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How to Know If You’ll End up Wearing Something You Buy

By October 27, 2016 Fashion

One of my favourite books is “Women in Clothes“. Truth to be told, I haven’t read it in a while, but I still appreciate every page of it and will definitely have a re-read at some point. It’s somehow such an inspiring read filled with such diverse and wonderful women, and it raises some really thought-provoking questions to ask yourself. If you want to know more about the book, you can read about it here, but for today I wanted to focus on one specific question in the survey…

ethical shopping advice - will you wear what you buy - women in clothes book

Are you generally a good judge of whether what you will buy will end up being worn? Have you figured out how to know in advance?

As someone trying to do their best in creating the most ethical and sustainable wardrobe possible, I think about what I buy a lot before actually purchasing it. I’m not going to lie and say I do this in all aspects of my life, because I don’t know where my bedding is made or how the mugs I drink from were produced, but when it comes to my clothes I can assure you that I try to be as conscious about things as I can be. So when it comes to working out whether I will actually wear something, I believe I have started to nail the process on the head.

Generally these days, I don’t shop on the high street. I don’t even step foot in places like Primark anymore because they just don’t interest me and I know I don’t agree with how their company works, so that does whittle down the decision process a little.

I don’t have to think about where something is made because generally, I’m shopping from places that base their work around exactly that – transparency. I’m hopefully going to be doing a post to re-launch my ethical directory, but if you want to see where I shop from beforehand, I guess you could go take a look at it now anyway…

ethical shopping advice - will you wear what you buy - women in clothes book

That doesn’t, however, get rid of the sustainability factor. A big factor of shopping ‘slow fashion’ is cutting down on your consumption of products so that you don’t have as much waste in the future, and so that we can start lowering the amounts of items made. We’re all guilty of getting rid of clothes and that can be for several reasons; the fit, the style, a fault, or like the point of this post, just realising we should never have bought it in the first place.

Trying to think about what I already have is one of the most important things, which leads me on to part of the advice section below, about trends. I personally believe that trends are one of the biggest reasons we don’t end up wearing what we buy.

In the moment it might seem like a great idea, but a few months later when yet another trend is cropping up, you’ll be wanting to get rid of the old and get back in with the new. So… how do we avoid that and know we’ll actually end up wearing what we’re buying?

ethical shopping advice - will you wear what you buy - women in clothes book

Ask yourself if it’s a trend piece…

As I said above, trends really are a big reason as to why we as consumers waste so much. They’re made so that companies can continue to make profits; if you’re always made to feel like you’re missing out, then you’re always going to want to buy what’s there before it’s gone. Ask yourself if it’s really going to be something you’ll want to wear next season, and the next, or whether it’s something that is only there for the ‘hype’.

Does anything you own already match?

I had this dilemma with a coat recently. It was faux leopard print fur in a bright blue colour, and it looked pretty awesome; granted it was second-hand and that would have been perfectly fine to wear, but if it hadn’t had been, it would have been a bit of an obscure purchase to buy when what I’m wearing currently, hardly matches at all. I like to think about how many outfits I can make with an item. Will this skirt match any of my tops? Could it work mix-matched? Would it work with tights in the winter?

A really great challenge is the ’30 day wear’ challenge, which aims to help you wear an item for as much as it’s worth. If you can wear an item thirty times or more, then it’s probably been a worthwhile investment. So ask yourself before you buy; could you see yourself wearing it for 30 days?

ethical shopping advice - will you wear what you buy - women in clothes book

Can you find an ethical or sustainable alternative?

There are brands out there that cater to trends. One of my favourites is currently ASOS’ Reclaimed Vintage. According to a tweet I received, all of their products are made in the UK from reclaimed vintage fabrics (hence the name). Their pieces are pretty damn affordable for what they are, and they change according to the season.

So when you’re buying something that isn’t necessarily coming from the most trustworthy of sources, ask yourself if you could put it on hold to find an alternative that will not only last you longer but also won’t do any damage when it comes to the earth, environment or the fast fashion industry that we need to start changing.

Even shopping second hand can cater to trends too. I picked up a pink roll neck sweater from the RSPCA charity shop (featured in these pictures, and styled in this post), and ever since, I’ve been seeing them everywhere. It might take a little longer to find, but it is possible. Scroll through eBay! Check out Depop on your phone or even the Oxfam website (yes, they ship outside the UK).

Sleep on it…

That’s a phrase that brands producing 52 micro-collections a year probably don’t like to hear, but it’s something you should really start doing more often. If you walk away from something you catch your eye on, you’ll know for definite if it’s really worth buying if you sleep on it and wake up still thinking about it.

That’s actually what happened with that pink roll neck sweater (other than literally sleeping). I walked out of the shop unsure, and ten minutes later I was walking back in and trying it on before handing over the (new, plastic) £5 note to buy it.

ethical shopping advice - will you wear what you buy - women in clothes book

Snap decisions and impulse purchases are all well and good if you know that you’ll actually end up enjoying what you buy more than the excitement of actually buying it. It’s exciting, right? Going shopping and seeing something that you know will leave you with a buzz when it’s wrapped up in a bag in your hand?

But what if that purchase costs less than the cup of coffee you’re about to drink to give yourself a breather from all that walking around? What if the delivery costs more for that dress you’re about to buy in the sale? What is that really saying about it?

You’ll know you’ll end up wearing something you buy if you think about it first. Be conscious – that’s pretty much my main motto at the moment.


What are your tips on knowing whether you’ll wear something you buy? Let me know in the comments!


