Day 33 to 37: The highest courage is to dare to appear to be what one is.

The last week I have had little to no excuse for not posting on my blog. In fact, it's been quite an education into my lack of personal discipline. On more than one evening I have looked at my computer and my camera, both clamouring for blog focused attention and have ignored them in preference for a repeat of CSI. However, despite this I have in fact had an interesting week where hangerstrike is concerned. My fashion literature consumption has included all of last weekend's Sunday supplements, as well as Vogue, Grazia, Stylist and a couple of urban outfitters emails. I have also, for the most part shunned jeans, having had a flick through the last month of photos it is clear I am over dependent and needed to diversify.

Monday morning train to London, trusty coat in tow. Not sure Mr St Laurent ever envisaged such classics being aped by H&M and worn along with Primani raspberry shoes, nevertheless....I like the look.

Tuesday saw me whipping out a knitted number usually sported on holiday and teaming it with my fave ponyskin shoes, possibly the look is let down by my rather intense facial expression but nevertheless I love the colour.

Wednesday, jeans day...it appears to be a physical impossibility to entirely avoid jeans but one day in fave isn't too bad.

Rather than feeling distressed at the lack of ability to actually walk into a shop and make a purchase I feel this week's displeasure has been directed at how fashion is changing at alarming pace. This blog is going to be harder than I ever thought. As reported by Grazia the other week, the trouser is to make a comeback, this is a fact backed up with a strong evidence base through all of my glossy magazine consumption this week. I feel frankly panicked about this.

As well as a return to a 90's esque betrousered state, the winds of change appear to be afoot in other areas. The catwalks this season are awash, not with fantasy clothes that could only be worn by the most impractical of ladies, but with functional clothes, sleek lines and an air of minimalism. Gone is layer upon layer of floating chiffon and teadresses adorned with delightfully whimsical flowers, instead they have been replaced by clean line, block, neutral colours and a distinctly minimal take on accessories. To coin a phrase, black is the new black. Now, apart from the trouser problem which has been discussed previously, I have less of a problem with these changes than I may have expected. The coming season will be about wearing less stuff, and before you pass comment I do not mean we all need to dress like pretty woman pre makeover. We will see considerably less focus on layering and more on intelligent dressing. One shift dress for me, trousers for everyone else (tsk), white shirt, classic trench or even camel coat and a non attention seeking scarf.

Now I think my wardrobe can manage, there are key items which I have had for a while which have stood the test of time and still deliver a neat, current and smart look...thank goodness. And here I make my point, whilst of course the likes of Vogue and Grazia must flog us new product, trousers mainly and camel coats as a close second, the undertone is that we should not be buying loads this season. In the inimitable words of Elisa Sednaoui 'It's about having less but loving the things you have more'. The post recession backlash against excessive consumption is apparently filtering through to even the most oppulent of labels and this has been reflected in the muted styles of the couture shows.

Of course this is a delight for me and my challenge, I am in fashion if I don't buy anything new. It's like a gift, except for the perennial trouser problem which is clearly going to plague me through coming drizzly months. I have a dress, a black fine knit from Oasis, I bought it for my first day at work almost three years ago, I remember even now the agonising I went through justifying my relatively low cost purchase, wondering if it would be a good buy and whether the 'price per wear' would live up to expectation. On Thursday I found myself pulling it from the wardrobe for a day chilling with friends (photo forgotten sorry) and thoroughly enjoyed the day I spent in it, drinking tea and shooting the breeze.Three years on I still love the dress. It has held it's colour and it's shape, it is appropriate for work and also manages that tricky day to night malarkey that fashion editors always hark on about at length. It is not too hot in summer and not too cold in winter. In short it is a high street classic, the sort that I have rarely searched for, having been too often distracted by something pretty that won't last in either style or washing machine stakes.

Perhaps this season alongside my challenge will educate me in the virtues of the classic item, of spending less yet getting more. Indeed it may be the making of the stylish rather than fashion hungry me, who knows?

A spot of Friday daytime drinking and posing beside an ornamental shovel in Manchesters lovely Northern Quarter. Shorts and boots the only way to roll when threatened with a mid summer storm. Yikes