Every year I see so many tweets, blogs and articles around the great wardrobe detox that we should all be doing each January. Along with the Christmas pounds we should be shedding the idea is we should also shed the items in our wardrobe that we genuinely don't need. Now this is all very well said, but something I haven't ever been that great at. I have so many clothes that I had to move my step son out of his bedroom to turn that room into my husband's dressing room, because I needed the TWO dressing rooms that the two of us used to occupy. Now it's just me. It is glorious, there are places for everything, I even have a little holiday section thanks to Elika Gibbs from Practical Princess who spent two days organising my thousands of things late last year. Getting super organised was one thing, but when Elika colour coded my clothes and boxed and photographed my shoes, I didn't actually clear anything out. Everything I have just got curated and labelled, like a mini fashion museum.
Then came 2014, or more accurately, the AW13 sales. And a trip to Chanel. Going into a shop or clicking on a website is always a mistake for me so it's lucky I'm so busy I rarely have time to shop outside of Donna Ida. But in the course of spending a quick morning Christmas shopping in December I popped into Chanel in Brompton Cross for a browse. Big mistake, huge! There was a new Boy Bag I had to have. In one colour or two? I could feel myself losing it. I left the shop plotting. I have Chanel bags I don't use. Why don't I use them? Are they the wrong colour, wrong size? It's not like Chanel changes a lot season to season. But the worst (and best) thing was it set me off.
It made me start thinking about all those things in my wardrobe that I'm storing and really don't use and probably never will. If I'm honest I would say wear about 10% of it. Instead of recognising my mistakes, or just facing the fact that some fashion isn't meant to be forever, I should start selling things to make way for lovely fresh new shiny pieces that I WILL use, and daily. Over the years I have shipped off quite a lot of my mid-priced designer pieces to Susie Archer in Lincolnshire who is super organised. She catalogues everything you send to her, then emails a spreadsheet with the item and the price it will sell for and the amount she will keep as commission. Then you just have to reply saying you agree or not. And every three months a cheque arrives. I already had that part of the turning over process sorted but the time had come for me to start letting go of some of the higher priced items, even though I'd paid a lot for them and had barely used them. Like the not-so-practical Chanel bags. Or the Mulberry bag I'd bought and had gone off shortly after. And the Alexander Wang bag that is so heavy it counts as excess baggage when you're travelling.
So I texted Grazzie who owns Fashion Bloodhound and asked if she could sell some things for me. Within days, she had shifted them, so I started delving further and sent her shoes and higher priced clothing too. All designer. And now I'm about to embark on the third phase, which is eBay. A whole new world for me, but I'm going to clear out all the high street, smaller, or more worn pieces that I can't send to an agency to sell. The best bit is I not only feel so much lighter (and can suddenly see the wood for the trees) but am starting to actually be able to put outfits together better but best of all, I can now buy more things! During late December and early January it felt like I was shipping new things in daily. Celine skate shoes, Stella McCartney coats and gorgeous knits, gold Isabel Marant sandals which I know I'll wear all summer. The Chanel Boy Bag I had my eye on, and the Hermes Medor watch I've wanted for ever. There's nothing wrong with making the odd fashion mistake or letting go of something that has served you well but is ready for retirement. Turning those pieces back into cash to keep the fashion world spinning is now my new thing. While I've got my eye on new and vintage pieces, my old may well be someone else's gold. And I'm suddenly a wish list junkie too. Here are the pieces I've got my eye on right now:
I love the idea of matching top and bottom at the moment. How great is this Pyrus outfit from Donna Ida?
I have no idea why I still don't have a pair of Valentino Rock Stud flat sandals, even though I've wanted a pair for two years. This 2014 is the year!
Is there anything better than J Brand leather skinnies? There is actually, it's J Brand HIGH-WAISTED leather skinnies, the famous Maria style! These will be great with a plain white Splendid tee, my Celine skate shoes and of course, my new Chanel bag.
My inner boho wants this bag. To wear with wedges and J Brand Lovestory flares from Donna Ida of course!
Valentino Leather Shoulder Bag
Since I saw this in Paris during buying last year I've been dreaming of the IRO Aubrey jacket. To wear with the IDA Bobby Dazzler of course.
