Frugal Follow-up

[FrugalFashionista]

We've hopelessly lost the old thread. How are you doing ladies?

I need to reawaken the thread as I need to get back on the wagon. I decided to temporarily suspend my shopping ban - it's summery here and I've started wearing summer clothes and I decided to make some purchases now so that I can wear them all season long (in low 20s it's still a bit too cool for my routine sleeveless dress/bare legs summer look). Most of my old summer clothes are in great shape but this is what I needed to update them -

1. white jeans (have lots of denim shirts and blue tops) - straight-leg, non see-through
2. colorful printed cigarette pants (my wardrobe is mostly solid colors - I want to wear prints but not near my face) - found a pair in my favorite colors from MSMG
3. sandals (bored of ballet flats and Havaianas) - black cage wedges, low-rent child-friendly version of the Altuzarra look
4. slingbacks (found a lovely two-tone white/taupe pair on sale)
5. a few bracelets to liven things up

I'm still looking for a couple of high-quality white or cream tops, scoop neck if possible. They seem to be the hardest item to find, but my refound Zara poly-viscose top is surprisingly versatile. Still thinking about a long and narrow snakeprint silk scarf in my best blues and also need to make a decision regarding nude/taupe courts (to go with my summer cocktail dresses).

Spring lasted for 3-4 weeks here and coincided with my 1-month shopping ban. By thinking a bit harder and digging a bit deeper I was able to find all spring outfits I ever needed without any spending! Summer will be around until the end of October so I hope that I will get quite a lot of wear out of my mix of old and new. But I think I'm almost done with wardrobe updates and might go back to tight-fist mode very soon

"Everything was going ok until the Toast flash sale and I bought a pair of £5 trews. They were reduced to £5 for a reason - see through and unflattering. But not spending ££ to return so have slapped my wrist and will wear round the house as penance."

This made me laugh. They would go so nicely with a hairshirt!!!!!

Its gone cold here after a beautiful blue sky yesterday.I was still gardening at 8 pm on my sunny patio trying to tame a clematis.Absolutely nothing of style or beauty,other than my garden is permeating my life today[i am still in gym gear and trying to resist the lure of something sweet].Is anyone else having an inspiring day?

I've been repairing jewellery for a couple of hours. I had loads of broken necklaces and earrings but I now have a pile of things I can wear again. My sister has put in a request for me to make her some pieces as well so I need to get ordering the beads and findings for them.

Totally uninspired here - have dug out a wooly tunic jumper id optimistically packed away thinking summer had arrived (it hasn't) and tracksuit bottoms as my dd threw up on my jeans earlier!

Deathwatch you are so right - the Toast trews do need a hair shirt. In fact I think they stock them

I've been keeping pretty frugal (mainly due to being bed bound with the most hideous d & v bug).

Have ordered some work clothes to try - desperately need some summer weight trousers. Have also ordered an, ahem, dark grey cotton short playsuit. For a (British) beach holiday. This was not on The List.

Enjoying wearing some summer clothes here - yesterday a navy and grey striped midi dress with denim jacket, tan flats and bright green mini handbag. Today a floral dress. Love casual summer dressing. Work summer dressing is another matter entirely.

Enjoy the BH weekend all!

Morning fellow frugalistas, back home again and have already managed to spend some time lounging in a bikini on the roof terrace (someone we know gave us a lot of terracotta-potted plants and we brought them in - looks a lot nicer than before)

How to wear a bikini if your skin is very pale like mine? Wear a color that is even paler than your skin! White can be demanding but cool cream works perfectly for me. The trick for wearing sandals on pale legs is to try to pick colors that complement them. I'm blue-tinged in the early spring so taupe and very pale gold look good - pinky nudes make my legs look green, pale taupes give an impression of a slight tan. Oh and for a simple bikini, a cuff bracelet and pale gold flipflops are the finishing touch

I was happy with my simple navy-white-cream outfit during my trip to the far north. Slimline navy coat, indigo straight-leg jeans, cream poly-viscose top, white tank, blue-toned snakeprint silk scarf and two navy calf leather bags (one pochette type, another big hobo sack - I could slip the pochette inside the hobo) and navy suede loafers. Not earthshattering fashion but effortless, pulled-together and easy to travel in. And it was about 10C all the time - but very sunny.

