a good amount to have left at this point in the year. Historically I don't do much clothes shopping in December, so if I can keep my spending under control in November I can easily come in under budget.

Items purchased: 61 (pre-loved: 54 / new: 7)
My goal was to buy fewer than 63 items but I doubt that'll happen. I'm meeting up with Sophie and Kezzie soon which always entails much shopping!


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

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.