Whilst doing my usual Monday morning 'what can I wear to work when I have "no clothes"' panic this week, I had a stroke of enlightenment and secondary panic that I'm living in the most material of worlds. Working in fashion, breathing in fashion, writing about fashion for this here blog, etc. all means that it's rather easy to be caught up in the superficial and constant stream for the (mostly) disposable and (very) beautiful unneccessary.
As a new member of the Capsule Wardrobe Club, upon Monday's count, I'm in possession of just 25 pieces of clothing here in Hong Kong. To aid morning dressing, peace of mind and to kickstart my seasonal recharge of the elusive capsule wardrobe, here's my weekend shake-up scheduling for you:
The White Tee Talk
"Dear Michelle,To combat my double double wardrobe carnage, I proposed a cutback of at least 9 white tees. One slogan tee, a printed number (this Laduree x Uniqlo one isn't going anywhere) and a plain one. Good for teaming with jeans or a skirt and even better when not wasting valuable wardrobe space. And d'you know what? 3 months in and I feel darn good.
You will never wear more than one white tee at any one time. Henceforth you do not need twelve of them. So maybe they're good for that white tee and boyfriend jeans look you favour on a Thursday, and sometimes for a Sunday if pajamas won't suffice, but c'mon - pare that collection down.
Love, Michelle x"
Charideeee
A seasonal wardrobe refresh means that my local charity shops see a huge influx of once-loved goods. I'm a fickle creature when it comes to clothing - or I was once. I'm slowly but surely getting better at beating the throwaway fashion game, but for those misguidedly bought pieces, the British Heart Foundation gets a good going at my wardrobe.
Fill up a few bags, lug them over and the BHF will even give you a little donators' card. I generally tend to pop badly fitting pieces in these bags and load up with my old press and blogging samples that can be rehomed. Happy heart, happy wardrobe and I'm doing my bit towards a cause who fitted my best friend with a pacemaker when her heart stopped that one time...
Swap Shop with the girlfriends
You know the deal. Pack a suitcase with your unwanted bits, add a bottle of wine, maybe some fashion Top Trumps cards and an iPod, throw a party... I started writing Daisybutter because none of my immediate friends were style enthused. In the slightest. We were a mere eighteen years of age, but fast forward a few years and we're all meeting at the same level. Swapping wardrobes with your friends is free and fun, think all the fun of preparing for a night out without actually having to go out. Genius.