Frugal Fashion

Carrying on with the fashion theme, I thought I would try to post at least once a week on the subject, be it a latest buy from the charity shop or new, my latest fashion make or just something I have my eye on that I really like.  I love fashion, but rarely actually buy clothes new or follow catwalk trends doggedly, as I just don't have the money for it.  I like nothing better though, than to flip through a copy of Vogue and see what's hot this season, and if I can make my own version by finding a similar fabric and a doing a bit of DIY dressmaking, then I'm happy.

For example, last year there seemed to be an abundance of navy/white polka dots in Hobbs. Now I love Hobbs, but when I walk through their store, I just look at the prices and think that there is no way that I can afford to pay them unless it is for a very special occasion.  I did, however, manage to find a beautiful piece of vintage navy/white spotted crepe fabric at a car boot sale for £1 a while back, and there was just enough to make myself a simple A-line skirt with it, using a pattern I already had.  Here's the finished result, modelled beautifully by Betty.

I wear it all the time and although it is not high fashion, I always feel good when I wear it and have definitely had my money's worth out of this item of clothing, that's for sure.  I often team it with one or other of two striped Breton tops, bought in France on one of our jaunts.  In terms of price per wear, I think I'm somewhere around the 10p mark at the moment and going in a downwards direction. 

As well as the obvious financial advantage of making clothes yourself, assuming you can get the fabric at a good price, another advantage is that you can make them a perfect fit for you, which can make them feel so comfortable to wear.  You can of course adapt bought clothes by taking them in or up or adding embellishments, so it is always worth bearing this in mind before throwing something out.

I don't, however, always make my own clothes and do buy some new from time to time.  I 've bought some lovely clothes in M&S sales in the past year or so including some trousers that I really love and various skirts that are quite striking and I enjoy wearing. 

Talking of trousers, I've currently got a bit of a crush on a lovely pair of graphic print trousers by Jasper Conran at Debenhams, and I might just have to indulge if I can get my hands on a pair.  The picture has been photographed from Prima Magazine, April 2013 issue.  I believe these trousers retail for £42, but I'm not sure if I can bring myself to pay that much for them so I'll have to see if there are any alternatives around.

Aside from making clothes and buying new in the sales, I am also a great fan of buying clothes at charity shops or jumble sales.  I bought one of my all time favourite jackets from a jumble sale for just £1 and I wear it all the time when the weather is warmer.  It is a wool, navy pinstriped tailored jacket.  It's a man's jacket, but I don't let a minor detail such as that put me off, as I do quite like an androgynous look, strange as it may sound.  Here it is on Betty again.  I love this jacket.   I love the quality of the fabric and tailoring and the flattering cut of it  and dread the day when it wears out.  As with most mens' jackets, it has lots of pockets on the inside, which are great for holding your oyster card, cash, etc. especially if you don't want to carry a bag.  I love that about men's tailoring and wish they'd do that more for ladies tailoring.  I always feel smart in this jacket even if people might think a woman shouldn't wear a man's jacket.  I just don't care.  It goes with most things really - skirts, trousers, jeans.  I even spent £8 getting it drycleaned a few months ago, as I wore it so much and it got so dusty whilst the builders were working in our house.  That's love for you!

 

One charity shop buy that I must share with you is this lovely monochrome jersey chevron skirt.  I think I paid a £3 for it a couple of years ago. I love it because it is just so striking, extremely comfortable and drapes beautifully.  I usually wear something long on top with it though, as it does tend to cling around the bottom area and I don't want my bum to look too huge.  Heaven forbid.

Just a few examples to illustrate some of my tastes in terms of fashion.  They may not be to your own personal taste, but I hope you don't hold that against me.