BritUgly's Chic Blog

My previous post discussed ways to figure out your own style and thus avoid amassing a huge collection of clothes that you never really want to wear.

Now you’ve got that figured out, here are a few more tips to help you really make the most of when you get round to shopping.

Dress up… and make lists
In my previous post I suggested that you stay away from magazines for a while in order to prevent TRENDS brainwashing, so why not look for inspiration within your own wardrobe. Set aside a whole day – or at least an afternoon – to try on all the clothes you don’t wear that much and figure out what you can do with them. You might have a perfectly good skirt that you love but doesn’t go with anything in your wardrobe. If you don’t want to get rid of the skirt, you need to buy something to wear with it. (If you DO want to get rid of it… see the second tip)

As you are trying things on and experimenting, make a list of items you need to buy. Sometimes just a few key items can open up loads of possibilities in your wardrobe and allow you to wear things you never really could before.

Sell, Sell, Sell
Personally, I have a million reasons for not hanging on to items of clothing which I no longer wear. Lack of storage space is a huge issue as is the general depressing feeling of being surrounded by things I have no use for. It is SO much easier to get dressed if your wardrobe only contains items that you love and that fit well. But, even more so, those clothes you spent all that money on last year that you no longer want are an opportunity to make some money!

Providing your clothes in good condition – if you’re as fickle as me you may have only worn them a couple of times – you really should think about selling them on eBay. If you liked something enough to buy it, then other people will too. Yes, it’s hardly a revolutionary idea, but so few people actually do it. Think about it – you might have three dresses you never wear sitting in a drawer somewhere. If you were to stick them up on eBay you’d make enough money to buy one new dress that you actually want. Twice a year I have a huge clear out and sell off unworn items, alongside some thrifted finds, and make enough money to buy armfuls of new clothes. It feels like you’re getting the new stuff for free!

Invest
Again, I’m stating the obvious, but it pays to repeat this as it’s something I often forget to do myself. One sure way to avoid having a wardrobe full of clothes you never wear is to buy fewer items, but of higher quality. This is my biggest shopping mantra this season.

This time last year, if I’d seen a dress I desperately wanted that was over £200 I wouldn’t have bought it, but would probably have spent the same amount over the next week or so on a cheaper dress or two, or some other random items, as a kind of consolation. Such items would have provided a quick fix, whereas the expensive dress could provide a lifetime (well, a few years at least) of happiness.

Call me a label whore, but there’s something about the ‘designer’ items in my wardrobe that seperates them from the rest. I have so much Topshop/American Apparel/H&M/Thrift that the more expensive stuff is really treasured. When I’ve saved for something expensive and beautifully constructed I know I’m never going to tire of it. Of course, we don’t all have the budget for designer purchases – I definitely didn’t until I hit my mid-twenties* and I ALWAYS buy them in the sale – but the general sentiment of really making an effort to buy less and look for investment pieces is helpful for anyone who is as fickle towards fashion as me.

I was lucky enough to find the Preen dress pictured for £150 in the sale and it is worth SO much more than any two high street dresses I could’ve spent the same money on.

*I’m 25 next month. I’m trying to ease in the phrase ‘mid-twenties’ as I can deny it no longer. Scary!