Wow I’ve let my commitment to the blog slip of late. My absence wasn’t due to a sneaky shop I felt I needed to hide, I’ve just been in survival mode. Writing down musings about my journey unsurprisingly hasn’t been up there on my priority list. And to be honest, nothing much has changed anyway, except for an ever growing yearning for new jeans.
Why a yearning for new jeans in particular? Well the weather mainly…. And here’s why:
Before I’ve smugly written that Wear What’s There has given me a new appreciation for things in my wardrobe and in that context I’ve mentioned a few times my classic black leather biker boots. Great. Well done me. I have a new love for something old. But give me weather that means they are my ONLY footwear option for a few days in a row and problems will arise.
Unfortunately, to me, something about them if paired with anything other than my black skinny jeans screams eccentric art teacher at me – and not in a sexy bohemian way… So come day two of slush, when my black skinnies really were too dirty for another wear, I had a minor meltdown and a serious yearn for some new jeans. Why not boots? Well, jeans are just staple right? And a good pair will go with my boots. And my trainers. And lots of my tops. And as we probably won’t get an amazing summer, they are something that can be worn year round, no matter the weather.
All this yearning got me daydreaming about the type of denim I will buy once the ban is lifted. And all that daydreaming has got me wondering how, when I do shop, I can ensure that the purchases I make won’t find themselves out of favour with me in the same way that my boots ultimately have?
Now after not shopping for a year, one could assume I will be a bit extravagant when the gates are opened. But my real hope is that I’ll just be way more astute, buy less and love more. I think it’s likely that I’ll spend more per item in a bid to harness the love and get more wear out of my clothes. One could then deduce that aside from my experiencing a significant change in shape, from a fit point of view, if I make a considered purchase, I will still feel good in them in years to come. Hurrah.
But hang on. If we carry on down that path, we stumble upon dodgy territory – Style versus Fashion…
Does one purchase a classic pair of jeans that are unquestionably stylish but may not assist my feeling current on a day to day basis? Or do I risk going with a pair that is on trend at that moment and give multiple wears, but only for a season until they are packed away in wait for another moment to shine if they regain style credibility (think mom jeans).
I’m no fashion forecaster so my retail habits are basically influenced by Instagramers, style blogs and the well put together outfits on mannequins. All very well. But how does one decipher what is a trend or classic over what is actually clever marketing?
And actually, who’s to say what’s classic? A style that has been favourite for a year? Two years? A decade?! And could we not argue that something which is distinctly unfashionable can be made stylish when displayed with confidence and flare?
So back to the jeans, I guess it all boils down to personal preference in the changing room – considering my choice, my instant love and then taking a bit of a gamble over whether I’ll be grateful or kicking myself for spending whatever it ends up being on that pair of jeans.
Now what I really want to do is start my search. But that’s pointless as who knows what will be pushing its way to the denim fore come 2019. Plus it’ll just make me lament my Wear What’s There choices and position me to FAIL!
And you know what I also would love to do, have a little delve into the history of fashion – see what really drives us to dress the way we do anyway. Of course I have no time for this, and when I mentioned it to my husband, he had to control the way his drink travelled down his gullet…. A project for a different life season perhaps.
Have a super week.
Anna x
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