Didn't buy any clothes or beauty items during the trip. So unless I do something stupid, will complete 2nd week of new spending ban tomorrow

I read some fashion mags on the plane though - probably should stop buying them as they are generally very fast fashion oriented, but there were two that were genuinely inspiring: Swedish Elle (much more fun and livelier than the bordering-on-frumpy Br Elle and much cooler than Br Vogue) and a smaller Nordic magazine called Costume that is really zany - all about the fun and self-expression - they feature quirky DIYs (a tongue-in-cheek homemade Prada sweater) and thrift and 2nd hand shopping etc to emulate runway looks. I found it very stimulating for ideas - fresh mashups from my existing wardrobe (=what to bring back from the cellar). Might actually become a subscriber...

The best read of all is Lucy Siegle's To Die For. It's a British take on 'Overdressed', more relevant here (it talks among others about supermarket fashion and the death of the middle-range retailers). Haven't finished it yet but very informative and thought-provoking!

QoW your shopping ban is inspiring and impressive!
Cardi I refitted a sweater last month on my own, hand stiching iirc but zigzagging the raw edges. A tiny 1" alteration on both sides made all the difference. There are tutorials online, will definitely do it to other clothes too.

How are you ladies? Any spring cleaning results, outfits that you feel smug about or other things you'd like to share?

Today I am wearing my last two unworn April buys, a navy jersey maxi skirt from DP and a coral scoop neck t shirt with leopard print ballet flats. I feel really comfortable in this, perfect for wearing round the house but I could dress it up a bit with wedges and a jacket if I needed to. It's a bit cooler today so I may have to find a cardigan though.

So far my April basics are really working out well for me, like a mini capsule wardrobe and I still haven't worked my way through the different combinations.

Last night I went out for cocktails and tapas for my birthday. I had been on the verge of buying something new to wear all week but resisted and wore a new outfit made up of things I already had - black cropped cigarette style trousers, an ivory t shirt with a bit of lace/broiderie anglaise detail at the front, black wedges and a fabulous emerald green blazer that I bought last year in the US but haven't worn that much. I had a little snakeskin print clutch bag (£2 from Tesco about 4 years ago, on its last legs so I keep meaning to replace it but haven't seen anything I like as much) and dangly emerald green earings. I don't know what I looked like but I felt great in it all!

This is a very interesting post from Recovering Shopaholic. I can identify with this bit

"Sure, I love some of the items in my closet and did make some good buys, but a majority of that $47,000-plus was spent unwisely. I bought things to ?keep up with the Joneses? (but never really felt I did), look good in the eyes of shopping buddies and sales associates, follow trends I didn?t really care about, and for lifestyle needs I didn?t actually have. Those are all the wrong reasons for buying!"

*FF Your travel outfits sound wonderful.

Aphra your birthday drinks outfit sounds bang on trend, well done! Not that being trendy is all that important... But I find it immensely satisfying when I manage to look good - and current! - relying on my stash.

Like I have said I have a difficult relationship with trends. They are all about herd instict and much less about personal style and vision. My personal leanings are classic and timeless and I'd like to have most of my clothes forever. I hate the planned obsolescence and also increasingly resent things being labeled 'frumpy, mumsy, dated'. (Fashion is cyclical and everything will come back eventually. Plus lots of visionary dressers wear something the others have rejected) I don't paint, compose or play an instrument - for me clothes are a way of expressing myself and also communicating. I'm an extrovert dresser - I feel best in brights and when people notice me (even though neutrals and blend-in oufits are also useful). But I get bored with the same old and get the most satisfaction from remixes. Luckily fashion is not particularly innovative - mostly the same items are just endlessly reiterated.

