The Shopping Ban / Frugal Fashion Thread

[FrugalFashionista]

Tentatively dipping my toes in here ---
Do you love clothes, shoes, accessories, and beauty products - perhaps a bit too much?
Have you self-prescribed a shopping ban, are you on a strict budget, or are you trying to learn to shop more mindfully for other reasons? Are you a budding recessionista, thriftionista, frugal fashionista - or would you like to become one?
Would you like to do this with like-minded people, still looking stylish and up to date?

This thread could be a place for mutual support, inspiration and creative tweaks (planning outfits from what you already have; charity shopping, swaps, repurposing).

My personal goal: no more clothes, shoe or beauty purchases in March.

I'll tell you more about why I am here in true 12-step tradition, but we need a few like-minded people first

Thanks Frugal. I should be able to get into some of my old stuff soon and it should start warming up soon, so I was just moaning really. I don't need anything else at the moment.

If I can get away with two dresses and one jacket then I should be fine, especially if I can shift a few more pounds before April. I have this black jersey faux wrap dress, and a black and dark blue colour block shift dress (a non hideous one) from a year ago. I can wear them both with a black jacket I have and do accessories shizzle like you say. I have got a navy blue suit jacket too but I think the cut will look wrong because it is over ten years old.

One consolation is that I did blow my PhD stipend on lots of shit hot shoes (correct priorities there I feel) last spring, so I do at least have smart shoes.

I'm mainly going to stick around here for non-spending solidarity, I will take a look at the swaps board.

fair 2 dresses should be fine and as frugal said you can add different accessories. Sounds like you're sorted with the shoes. Do you have a shit hot handbag too? If you're in the City then presumably the little details like hair,nails and make up will make all the difference.

My copy of Too buy or not to buy has arrived so looking forward to reading.

I meant to add that I love wide cut trousers and my favourite pair of jeans are my flares. I don't wear them often as they need heels so they're going out only jeans. I used to love linen trousers and don't know why hey get such bad press on here. The only reason I don't wear them anymore is that spending a lot of time on the floor with dc they just crease so easily and always need ironing.

Wonder whether I've used up today's quota of willpower
Have spent the morning doing things I normally detest - returned a pre-ban impulse purchase (good seed capital for future planned purchases) and sent in a faulty item still under warranty for repairs. These things sound easy but retrieving receipts, filling out and printing forms, packing (finding the box, tape etc) and ordering the courier took more than an hour. Oh and I took TiC's advice and placed a customer complaint about subpar cashmere.
But am feeling v smug now

I live surrounded by people much more stylish than I will ever be, and along my morning run I saw quite a few pairs of much-maligned classic mum boots on tremendously stylish women. Exhibit A: a woman who paired them with flowing black drawstring-bottom trousers made from some expensive-looking material and a black below-knee slim A-line coat. Très Marni and a gorgeous layered look. I've also seen lots of classic black mum boots with ultra fitted ankles paired with skinnies/ opaques/leggings on local trust-fund college girls. This led me to investigate whether high-end e-tailers and cutting-edge designers currently feature said item. Material evidence found here . If you have some on death row, give them a second look. They are a classic item, they will be back. But please do not pair them with too-short light-wash bootcuts

Sorry, wrong link, high-end black mum boot parade here.

thanks to this thread my (planned and considered and outfits planned) leopard ballerinas purchase came, not from french sole, bloch, pretty ballerinas or any of the myriad boutiques and department stores that stock them for >£100 per pair, but..... ebay.

worn once, £13, french sole. so pleased! thanks Frugalistas

and if my current list of watchers translate to bids before the weekend they will be essentially free

Hi all, just swinging in to say I'm putting loads of clothes on the swap Pin board today. All for sale rather than swap as I have too many clothes and no need for anything but some nice tops incl 100% silk so take a look!
Can't see mum boot link at the moment as am in the Doctors waiting room but can't wait to see later!

I've always been a fan of wide legged trousers and wasn't even aware they were getting a bad rap. That's how on trend I am!

But I can't be doing with linen because of the crease factor. i've just sold a pink linen Agnes b skirt on eBay because I never wore it because the minute I put it on it would crease and draw attention to my post c-section tummy.

Although I have waaaay less clothes than most of you (will try not to judge those of you with 30 dresses ), I have always been a serial non-returner. As part of the minimalist thread I found the motivation and courage to return a Missoni style dress to Monsoon in January. It had been an impulse buy but then sat unworn in my wardrobe for three weeks. I have a real weakness with dresses but rarely wear them - what's that all about?

frugal I'd just come across those heeled hunters on Pinterest too. They're the most bizarre thing . Wonder if they come in my favoured purple.

