5 Things Friday - What’s Not Working and Why!

I've delved into why some items haven't worked (with some surprising results), and how this is going to shape my future shopping. Plus, a styling challenge for you all to join in with!

This week’s newsletter is free for everyone. There’s an exciting style challenge for you all to join in with over the next week, so make sure you read on and get involved! If you’re a free subscriber, this is an opportunity to see the kind of stuff that a paid subscription gives you. You'll get style advice, fashion finds, travel reviews, and access to the subscriber chat, plus over 87 newsletter archives! Fancy upping your subscription to paid? It costs less than £1 a week to join in the fun.

Hello dear friends, how’s the wardrobe clear-out going? I know it takes some time, but this week I feel I’ve turned the corner and I am reaping the benefits of not giving up! On a personal level, I feel lighter and happier to open my wardrobe doors and think “what shall i wear today?”, even on a damp grey January morning, and not feel overwhelmed. I’ve more space and less creased clothes and can make choices without having to shift through piles to see what I have! A big plus for me has been that it has given me some time. Is it an age thing, but I spend a ridiculous amount of time looking for stuff? My favourite white T-shirt, red socks to match with a beanie, or my gym stuff, which I constantly misplace! Now I am feeling very smug at being able to reach for stuff and find it within an instant… and my family is a lot happier too as I often suggest that someone else may be responsible for these items going walkabout.

But before I give myself too much praise, this week has also meant having a look at what I’ve not been wearing in my wardrobe. I’m not Yorkshire born and bred, but after 34 years I feel the Yorkshire propensity to be careful with the pennies has rubbed off, and there is nothing I hate more than wasting my hard-earned cash. I can't stand spending money on unworn clothes, but I also love a discount, so that can sometimes lead to impromptu sartorial decisions! I’m also in a position, because of my job, that I get offered clothes, and I do receive clothes as part of my paid partnerships. I have always only accepted clothes that I will actually wear, (not just for the collaboration), but a few years ago I decided to only accept gifts occasionally and, when I can, work on a loan basis, particularly with small brands. This helped me keep things more manageable. When it comes to spending my own money, I keep to a few rules to make sure I’m really cutting down on bad decisions. Here’s my checklist when I’m considering a purchase:

• If buying it in a sale, would I have bought it at full price?

• Have I already got similar in my wardrobe?

• Am I repeatedly buying the same items because I'm stuck in a style rut?

• Does something in my wardrobe already fulfill this need?

• Once I buy something I also give myself 2 weeks maximum to wear it. If I haven’t worn it by then, will I really reach for it enough in the future? This has really helped me cut down on unwanted clothes.

So, having done the ground work, what did my wardrobe clear-out reveal?

1. The Cos Cashmere Jumper

I’m slightly bending the rules because I bought this jumper last year, but I got it out this year and I’ve not reached for it once! It’s 100% cashmere, so it cost a lot, but I bought it online without trying it on intending it to go with some cord trousers that I had bought. When it arrived I loved the fit and style but was immediately disappointed with the colour - it was advertised as burgundy but didn’t match the trousers at all. A few weeks later they changed the description online, so I obviously wasn’t the only one who thought it looked more purple or plum than burgundy! I don’t live near a Cos store and missed the return date, which was really annoying, so I persevered and wore it a few times last year… maybe twice! The main issue was the colour. I’m not a purple person and nothing in my wardrobe comes to mind when I think of what colours to wear with it. It’s been sitting at the back of my wardrobe since then and, because I bought a similar version this year in red which I’ve worn loads, it has remained unworn until my wardrobe clear-out. I tried it on again this week and… I love it! Last year I had almost black hair and felt the purple drained me. But this time as soon as I put it on my daughter commented on how it bought the colour of my eyes out! I was also working at school and didn’t have much need for a thick chunky jumper last year, but now with my new silver hair and more casual clothes lifestyle I’ve resolved to wear it more often - in fact I’m wearing it now as I type!

The Take… Having a clear-out, and most importantly a try-on, can make you fall in love with your clothes all over again, particularly if you’ve had a lifestyle change or even a hair colour change like me! I’ve given myself a few weeks to make sure I’m making the right decision, and then if I’ve not worn it enough I will be culling!