If you have good staples, they will be back in fashion. Random stuff may have come back too - Examples of trendy items that I already have from past years. Some are classics, other are forgotten items from past years, the most recent from last summer:

• snakeskin stuff (have had some for a decade)
• white, especially all-white outfits
• black worn in the summer
• block heel flats
• crop tops
• shoes with ankle straps
• blue eye shadow (not a personal favorite)
• those 1990s slide shoes
• bright trainers (not a favorite but have a coral pair from last year)
• vaguely orthopedic-looking flat/wedge/platform shoes and sandals
• peplums (I loved these in the early 1990s too)
• cigarette pants
• day-glo bright lipstick
• florals and zany prints
• ripped jeans that can be rolled up

As you can see, no need to buy anything new!

I was sorting out my summer clothes and realised the old favourites i pull out every year are my staples.These are mainly white cotton and lace items and i've had them for years.One is a kaftan style with bands of lace i bought in Vietnam and will never date,a Next broderie anglais dress plus a pale pink embroidered silk top from M&S-really not high end!In contrast most of the clothes i bought from Wrap last year are shapeless rags and only fit for the bin[were expensive].I really do think you're right about the built in obsolescence in clothes.
I'm another one who thinks you should dress to suit the shape you have not the age you are.The best dressed women arround recently to me have been Helen Mirren and Selina Scott in dresses that really suited them,plus SJP wearing a variety of distressed boyfriend jeans[a no no to many people past a certain age on this thread].I admit though i'm in my 40's so older women are starting to appeal to me more.
My leopard sneakers have been tried on and are so comfortable.Sadly they are not objects of beauty and look somewhat cornish pasty like and not cool at all.But i am keeping them.

Teta your summer wardrobe sounds lovely, loving your whites, broderie everywhere this year too! M&S used to be extremely well made (90% British!) so I can believe they are wearing well!

Also taking cues from your boyfriend mention. Visited my mother last week and retrieved a lovely soft ripped-at-knee pair of my old jeans there (bootcuts that are practically straight leg).

Today's outfit (inspired by a pic I saw in a magazine)

• old (10-year-old!) ripped jeans rolled up (three rolls for me, these are v long)
• white V neck tee
• multicolored boucle jacket with chain trim, worn open
• flipflops (pale gold, 5 years old) at home and black cage sandals outdoors
• feet slightly tanned now, pinkish-white Essie Ballet Slippers nail polish looks fantastic

Absolutely loving the look - relaxed but pulled together!

Aphra love the sound of navy, coral and leopard, and Teta broderie is so pretty. I'm so attracted to lace, crochet etc, but looks a bit fussy on my top half. I'm an apple/inverted triangle shape so experimenting with plain tops and patterned bottoms to keep a balance. Have a pair of lace shorts, but fear they look too much like I've forgotten my trousers.

Sunny here, yesterday wore a simple black and white stripey dress, denim jacket, top knot and flats. The dress is this year, denim jacket a charity shop find. Today cracking out the shorts! So nice to ditch the jeans.

Thank you Frugal and BillStickers. They are combinations which I would never have put together if it weren't for Pinterest.
My mil gave me some money for my birthday so I bought a dress I had been coveting. It looks great on, the shape and colours are fantastic on me. And I had to size down - get in!
BUT...
Even though I love it, I think it's going back. It's just a bit too dressy to wear day to day. A prime example of buying for a lifestyle I don't have .
This is a breakthrough, don't you think?

Just back from a sunny break on the North Yorkshire coast! Arrived home to find that my Zatchel satchel had arrived, tis a thing of beauty and the pewter colour a good neutral for summer. So far no purchases this month (the satchel was ordered last month so technically doesn't count ).

