Better Ways To Cope With Your Passion For Fashion

We’ve all gotta bit of a passion for fashion in some way, right? It’s a form of art, and it’s a way to express yourself, pretty much like a musician, painter, or writer would. You shouldn’t be suppressing that appreciation for something beautiful, but, um, hey, you also shouldn’t let it run away with you. A musician doesn’t break their bank account by buying every nice guitar they see (or they shouldn’t), and you shouldn’t break your bank account by buying every nice piece of clothing or quirky fashion accessory you come across! Restraint is a powerful but difficult thing to master, trust me, I know that! Our minds tell us that we’re denying ourselves something or missing out when we restrain our urges, but the truth is the complete opposite. You’ll appreciate things like fashion far more when you don’t splurge to the point of forgetting why you loved all these gorgeous pieces of clothing in the first place. When you treat yourself to the occasional stunning fashion piece, you appreciate it far more. Here are some ideas as to better ways in which you could cope with your passion for fashion!

Shop cheaply – Unless you’re in complete debt, eeek, which I’ll mention later, you don’t have to give up on fashion. You shouldn’t give up on the things you love, but you should know how to approach your passion for something when it’s costing you a fortune. Every time you need to update your wardrobe (and that means your clothes are too small, old, or torn rather than you simply wanting more), you should consider the cheaper options. You should try thrift shopping because the clothes are not only far less expensive than the big brands change in their stores but they’re also just as nice as clothes in the big shops. As a vintage loving gal myself, I’d say that vintage clothing is far cooler and unique than the mass produced, mainstream things you’ll find on the high street. Better yet, you’ll be shopping ethically when you head into thrift shops, charity shops, or even just swapping with friends; going for the second-hand option may not be as glamorous as buying a brand new skirt, but the sweatshop industry which creates those clothes sure isn’t glamorous either. At least you won’t be funding more hardship for those workers. You could do a little research into other ways to save money when shopping if you’re worried that you might be wasting cash on your clothes (whether you’re prone to splurging or not). So many big stores trick you into thinking you’re getting a great deal when you’re really spending far more than you should be. Do a little research, and hunt stores which offer ethical clothes which are beautiful and come at a fraction of the price you’d see in other stores.

Try the ‘1 month’ technique – This is a clever lil’ technique if you can be strict with yourself. Next time you walk past a shop on the high street and see a stunning dress or top in the window, make a note of it on your phone or a piece of paper. Wait a month, and see how you feel. This is the ultimate way to determine whether you really want a piece of clothing or you just felt the pull of your insatiable urge to shop. If you still want the dress or whatever fashion item you saw in the window one month after first seeing it then you can go ahead and treat yourself to it. If you find that the urge has passed then don’t buy the piece of clothing or the fashion accessory because you probably never really wanted it anyway. You were simply enticed in the moment, and that’s the entire purpose of display windows in shops.

Make a budget – If you really want to curb your excessive spending then you need to start keeping track of it. Take control of the situation, and make a budget. To do this, you need to first look at the money you make each month (if you’re self-employed then note down the average amount of money you make). Once you have a rough figure, note down all the necessities you need to purchase each month; your rent, the average amount you spend on utility bills, and the average amount you spend on food. The figure you end up with should give you an idea of how much money you need to add to your budget for necessities. Make it a little larger than the amount you spent in order to allow for variation. Stick to this figure. It’s pretty darn vital that you always have money set aside for necessities. You should be left with a rough figure concerning the amount of disposable income you usually have for each month. Set aside some, but not all, of this money for shopping; that’s your new monthly budget for “luxuries”, and you can’t exceed. A way to stop yourself exceeding it is to keep only one credit card for emergencies but to never take that card out with you. This is the key to avoiding debt; never spend more money than you make, and you’ll never need to borrow money for anything unnecessary. If you are in debt, whether it’s for something important like a house or excessive borrowing and spending in the past, then suspend all luxury purchases and pool all your disposable income for that month into paying off your debt. Don’t borrow any more money until your debt is gone; ideally, you shouldn’t borrow money for anything other than big purchases such as houses or cars. When you do, of course, paying off the debt quickly is essential to maintain a good credit score which to me, has always been important.

