the last shop...gasp

On Saturday I went on my last shop for a whole year. I confess I bought more than is normal in one expedition, filling perceived gaps in the wardrobe for the coming months. I also confess a concern that my 'needs' may have been somewhat summercentric and now harbour dark fears that come october I will be a shivering, hypothermic casualty to the cold. Doubtless all 42 jumpers will be deemed 'so last season' and I will be forced to layer maxi dresses and cardigans in order to maintain some semblance of a fashion focus as memories of this lovely Saturday of consumerism fade into oblivion.

As this was not just any shopping outing, I made an executive decision to venture further afield. Liverpool One made an excellent destination for the occasion even though there were no half naked men outside of Holister....sad times people.

A solid four hours later I and the delightful Bambi emerged victorious from the aformentioned Scouse consumer haven, just before my arms actually dropped off. The bounty of the trip is listed below;

• 2 maxidresses (I had high hopes for a dress and a skirt but I had my hopes dashed as skirts remained mysteriously absent from the entire shopping complex).
• A pair of khaki shorts which I will endeavour to take from day to night during these balmy summer weeks we are promised.
• A vest top and a tank. I have never had a real tank vest thingy before and heaven forbid I relinquish the opportunity as I can't quite imagine it will be long before we realise they are quite ridiculous.
• 2 necklaces in a fetching burnished gold....I may need to investigate fashions' current preoccupation with burnished metal.
• 2 pairs of shiny flip flop/ gladiator efforts for those relaxed yet glamorous nights we hope to have so many of this summer.
• a little light blazer which will be a marvel for looking smart yet fashion aware.
• A little jersey dress as it did occur to me that I might look a little 'samey' at work.
• 2 pairs of earrings and 2 little sets of bangles.
• Oh and a pair of jeans purchased from a man in Hollister wearing more clothes than is customary for the establishment (sigh again).

All these are pictured below but as you can clearly see there are artistic chasms between myself and Neil1 where the photography is concerned.....perhaps I need photoshop and a crash course....help anyone?

I think that is everything, as you can see I was very reserved. So now all that remains is to wait with trepidation until the official start date on Thursday and to count the rest of my accessories. On that note I hypothesise that creativity with necklaces and the like may be the best weapon I have in the fight against boredom as I venture forth into the unknown. Additionally I am sure no one can wait to hear the ridiculous number of things I have in my costume jewellery stash, oh, just me then?

the inventory

As we all know, any decent mission begins with an intense period of preparation. And although it is widely believed that I am to organisation what a chocolate teapot is to a good china tea set, on this occasion I have risen to the challenge.

In awe of the challenge that awaits me I determined that I must complete an inventory. Develop if you like, an intimate knowledge of the skeletons in my  closet. The forgotten gems and the heinous crimes that fill the drawers and cupboards of any young women with a tendency to buy new as opposed to reuse. The eco warriors amongst us would recoil to know that (according to the clothes show live) the average woman owns 100 items of clothing but only wears 30.

http://www.suite101.com/blog/liveandlearn/2008 

NB Even prior to my wardrobe recce, I had a sneaking suspicion that this was an underestimate for me on both counts.

Regardless of all of this and lest I digress; the purpose of this blathering is to appraise you all of what I will have to work with over the year, the paints I have to decorate the blank canvas of me....so to speak.

The lovely Neil 1 (there are two lovely Neil's watch this space for Neil 2) popped round for tea and wardrobe rummaging last Tuesday, with a loose brief to 'help me take some photos'. I suspect the poor dear had no idea how long he would be expected to 'help' for. 6 hours later, one exhausted Neil and one exhaustive list later........here is what I own....

12 coats

16 belts and 15 bags

 
 
 
 

40 dresses (ermm no comment)

42 jumpers, yes you heard....

 

26 pairs of shoes and 9 pairs of boots! oopsy

16 skirts, thats ok. That feels normal....is that normal?

30 t-shirts, no, I don't understand how they fit in such a smal drawer either... and they live with 27 vest tops (below).

