Happy New Year!
I don’t know about you, but I feel I’ve gone straight back in at the deep end… on-boarding a new assistant and catching up on two weeks of missed emails. No complaints here though, what a fantastic start to 2020.
Who’s completed the annual tradition of setting their New Years resolutions yet?
I don’t usually have any, but this year I do - and wanted to share it publicly, in the hope that it may help me stick with it beyond the first few weeks good intentions.
To see a video where I talk about this in further depth head across to my IGTV.
Despite what my IGTV Friday Finds and career as a stylist might lead you to believe, I actually don’t shop for myself that often. But over the Christmas break I went and did a bit of sale clothes shopping, and I realised there’s actually no more items I want or need, and that I have more than enough. The stores and all the clothes and people and excess felt a bit yuck. And that got me thinking.
And to cut a long story short - I’ve decided that, for the entirety of 2020, I will not be buying any new clothes. Or books. Or jewellery. Or makeup, skincare, the list goes on….
That’s right - a ‘no spend’ or ‘low spend’ year.
I know what you’re thinking, surely that conflicts with the nature of the industry I’m in? Well, this is another reason I wanted to share - as actually it’s completely in line with my brand message, and what I am forever relaying to my clients.
Having become consistently more aware of sustainability, I have made conscious decisions over the last 5 years to increase the quality of the outfits I buy. Occasionally I’ll shop at Zara, but predominately I invest in brands at a higher price point. This has changed my wardrobe as I get rid of less than I used to when I was a high street shopper, and therefore I need to buy less new items. Whatever I buy now will last me years, making it economically and financially more sensible in the long run.
So, by practising what I preach and shopping this way, over the last few years I have come to have everything I need. Anything I buy at this point is another version of something I already have - making it easy for me to decide I don’t actually need anything new. I have everything from super casual to beachwear to evenings out.
As I always tell my clients; we’re identifying your personal style, and then building a wardrobe to encapsulate that. I know my style, and I have built a wardrobe to compliment it. There’s no need to consistently be buying in large quantity, as quality is of so much more importance.
The caveat I have got for myself is if something is really worn out, I can replace it. Or, if I happen to gain weight - that’s a separate issue, particularly as I’m a big advocate of accepting and dressing for your size.
Although a little scary, I am embracing the challenge! To look at another positive: I am going save some money that can otherwise be allocated to doing up my house or adding to my pension.
So that’s my big ‘new year, new me’ news!
In light of this, along with my ongoing shoulder injury, I will be changing my Friday Finds slightly. Although I do emphasise that the pieces I find and show are long term items, I want to further encourage people to not be constantly buying new things. Therefore, I will still be doing a weekly IGTV video and blog, but the content will vary more, as you’ll see in the coming weeks.
Other than that, I have some really exciting projects lined up for 2020, including: working on an online programme, holding more workshops (first one coming up on February 14th) and working 1-1 with some fantastic old and new clients. So be sure to check in and not to miss out.
If you are somebody thats thinking of hiring a stylist this year, and are considering me or one of my team, do get in touch and don’t leave it until the last minute. We’re booking up fast already for 2020!
If you have any comments or questions on the above, feel free to get in touch - I’d love to hear your thoughts.