High neck sweatshirt, £120, The Pangaia; Organic cotton shirt, £85, With Nothing Underneath; High waisted jeans, £29.99, Lindex; Pink Check Dress, £165, Kitri Studio; Pine green top, £48, Baukjen; Veja Trainers, £115, Office
First, when looking for a particular thing, I exhaust my Vintage options before looking for new. Luckily, vintage fits (oversized blazers, boxy shirts with staggered collars, and high-waisted tapered pants) are what I’d be looking for anyway, so going straight to the source is common sense. My favorite e-haunts are Retold Vintage, Nanin and ASOS Marketplace, which features a host of independent vintage labels.
Supporting Brands that operate with a ‘slow fashion approach’ is also a great option: to minimize waste, this printed dress (pictured) by British brand Kitri is made to order. It’s also worth noting that big brands will have to keep up with demand, so if you’re shopping from a giant fast fashion brand, try to buy from its most responsible range.
I’ve often found that the least worn pieces in my wardrobe are the ones with a slightly offbeat cut. The waist may need to be tightened or the sleeves may be too long, so I’ve gotten into the habit of having things custom made. It can add an extra £10-20 to the price of a garment, but if it’s the difference between spinning it every week and wearing it to death, or none at all, it’s worth the extra.
Our buying goal should be to choose materials that are durable from the start and pieces that we know we’ll wear for years – but if you’ve changed anything or changed in size, give it a second chance to be loved. . I’m ruthless when it comes to reselling or donating things I haven’t worn in a while, whether it’s to a charity shop or one of my sisters. If it prevents someone else from buying something new, it ticks the “obviously useful” durability box I’m working on.
