Fast fashion is a topic I have seen so many people talk about recently and I am so grateful for digital platforms giving us bloggers a space to speak on some of the worlds important topics. Fast fashion is term used by fashion retailers to express fashions quick turn around to keep up with seasonal fashion trends. It is how us as the consumers are consuming fashion. We are buying fast and wasting a lot.
Rewind to two years ago when I was at University and happy to have more than £30 in my account, I would buy nearly everything I liked and a few trendy items. I always knew what my style was and would be when I could afford to you know, actually buy clothes. When shopping I thought less about my style and more about being able to have loads of clothes and not being seen in the same outfit twice.
I've always been obsessed with styling clothes. I have always waited up until 2am to see the MET Gala looks and I have always bought magazine after magazine to see what everyone is wearing. It is just what I love.
As someone who is responsible for our environment, like we all are and someone who is responsible for everything single thing I buy it is up to me to shop responsibly and to purchase items for reasons other than 'it's cute' or 'it's in right now'.
In the past year I have learnt to become very particular when shopping. My first rule is not to buy anything I do not absolutely love and if I am not 100% sure, I will leave it and if I can't stop thinking about it I will go back and get it. In Uni I returned a T-shirt to Urban Outfitters during a poor student month and I have thought about it every month since. It's been 2 years.
My second rule is not to buy anything that simply doesn't fit into my wardrobe. Sometimes we absolutely love an item, it might be some silver boots, a tartan blazer or a blue shirt but if I cannot style it with the existing items in my wardrobe then I know I won't wear it and as a result I end up wasting money, big no no.
When shopping for a particular item I don't just buy any 'black blazer' I wait until I find the blazer with the best fit, the best material, the buttons that match my style and the best price. If I find a black blazer with silver buttons I won't buy it because I don't wear silver, if I find one with a zip I won't buy it because I prefer buttons and if I can't find THE black blazer, usually because I'm a last-minute-lucy then I will change my whole outfit around a piece that I love. Maybe it's a cool red blazer or maybe I'll go home and re-work the existing items in my wardrobe because buying a black blazer I don't love ends up being a waste of money. In the end I end up with 30 mediocre items in my closet which causes me to purchase more with the funds I SHOULD be saving.
I call this 'shopping smart'.
When buying and styling I always start with my own personal style at the core of everything. In a recent post I described it as a laid-back chic mum, who parties hard at night and spends her days at Farmers' Markets. Sometimes my own personal style fits in with trendy items. Right now snake skin is everything but I prefer it to be an element of an outfit and not the whole vibe, in summer the neon outfit thing wasn't very me but it was a super fun look for my holiday to Ibiza and the whole 'vintage' look that was a thing was already my thing so that worked for me. It's about incorporating trends into looks you already love and not trying to create looks you love out of trends. Trust me I looked like I threw up leopard print in 2012 and it was not cute.
At the end of it all, my wardrobe needs to reflect who I am as a person and it needs to contain long-lasting timeless pieces. My wardrobe must haves are
Mom Jeans
Small black handbag
Black turtle neck
White oversized shirt
Black heeled boots
Vintage denim jacket
Doctor Martens
Gold Hoops
+ a few more
Everything else I buy basically gets styled around these pieces giving them life and personality.The problem with trendy items is that they are worn for a season or two and then the next trend starts and no one's wearing polka-dots anymore, pretty awkward when you've just gone polka-dot mad. Then they stay in your wardrobe until you come to the realisation that polka's won't be in for another 5 years, sigh.
My advice would be to figure out your personal style then work out a few looks that you love around that style. Make sure you have at least 8 key items in your wardrobe, whether it be a white t-shirt or chunky black trainers. Be creative and experiment when you're going out out or abroad. If you are into fashion trends that great but work out which trends suit you, which trends you actually like and which trends you should avoid. Mix fashion trends into your own personal style like these images of me wearing an outfit I have been wearing and will wear for years with a TRENDY SNAKESKIN BAG. Balance.
Be mindful when shopping and be mindful of how easy it is to waste money and material by spending money on item you aren't 100% vibing with. Just because you can afford something doesn't mean you have to buy it. Save it until you find the coat of your dreams, you'll appreciate it more in the long run.
Do you focus more on your personal style or fashion trends? How would you describe your personal style?
Love, Shay.
You can watch my YouTube video here.
