The Newness of Fashion

Hi darlings,

I've been thinking a lot lately about the newness of fashion. Not just in trend cycles but in my own closet. So many pieces hang in there that could be considered either perfectly trendy for the time or entirely timeless, yet they go unworn. Not because I don't like them, but because I'm busy hunting down the next perfect piece.The next perfect piece that needs the perfect new pants to go with it. And sure, my staple pair of pumps would look fine with it, or even my cowboy boots, but the girls on Pinterest always wear a similar look with clogs. Now I know this is nothing groundbreaking. Nowadays when it comes to fashion people are either consumed but the never-ending consumption of fast fashion, or fed up with the bullshit and opt for minimal dressing. Yet let's be honest with ourselves here - owning strictly basics doesn't stop you from buying more basics. Lately, I've found myself guilty of constantly searching for this newness and neglecting the pieces already in my closet. The 'perfect news' of months past. So, the question remains: How do I break the cycle?

Make Do Before Buying New

See if you can make do with what you already have before buying something new. One of the simplest rules that I can never seem to follow. But that's always how it is, isn't it? It seems perfectly logical in theory, yet the execution is a struggle.

Packing for my recent trip reminded me of this rule. Often times on tropical vacations, I have committed the cardinal sin of buying multiple trendy dresses that I have no intention of wearing again. Not because I know I won't like them in a year, but because I know I have nowhere else to wear them in the foreseeable future. On my recent trip to New York, I restrained myself and only bought one dress. Yes, okay, I'll admit it was only a three-night trip but progress is progress. Unfortunately, the perfect drop waist bubble skirt dress didn't arrive in time. Instead, I had to improvise with what was already in my closet. The result was a makeshift drop waist silhouette I made with a hip-length contour tube top and a low-waisted midi skirt. Not only was I pleased with the result, but I spent the evening without the fear of running into another girl in the same dress. My wallet also appreciated it. Or it will once the return goes through.

Shop for Pieces, Not Outfits

This is a lesson that I have also learned the hard way one too many times. It always seems harmless when you buy one piece for an occasion or an everyday item that you're sure you'll get constant use out of. That is until you go to wear it and realize you have nothing to wear it with. What was once an innocent purchase of a gorgeous blouse on sale is now a gorgeous blouse, a skirt to match, shoes, and a white bag because your black shoulder bag just wouldn't look right.

A few months back I saw the coolest girl on TikTok sporting a white boxy tee with a print of the singer Sade on the front of it. I was immediately obsessed. Rationalizing it as any other tee shirt, something that can go with virtually anything, I bought the shirt that day. It was from an Etsy seller after all - I was supporting a small business for god sake! Long story short, you guessed it, It arrived, and I had nothing to wear it with. To be fair I ordered it a size too small and as it was from an Etsy shop I culdn't simply exchange it for the smaller size. Yet no matter what I tried - a linen skirt, light-wash jeans, medium wash jeans, high waist, low waist, overalls - nothing looked how I had envisioned. It wasn't until I found my recent holy grail jeans, which I will have you know go with practically everything in my closet, that I found a way to style it that I was happy with. The moral of the story is the next time you are online, at the mall or event at the thrift, stop before you buy and ask yourself - what do I already own that I can wear this with? I know it's probably a trick your mom taught you a long time ago, but when is the last time you actually applied it? Listen to your mothers kids, they're often right.

Don't Settle

I know it often feels as though the exact piece that you're searching for doesn't exist, will never come back in stock, or will never be found at a reasonable price. You mustn't give up. Trust me, I know that the current fashion landscape pressures us to purchase the next best option ASAP to get the most use out of it. Get it before everyone's wearing it! This does not have to be the case. In fact, waiting can become your greatest asset.

Say you are loving the Ganni tie-front blouses that have been everywhere lately but can't justify the investment. Instead, you start looking for other puff-sleeve blouses on your favourite sites and second-hand apps. Just because the Poshmark seller sends you a fantastic offer for a blouse that is a size up, or the wrong colour, or has god-awful buttons, doesn't mean you should buy it. It won't be what you imagined and no matter how cheap it was it will end up being a waste of money. Instead, wait it out. Keep searching for that perfect blouse with the eyelet detailing on the hem that you've been dreaming of. The result can be three things:

1. You never find it - No harm no foul. You don't get to be a part of the trend but you save your money and may be able to buy an authentic version of your next major label obsession.

2. You find it and don't like it anymore - You have decided that you only liked the blouse when it was trendy and now it just reminds you of your grandma's place settings. Yet again you save your money.

3. You find it and still love it - You have finally found the blouse of your dreams at the right price. Not only can you pridefully add the piece to your collection, but you can rest assured that you will not take it for granted or grow tired of it. You worked too damn hard for it and waited too damn long.

Practicing patience ensures that the pieces that end up in your closet are perfectly curated to your taste and will be cherished much more than the sale rack shirt that was nice enough 'for only twenty bucks!'.

Window Shopping - Not a Victimless Crime

The problem of shopping without any direction is obvious - buying things you don't need. It's one thing to stumble upon something that you've been looking for forever. It's another to buy something on a whim just because it looked cute or was a cute price. Often, a lot of the issues above come about because of window shopping.

it's also important to know yourself and your shopping habits. Personally I find that I am much for likely to put something in my cart, let it simmer, and then never buy it online than in store. Since we have the option to shop on line right from beds now, when I make a day of going shopping I feel much more pressure to do something with the time I've invested. This is something I;ve gotten a lot better at though. On my recent trip to NYC my only purchase was a specific headband that I have been coveting since I started this blog. No doubt there were plenty of cute clothes I could have picked up in Soho because, well, when in Rome, but I stopped myself. Some people may see this as silly or a waste of a trip, but I'm proud of myself. If your habits favour impulse buying online rather than in-person, make it a bit more difficult for you to make those purchases. Don't save your cards to your browser or shop accounts, manually input them each time. Disconnect your PayPay. Don't allow yourself to use Apple Pay for online purchases. The more taps you have to get through to make the purchase equals more time to contemplate the purchase.

So the next time you're about to make a purchase, I challenge you to stop and think about the pieces already hanging in your closet, waiting to be well-loved.

Talk soon,

-Vanilla Darling Xx