I'm stuck at home with I'll children curled up on the sofa. Not good as I spend far too long browsing at clothes on the iPad! May lose willpower today.

Hi would love to join in too. It's come to the point where I am really cramming clothes into my wardrobe, as I've been buying too much.

I've just started the 5:2 diet so I'm hoping to lose about a stone in weight, and have done the usual thing of "I'll keep that item of clothing for when I've lost weight". I've also started back to work as a TA so I've been buying bits for work too. So all in all it's a wardrobe overload.

I already have some children' s clothes to Ebay so I'll use that to spur me on to have a clear out of my clothes and put them up on Ebay too.

QoW read 'You are what you wear'. We all have false/ideal selves and sometimes buy clothes to portray that image - aspirations, previous incarnations of ourselves.

My false self - an 80-year-old Park Avenue hostess

For wardrobe builders and those of is who'd like a bit of eye candy I warmly recommed Nina Garcia's The One Hundreds. She's a fashion insider with a pirvileged background and she had lots of insights how to build a classically elegant wardrobe (think Olivia Palermo) that can also look trendy. You don't need to buy hyperexpensive items - she has great ideas about less costly alternatives. And since high street often interprets classics very well, armed with this knowledge you can choose your price point and then find certain styles on eBay/ in charity shops. QC I read it on iPad via Kindle so a potential diversion?

Well done Shop! Lots of great stuff on the swapboard!

Foxy fantastic bargain - very useful, I have worn mine a lot - and Moon welcome!

More on its way......

Frugal thank you thank you thank you. The perfume arrived this morning and I love it! Whilst I had a slight fall off the wagon with a £20 cashmere jumper in the Outnet sale, that has arrived too and is perfect so I am very happy. Busy pinning more to the swaps board.
Should Swaps that are successfully completed be deleted? I love how this is working!

Could someone tell me how to add some things to the Pinterest board.
Thanks x

Hedwig
How to post an item: PM Issimma for board access. Upload a photo either via a Pinterest app (smartphones, iPad) or by taking a photo and uploading it on Pinterest using the "Add Pin" function. Describe the item (size!) and give your MN name or some other contact info. How to bid: if you are interested in an item, comment the pin here to reserve an item, then PM or contact the swapper to negotiate terms. She confirms here if the offer is accepted. If not, tell that too so that others can bid.

Thanks shopafrolic xx

I've just posted my first item sold from the SwapBoard. Much nicer to know it's going to a Mumsnetter than selling on EBay!

Shop very happy you liked the perfume. It's a Ropion, he's one of the best perfumers around. Hope you'll enjoy it!

The swapboard is inspiring me to do style boards of certain items - here is the first, Shop's cobalt silk top. Don't do shorts? Do the look with a skirt (trumpet flare will be big this summer) or white flares instead!

And here's the link for The One Hundred, one of my favorite style books ever!

I've just prepared four parcels, posting them tonight or tomorrow. If someone still fancies my items, do make a decision tonight! (Posting is not simple where I live so prefer to send everything at once.)

Forgot to describe today's outfit - ultralong flared jeans, short silk/wool knit tee (accidentally shrunk , sits perfectly an inch below waistband), cropped coral/white boucle jacket, white resin cuff bracelet, navy wedge boots (almost invisible). All items last year or older but feel very fresh!

I have just posted some jewellery on the Pinterest board, some of which is vintage as I know there are a few of you who like that. I haven't put prices but let me know if you're interested and we can sort something out especially if we're already swapping.

frugal I had downloaded the free chapter of You Are What You Wear on my kindle but only just finished it. I've now bought the whole book and it is fantastic. I've had several 'ah ha' moments already. Highly recommended.

The free chapter has a series of questions as part of her analysis section. The questions on future dressing such as how I want to dress for every decade of my life have really made me think.

No frugal those are not mum boots
these are mum boots. I have to say, I had to search hard....M and S and Clarks quite lacking in mum boot material

Hi can anyone help? One of my problems is that I don't have a creative streak so I can't put outfits together. Does anyone know of a blog/ site where someone takes basic items black trousers/ pencil skirt/shift dress etc and then dresses them in different ways to make smart/casual/ dressy/funky outfits?
I just need some ideas to copy.
Thanks

Drywhite Phewww about Clarks couldn't decide if I was getting older or Clarks were getting nicer !! Rather nice brogues in there (if I wasn't abstaining from all things retail at the mo)

Limon I think Clarks have some ok stuff.( have a bottle of unopened limoncello tht I don't want....should I put it on swap pin board?!!)

Would be nice Drywhite !!!! Sometimes think I'm the only person in the world that likes the stuff !!! Sure I could find a nice bottle of Drywhite to trade with !!!