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NEW TDP Ethical Directory for Fashion Brands

By August 9, 2015 Ethical

So, whilst I’ve been having a bit of a blogging low, I’ve actually been working behind the scenes on something that I think you guys are going to like! I’ve been asked a few times what ethical brands I recommend since I’ve started talking more ethical fashion, so I thought why not create a list of all of them?

Ethical Directory For Fashion Brands - ASOS Africa, People Tree, Reformation

Ethical Directory For Fashion Brands - ASOS Africa, VILA, VERO MODA

~ TDP’S ETHICAL DIRECTORY ~

Dah-dah! I’ve created an Ethical Directory. A list of brands that I’ve discovered that are all giving back in someway or another, whether that be ethically, sustainably, or both! Some of them I’ve known for a while now, and some of them I’ve only just discovered since working on the list, but either way, I’m sure you’ll enjoy having a browse.

I’ve devised the directory into 7 categories, and they all have handy links so you can get to each of them easily. Have a click on these if you want to go straight to it…


Favourites // Fashion // Accessories & Footwear // High End £££ // Basics // Second-hand // Miscellaneous


Ethical Directory For Fashion Brands - EMG, O MY BAG, Reformation

So far, I have 3 brands/designers per category, which I know doesn’t seem like much, but I thought it would be a good, organised, base to start from. There are 3 images displayed which point to each brand’s website, as well as 3 drop down toggles which have basic information and another, easy, clickable link. Price ranges/dates maybe rough, but I’ve tried to be as clear as possible! 

Some of the brands maybe 100% ethical and sustainable already, and some brands may be on their way, but hopefully this gives you an idea of what is actually out there and makes you start to think before you buy! I really hope to expand the directory and hopefully, you can help too!

Ethical Directory For Fashion Brands - ASOS Africa, Oxfam, People Tree

~ GET INVOLVED ~

If you want to get involved with my new ethical directory, then click on the banner above (or this link). Follow the link to a tweet, and add in your brand name/Twitter handle. I’ll have a peep through the hashtag, #EthicalTDP, and if I find any brands or designers that pick my fancy, I may just add them to my directory. How does that sound?

So, what do you think of my new ethical directory for fashion brands? I really hope you like the idea and that you get involved with making it grow! Don’t forget to comment any ethical brands too; I’d love to know of some more…


Are you a brand who wants to be listed in my Ethical Directory? Head over to my advertising page to learn more. I’m currently offering a small, limited amount of features.


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My Style: Fangirling BANKSY in Neon*

By June 21, 2014 My Style

It’s another My Style post! No wonder as they are probably my favourite to post as I get to edit the pictures nicely and all that jazz! Plus, you guys seem to like them…. so I ain’t complaining! 😀 Pssst, want to go to a musical party with the people at Company magazine on June 25th?! Click here to find out how you could grab some tickets!

banksy cheltenham new look lemon clutch noa noa oxfambanksy cheltenham new look lemon clutch noa noa oxfam banksy cheltenham new look lemon clutch noa noa oxfamWhat I Wore: Neon Scribble Top £7.99 (New Look)*, Blue Pleated Skirt £2.00 (H&M – Worn underneath), Midi Petticoats £7.99 (Noa Noa – Oxfam), Lemon Clutch £9.99 (New Look)* & Nike Free TR Fit 5.0 (JD Sports)*

A lot of time recently, I go to my wardrobe and say ‘What would Susie wear?’… Susie being fellow blogger, Susie Lau/Bubble, and I definitely feel like this is her kind of outfit… toned down a bit! I saw these (there are two… one white, one green) petticoats in Oxfam… just poking out like, ‘Take me home… take me home!’, and that’s exactly what I did. For me £7.99 is quite a lot for a charity shop, but I have no regrets. I love the way they look fun, but the length gives them that ‘chic’ edge to them, and anything tulle makes me happy. My bargain H&M skirt I got in October is perfect for how sheer it is too… aww I just love this outfit! Oh wait, hang-on, did I mention I did these pictures in front of a Banksy?! Yeah, just casual… 😀

banksy cheltenham new look lemon clutch noa noa oxfam banksy cheltenham new look lemon clutch noa noa oxfam banksy cheltenham new look lemon clutch noa noa oxfamI’m obsessed with this top from New Look too… it’s not cropped, but it’s definitely not full length. It hits me just at the right place and is so comfortable! I loveeee it! Anyway, enough about that, lets talk Banksy! You probably know where this is already, but isn’t it cool?! It’s actually really big, and I love the fact it’s in an open space so you always notice it. I really would love to know how much the house it is on is worth… or how many times people have posed in the phone box! Me and Papa Posh were taking these pictures and we are pretty sure we made it a trend… lots of people came over and did the same thing… well except without the outfit detail shots in the mix!

banksy cheltenham new look lemon clutch noa noa oxfam banksy cheltenham new look lemon clutch noa noa oxfam banksy cheltenham new look lemon clutch noa noa oxfamPraise the lord of the magical world of bags… LOOK. AT. THIS. CLUTCH. It’s a LEMON. Yes, a LEMON. How cool?! I don’t actually use bags that much because I never having anything I need to bring with me, but this is the perfect size. It doesn’t feel too big just to have sunglasses and a lip balm in (yup…), so it’s honestly the best bag ever. I’ve already got it grubby… it’s definitely going to be my essential this summer! On top of that, how cute does it look!

banksy cheltenham new look lemon clutch noa noa oxfamHave you seen any Banksy artworks up close and personal? Where, when and what was it?! I’d love to know! Leave a comment if you like 😀

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