Don’t go to a mall or the high street to kill time – Only hit the shops when you need to buy something vital for your home or your children, perhaps. Don’t stroll into a mall just because you had some free time because that’s when you’re shopping for the sake of improving your mood and not because you actually need (or even really want) any of the things you’re buying. Treating yourself to luxuries is fine every now and then because we all do it, but when you’re more bothered about the momentary rush it gives you to buy something rather than the thing you’re buying then that’s when you need to stop. Your passion for fashion should solely be focused on the fashion itself, and you shouldn’t be hitting the shops if you’re not even sure why you’re doing so. When you do need to shop for necessities such as food then you should try to head for your local grocery store or smaller, local shops in order to avoid the tempting sight of big clothes brands in the center of your town or city. You want to resist temptation as much as possible so that shopping can get back to being a fun past-time for you; you want to buy clothes because you love the actual clothes and not the feeling of swiping your credit card on the register.

Always bring a shopping list – You likely bring a shopping list with you when you go to buy groceries so that you don’t miss anything important or buy something you don’t need, and that’s why you need to apply that logic to shopping for clothing too. As mentioned in the budgeting point earlier, it’s very important that you bring a set amount of cash with you so that you’re not tempted to splurge on your credit card. That way, you can enjoy the luxuries you buy in the knowledge that you won’t have spent more than you can afford. Perhaps more importantly, you’ll only have a limited amount of cash, and that means you’ll buy clothes that you feel truly passionate about in terms of fashion because you won’t be able to afford everything you see.

Accept when your problem has become too serious – Whilst a lot of the advice in this article was aimed towards people with a penchant for fashion, there are different levels when it comes to overspending on the high street. Some people buy the odd expensive thing that they probably should have avoided, but some people are in serious debt because of an uncontrollable shopping addiction. You need to figure out if you’re on that spectrum and how much help you may need if so.

If you treat yourself to the odd luxury then you don’t have a problem; if you treat yourself to silly things then you may need to try budgeting and other tips in this article; if you’ve borrowed money just to buy even more things then you have a serious problem and you need to seek help. It might be time to look into counseling if you can’t control your own urges. If budgeting, cutting up your credit cards, or any other method isn’t enough to stop you then you could also attend meetings with other people who have shopping addictions. Solidarity always helps. Shopping will always be there to temps us, the stores want us to buy things we don’t need, that’s your hard earned money they want so take time before handing it over…do you REALLY need that extra dress? Shop well, my friends. x

What To Do If You Don’t Consider Yourself ‘Fashionable’

So, you don’t consider yourself fashion. There are no rules out there really as to what ‘fashionable is’. You might look at somebody wearing a plain t-shirt and jeans and think they’re fashionable, while somebody else might look at the eccentric outfits of Carrie Bradshaw for inspiration. If you don’t consider yourself fashionable but you’d quite like to be, here’s what you can do:

Overcome Any Self Image Issues – Maybe you don’t consider yourself fashionable because you have self image issues. Everybody has these to some extent, so don’t beat yourself up. The key is to make sure you try to work past them. Where have your self image issues come from? What do you believe about yourself that might not be quite true? By making sure you’re consistent and work on your self image issues each day, in no time your thinking might just begin to change. Your mindset is everything! One thing many people like to do is listen to subliminal messages as they sleep. You could also try reading many self help books on the subject.

Work Out What Clothes You Really Like – Make sure you figure out what clothes you really like. Maybe you don’t really like that shirt and jeans you wear all the time; you just like them because they hide your figure, which you’re conscious of. You need to get over things like this if you’re going to start enjoying the clothes you wear. Here are some tips for figuring out what you like:

  • Decide which clothes you like the look of on your body best. What shapes and styles suit you?
  • Decide on your own personal color scheme. What makes your look radiant?
  • Which clothes make you feel unstoppable when you wear them?

Take A Look At The Celebs – There’s probably a tiny percentage of celebrities out there who actually dress themselves. They pretty much all have personal stylists, so take a look and see who’s style you like best. You can find them in trending stories on the internet and on the news. Buy a few magazines and make a collage. Doing this will help you to figure out the kind of styles you love the most, and it’ll be a big indicator of what you should be wearing. Don’t feel envious of other styles, wear them!

Don’t Compare Yourself To Others – Stop comparing yourself to others. Finding fashionistas that inspire you is a great thing to do, but comparing yourself will only get you down.

Take Pride In Your Uniqueness – Start taking pride in your uniqueness. Love your unique look and body shape. Your unique personality. There’s only one of you in the world. Emulate this with your clothes and see how you feel!

Experiment – Experimenting could help you to improve your confidence a little and get used to wearing new styles. Sometimes all it takes is trying out something new for your eyes to be opened.

Try these things and you might just start considering yourself to be fashionable sooner than you think!