I also own a broad range of accessories.....ahem. 18 pashminas (you never can be too prepared), 30 other scarves (like I said, its best to be safe). 6 pairs of gloves, and 7 hats.

I also own 11 pairs of shorts, 12 pairs of Jeans and 4 pairs of trousers...but I dont like the photo. 

Its going to take me some time to digest the gravity of this information, I will be back soon.  

The rules

So, any good mission needs guidelines, and as the 1st of July looms my mind has turned to the rules of Hanger Strike. Gulp.

Many a ponderous conversation with friends and colleagues over the last couple of weeks has centred on this riveting topic, there are many views but most prominent is the belief that this must not be easy. There is no point in doing something if you aren't going to do it properly. So here goes;

I will not buy any item of clothing over the course of the year from the 1st July 2010 until the 1st July 2011.

I will not purchase any accessories, scarves, coats or bags from the 1st July 2010 until the 1st July 2011.

If a pair of shoes breaks I am allowed to replace them.

I can borrow clothes in an emergency: emergencies count as weddings and funerals.

I can replace underwear but not buy randomly (after all, no one likes a greying bra).

So not many rules, but enough to truly terrify me. In honesty I have not a clue what the year holds for me and how I will find it. Many possibilities have been foreseen. For example, I may go through something akin to a period of cold turkey, in which I am stressed and shivering for a number of weeks before settling into a period of acceptance of my year's pledge. Alternatively, the opposite may happen and an initial period of happy rediscovery of long forgotten items will quickly fade into oblivion. The realisation of the sheer quantity of outfits required for a full year of shallow vanity may cause ascending levels of depression and distress as the mission progresses. Finally, and most likely, I will negotiate my wardrobe mixology with remarkable aplomb until an unexpected event, a date for example. At which point I will cease to cope and will crumple into a heap of unadulterated helplessness as I am forced to consider how on earth anyone could possibly be interested in a girl wearing last season's dress. Whatever happens I will endeavour not only to document my inner turmoil but also to contextualise this in terms of the drivers of my feelings, behaviours and experiences. You never know I might even enjoy it!?

The very beginning, a marvellous place to start

A little while ago now I was reading the Sunday supplements at home whilst huddled in a furry blanket with a builders tea, served in a marvellous piece of Emma Bridgewater, when I happened upon an article about a blog called The Uniform Project http://theuniformprojectblog.com/. A nice and well intentioned young lady in NYC vowed to wear the same dress everyday for a year as 'an exercise in sustainable fashion'. Sheena Matheiken has designed a dress, and styled it in 365 different ways over the course of the year to raise awareness of the way that the modern woman consumes but also to raise money to help send children in India to school. She has been hugely successful with a blog which has achieved international notoriety and widespread acclaim.
It was this blog that got me thinking. It's commitment to sustainable fashion was intriguing and indeed commendable....I confess to breaking out in a bit of a cold, goosepimply stress rash when I imagined wearing the same thing for a year. And then I stopped and wondered why.
Why did I feel stressed at the idea of wearing the same thing everyday? Surely, Im not that shallow???? Or am I? What is it about modern day consumerism that has young women, just like me, convinced that the world will come to a cataclysmic end if we cannot purchase new shoes? Why have we substituted the mid century philosophy of make do and mend for an almost primal craving for new stuff? At what point did it become unacceptable to be seen wearing the same thing twice, and WHY did that happen?
All of a sudden all of these questions flooded rather unpleasantly into my mind. I became intrigued by modern consumerism and its effects on people just like me. So I have decided to quit it, to sock it to the high street; to go on Hanger Strike. From July 1st I am giving up on buying new clothes, shoes, accessories, anything new FOR A WHOLE YEAR. I am turning to the clothes in my wardrobe , making do with what I have and mending anything that breaks. YIKES!!!!
This blog will document my journey, what I learn, my crises (of which there will doubtless be many), the friends that help me on the way and last but not least the outfits I wear and my quest to keep up with fashion.....
I'm sure my wardrobe is up to the challenge, the question is....AM I?????