Dress - Charity Shop
Bralet - New Look
Cardigan - Charity Shop
Bag - Flea Market
Shoes - Office
Socks - Primark
I've said this before, but, I do really love it when outfit is almost entirely second hand from either a charity shop, car boot or flea market ect. There is just something about second hand clothes that I will always love. I enjoy the fact that I am able to wear a completely unique outfit and also that buying and wearing secondhand clothes is, actually, a form of recycling. By buying second hand you not only add unique quality pieces in your wardrobe for a cheaper price but you're also helping the environment. Just think about how much energy, money and fossil fuels must be needed to make new clothes for every single trend and season, every single year. It's mad. It's one of the reasons why I have never been a fan of disposable fashion or never wholly committed myself to passing trends. They do say, after all, that fashion is a cycle. You might as well hold onto items that were on trend a few years ago instead of buying them again when they next make a fashionable return.
We live in a world where being wasteful is the norm, where anything that gets a slight defect is thrown out immediately. How about instead of throwing out that dress with a broken zip you take the time to repair it? Instead of wishing your maxi dress was a mini just chop it? I'm a firm believer in that if you don't like something then change it. But what if you just really don't want the item anymore? When I do want to de-clutter my wardrobe I go through a series of stages to ensure that I'm contributing to landfills as little as possible:
1 - Rehome: First thing I do when I have gotten bored of an item is ask if any of my friends or family would like to take it off my hands. This is one of my favourite ways to get rid of clothes as it is so nice to see people enjoying an item that you once enjoyed yourself. It's also cool to see them rocking it in a way you would never have thought of - this usually leads to me borrowing it back off them to wear it in a similar way, haha. With this idea you can also host a clothes swap party where you all bring items you no longer want and swap them for ones you do want. I've gotten so many new items in my wardrobe thanks to this.
3 - Donate: So again I am faced with items that no one wants but I don't give up there, I donate. I make sure all the items that I do donate are in good condition and clean before bagging them all up and heading over to my fave charity shops. You could also use those charity bags that you get in the post and just leave the bag outside your door.
4 - Recycle: This is similar to donating but more for those items that are in such bad condition they are beyond repair. I'm talking holey socks, stretched white T-shirts with sweat stains, those disgusting joggers that you could never get the pizza stains out of - things that reverted to being lounge wear but have even surpassed that. These things can still be put some use by being donated as fabric instead of clothes at various recycling centres. They are then used as cleaning cloths or turned into fibers for things like upholstery and the such like.
5 - Bin: If all else fails you can bin and I am willing to forgive you - But - only if it's as a last resort.
So, I really didn't mean this post to turn out like this but I quite enjoyed writing it. I hope I have inspired a few of you out there to think twice before lift up the bin lid. Also, want to know the best bit? This doesn't just apply to clothes - You can use these steps for absolutely anything when it comes to de-cluttering. Waste not want not.
Because I couldn't find a song about recycling.