Five Cheap Ways To Update Your Wardrobe

One of the best things about welcoming a new season is getting to see the new fashions and maybe indulging in a new outfit or two. But, as much as we want it, we can’t all afford to buy an entirely new wardrobe every time the season changes, *sad face*. Fortunately, there are several ways to update your look without paying designer prices.

Thrift Shopping – It’s all very well setting yourself a fashion budget and promising you’ll stick to it, but you can’t always ignore the call of that tempting summer dress that would be just perfect for that upcoming event you’re attending next week. Luckily, you can give in to temptation for a bargain if you shop exclusively in thrift shops. If you want something of a higher quality, go to shops in upscale neighbourhoods and get something absolutely stunning for a fraction of its high street cost. If you’ve found an item you love, but it’s too big for you, buy a matching belt to take it in a bit, or work your own magic on it if you’re handy with a needle. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t find anything in the first shop you visit. Sometimes you have to dig deep to find buried treasure.

Clothes Swap – Of course, why spend money at all if you have friends who are about the same dress size as you. Chances are you’re not the only one who can’t afford to spend money on new clothes this season, so the best solution is to get a group of friends together and organise a clothes swap. Perhaps there’s a shirt or dress of theirs that you’ve always admired that they don’t want anymore. Maybe you have something that no longer fits you that would suit them perfectly. The more friends you invite, the more options you’ll have. It’s also a fun way to spend a day together.

Invest In The Basics – Some high street stores have a ‘basic’ line, which includes shirts, skirts, and trousers that have no enhanced designs or patterns. These are cheaper than items with patterns or creative designs, but the upside is that these are often updated along with the rest of their seasonal lines. With the right combination of shoes, bag and belt, even the most basic outfit can be transformed into a fashion statement.

Get Creative – If you’re good at sewing and you have a creative flair, you can just update your existing wardrobe by customising it. If you have items of clothing that you still love, but are a bit worn out, simply repair the holes and wear them again with pride. However, if you have perfectly good items that just don’t match your tastes anymore, you can use your sewing skills to transform the item into something you’d be proud to wear again.

Check The Back Of The Wardrobe –Buried deep in the back of your closet are incredible items that you love but you haven’t worn in years. Get looking, you’ll be amazed at what you had forgotten about! 

Springtime is on the way

the prim girlYeeep-yeep! The first few peekaboo signs that spring is coming have made me a happy girl. Happy enough that I managed to get out into a patch of sun to shoot my new dress. Not quite ready to break out the summery colours yet but, twas indeed a treat to get the sun on my skin and see a few flowers showing the top of their heads in the soil!

the prim girl

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  • Dress-OC at Urban Outfitters
  • Boots- Aldo (2006)
  • Bag- Vintage
  • Nail Varnish- ‘Purple Ash’ by Models Own at Boots

Shoop-Shoop Shooooes.

Goodness me, shoes are just glorious, what girl doesn’t love them? Like most, I have a pretty sizable collection of shoes. Some I wear to death, others mostly sit there to be admired and slipped on once in a while. I love both vintage and modern shoes, I love sexy high heels, I adore snakeskin and good old leathers, I love glitter and bow details……I also loooove boots, mostly brown boots and 80’s kitten heel ankle boots. With both my shoes and boots I like them to look lived-in and well-loved, I like to look like I walked a few blocks in them, don’t know why but I don’t like the look of brand new shoes, I want my shoes to look as if I have had good times in them. My bedroom is pretty littered with footwear, they are as much ornamental as they are wearable and as with all my vintage pieces, I like to wonder about where the shoes have been worn, who by and how much dancing have they done.

A few of my most favorite pairs of shoes are; my 1920’s silver leather shoes, so flapper, I imagine these danced the Charleston a few times! A great pair for all sorts of outfits that require a feminine and pretty neutral shoe, very dainty and girly, pretty comfortable too.

Another amazing pair are my 1940’s black suede shoes, I call these my ‘Cage’ shoes as they make it look like your feet are in little ornate cages, I love how the foot is pretty much fully on show at the same time as being covered, part of why I love shoes is that ultimately, I think women’s feet look so sexy in them and this pair of shoesies are a great example. These are so classically 1940’s and in stunning condition, you don’t see a lot of shoes like this, a great statement pair worn with a plain dress.

These 1980’s pink and white leather heels are just ace. So definitive of their era and pretty unusual too, great with skinny jeans and a blazer.

These 1980’s black suede and diamante bow slingbacks literally make my heart jump, sooo cute with their over sized bow and so feminine with their open sides and slingbacks…perfect with a black dress.