2. The Whistles Bonded Leather Jacket in brown

You probably know that I bought the black version of this leather jacket a few years ago and have worn it loads and loved it; I’d say it is one of my favourite items. It always makes me feel good when I wear it and I frequently get complimented on it too. So when they brought it out in brown (one of my favourite colours), it was a no brainer in my opinion, plus I kept getting tempted seeing some of my favourite influencers wearing it. It’s an investment buy, and I have never bought multiple items in different colours before, but when it went on sale it went straight to basket. When it arrived I had every intention of selling my black one now I had the brown version, but I’m so glad I waited. Since I got it in June, I have worn it a couple of times, but not enough to justify the price tag, even in the sale. I always say your most expensive items should be the ones you wear the most, so I wasn’t happy that I wasn’t wearing it as much as my black one - not at all what I had anticipated.

The Take… repeat-buying the same item, but in a different colour, doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll wear it. I know that some people do love the concept of buying in all colours, and maybe it makes sense for something like a sweater, but the opportunities for wearing a leather jacket are not as frequent and I’d already fulfilled my needs with the black version. The brown version is also quite a dark brown, so it wasn’t different enough from the black and I bought a quilted brown version (again in the sale), which is very different, and I’ve worn that many times already. So this one has to go on the to-go pile!

3. YSL Loafers

So, again not a new buy, but in the four years I’ve owned them I’ve only worn them a couple of times! Another investment buy - and yes it really hurts that I haven’t worn them at all in the last year! I love a loafer, and at the moment I’m lusting over the black and burgundy YSL versions, but that still hasn’t meant I’ve worn my off-white pair. I bought them in the summer and decided that as they were so expensive I should buy them in a more stand out colour to make them feel more special. In hindsight that hasn’t worked for me as it’s the colour that is stopping me from wearing them!

The Take… Check your lifestyle needs before you make a purchase! A pair of white loafers just isn’t that practical for me. I often say to buy something at a high street price before you make an investment purchase. I should have followed my own advice with this one!

4. M&S Crepe Trousers in black.

I bought the M&S trousers in September as part of my basics edit. I’d bought the same style the year before in a cream and wore them to death, so a pair of black wide legs would be a great basic for me, you’d think? Well, I’ve not wore them once since I got them, but because they’re such a good basic I've hung onto them, thinking that I would definitely wear them! I got them out this week, tried them on and thought why haven’t I worn these? They’re perfect for winter, a really nice fit and I could instantly think of a few ways I’d style them up, so what was the issue? I think it boils down to the change in my lifestyle. Previously, black wide leg trousers would have been a well worn item in my wardrobe, especially for work, but now I’m wfh I’ve been living in my jeans and joggers.

The Take… A lifestyle change has meant I’ve not been wearing these, but trying them on made me want to think of different ways to wear them to suit how I dress now. It’s really easy to get into a style rut by always reaching for the same pieces and not making use of your wardrobe. Last week I had this great comment from Sue after the wardrobe clear-out edit.

“My wardrobe is quite organized so I don’t need a clear out and I’d actually suggest that people put a little-worn item on their rail and try to wear it over the next couple of weeks. It’s easy to default to our usual so we need to exercise our outfit making muscles!”

5. The Challenge…

This leads me nicely onto a little challenge for myself and all of you, should you wish to accept it. Having tried on my wide-leg black trousers, I realise I like them and it’s more my outfit-planning laziness that’s meant that they are unworn. I don’t want to let them go, so for next week's newsletter I’m going to style them up in a few ways to suit my current lifestyle. I’m sure lots of you probably found an item in your clear-out that you’re hesitant to give up too. So, I’d love you to join me in the challenge and style up the item in a few different ways then share your ideas with a few mirror selfies. I’ll put a thread up on the CHAT next Friday and I’m hoping you’ll all share your pictures too, so we’ll all have a bank of ideas to inspire us!

I’ve opened this challenge to free subscribers too, in the spirit of the more the merrier, and so we have lots of ideas to share. When you post your pictures don’t forget to say, which item it is you’re styling. You can remain anonymous if you wish and just show your outfit - so no excuses!

That’s it from me this week, I’m currently having a few days in the lakes with the family. The weather has been gorgeous and just what I needed to blow away the post Christmas cobwebs!

Get thinking about the item you wish to style up and I’ll see you all next week,

Melissa xx