Today I was faced with the first big temptation of my make-not-buy challenge: Shopping. In London.
I went out for brunch today with my beautiful gal pal Harriet, a day of good food, great conversation and gorgeous company. And, as is tradition for such days out, we went shopping. Now, I was nervous about how I would cope back in the boutique world, my first visit after my little vow of no buying this year, particularly as we were visiting my one of my favourite retail haunts, Covent Garden. I know this area and its shops so well that I can navigate around and find exactly what I'm after in next to no time, something that has caused me to splurge on countless previous occasions. However, today things were very different.
I'm very pleased to say my friends that I resisted temptation! I did not buy a single thing on the shopping trip (well not quite true, because I bought a book and some cupcakes, but they don't count!). And what's more, I found myself looking at the whole process of buying clothes in a completely different way. Because I knew that I wasn't supposed to be buying any clothes on this shopping trip, I found myself looking in much more detail at every item, almost daring myself to be tempted enough to break my promise. And the way I started feeling really surprised me. I'll use the following dress as an example:
Now, Harriet and I were both drawn to this lovely slip dress in Urban Outfitters, and so I made Harriet try it on - being unable to do so myself for temptation reasons. Now, this dress fitted her very nicely and it looked lovely on, but both of us felt that the price tag of nearly £50 really did the dress no favours. And on closer inspection I found more things that just didn't ring true for me. The construction of the dress is really simple, the only slightly fitted aspect being an elastic waistband, and the fabric, though appearing to be silk, is actual some kind of polyester blend. The dress is also really quite flimsy and thin so I doubt it would last long if worn on a regular basis, something that I would expect if I was paying £50 for it. After coming to all these conclusions I just wasn't interested in the dress anymore.
Now, there is nothing really wrong with this dress, it looked lovely on and is pretty, and a past version of myself would probably have bought it, but the new make-not-buy me sees every aspect of the dress, giving me a much clearer perspective on whether I actually really want it/need it or not. And if I decide that I need something similar I can bask in the smug satisfaction that I could make one myself, completely unique and probably half the price :)
So there it is, my first day of temptation, faced, overcome and finished feeling confident and excited about times ahead :) Hurrah for revamping and home crafted outfits, I think I'm officially a fully fledged convert!
P.S. The book I bought is the fabulous "Style Me Vintage" by Belinda Hay, detailing how to create a whole plethora of different vintage hairstyles. I can't wait to give some of them a go!
P.P.S. We bought our cupcakes from Hummingbird Bakery in Soho, they are like little pieces of heaven. Their red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing are to die for. Seriously, if you're ever in the area give them a go!
Have a great weekend everyone :)
5 comments:
It sounds like you had a lovely day. You will not regret that book to get you started on vintage hair styling at home.
I am LOVING your ethos of make-not-buy! If I had any decent skill in dress/clothes making - I think I would tag along for the ride. This is where charity shops step in for me. And sales. I cannot remember the last time I bought something new or full price. However - that means I get a bit of charity shop frenzy and have a bit of a splurge, all the time convincing myself that its ok because it "going to a good cause". My bank balance thinks differently.
I feel the same way about UO clothing. The price is jacked up so far past it's actual worth!
I bet you can make something similar/better!
LandGirl1980 - Hi again! I have that same problem in vintage or charity shops, it's one of the many reasons I started this challenge! I tend to fall head over heels in love with an item of clothing without really thinking about whether I'll wear it, I just love pretty things :) And the book is brilliant, have you used it yourself? The second I get some spare time I'm going to give it a whirl.
Rachel - I think I may revisit this dress at a later date and try making something similar. After all it's basically a chemise, so I could just adapt a lingerie pattern. Like most things in life for me it all comes back to lingerie! :)
Hi there, followed your over here from a comment on my knit-along post on my blog. Congrats on the challenge you've set for yourself and making it through your first shopping trip. :)
p.s That pink cupcake with the rose, omg! I want!
Tasha, lovely to have you here, I love your blog :) I'm excited about the knit-along, I love all the patterns you've picked to choose from, can't wait to hear the decision!
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