Another one here who likes a bit of lace/broderie, whilst away I wore a sea green lace t shirt with dark denim skinnies and leopard print flats.
Aphra definitely a break through! This is something I have been very guilty of in the past, I only have to take a look at the pile of clothing I have destined for ebay to see that much of it remains unworn due to not having the occasion to wear any it.

Hi ladies, recovering from a very busy workday and enjoying your posts.
Aphra it is a breakthrough! Return it!

I have retrieved my summer clothes from the cellar (last week when I needed the suitcase) and am a bit depressed - so many mistakes and this-will-do-for-nows. Very few items that I genuinely love and wish to wear. And the clutter! I had just gotten my winter wardrobe beautifully organized, now I have all these unwanted summer clothes all over the place and they will fit nowhere! With most of these, I had doubts when they were purchased / had arrived. I should have listened to that little nagging voice and returned them!

Most of the unwanted summer things are sales/outlet stuff. Not as bargainous as I thought My personal style has evolved too - I have so many lovely options that don't have time for the mediocre items!

Will need to think through exactly what to do with the excess clothes... (Donating to charity fraught and guilt-inducing.) Also a very strong reason to not buy anything! Starting my 3rd shopping-free week now.

Dig Zatchels are lovely
Bill plain tops and patterned bottoms work superbly well on me for a completely different reason - I'm pale and low contrast, strong stuff near my face tends to wear me. This year is fantastic for patterned trousers, I'm in love with a pair from J.Crew but thank god it's sold out worldwide.

Teta the cornish pasty look is fine when worn with an ironic nod
When someone has evolved personal style, even dubious items can look really good. I admired a Frenchwoman recently, she wore black 'mum boots', too short and too pale bootcut jeans, a dishwater-dull trench and a totally unremarkable scarf with such panache that I started wanting every item...

My newest (Nordic) style crushes - Northern Light and Teemu Bling.

dug out my Summer stuff today and tried to sort it out. Never seem to get rid of much. some of it is quite shabby and I seem to have gone up a dress size.

Alemci I feel your pain! I need to do something about the extra clothes, just not sure what. Getting rid of clothes is for some reason extremely difficult for me. I'm happiest if a friend/ family member/ some other real person takes them.

Today's outfit - cool but sunny weather:
Skinny floral blue jeans (last year)
A white peplum tee from last year (a totally misguided purchase, the peplum is too limp, and if removed, it will be a too-short crop top)
Camel merino circular cocoon cardigan (last year, a good staple)
Blue flipflops (a replacement of a favorite pair, circa 2 years old)
Chunky steel cuff (new)

Some of my unwanted summer stuff is from my 'new mum' phase when I had totally lost the plot. Dull knee-length denim skirts and dresses, florals, a short-sleeved cardigan (perhaps one of the most pointless items ever), patterned skirts (I have an uneasy relationship with prints), a worn-once safari jacket, too-formal shift dresses (left over from the time when I went to parties all the time). Most of it could be restyled with some effort, but were these items to disappear altogether, I would not miss them.

Managed to sort out a few summer things

The ones that I will actually wear fit inside my wardrobe (because I took a huge amount of heavy winter stuff to the storage space). Still have to think about what to do with the rest. No getting around it - I have far too many clothes, most of them bought hastily for all the wrong reasons

But absolutely loving today's outfit! Camel-white-smoky blues are my very best neutrals and they simply work (thank you color analysis!). Pairing items that I love with mistakes generally works - more things get worn and I won't need to buy white tops this summer. Unfortunately had to upgrade flipflops to sheepskin houseboots

Another sunny day here today. Wearing a very frugal outfit....
Old faded straight leg jeans which had been destined for gardening wear, however inspired by Frugals outfit yesterday rolled to ankle length they look bang on trend!
Ivory and navy slash neck t shirt from last year which had a nasty tomato stain on it, rescued from recycling thanks to vanish and now lives to see another summer.
Nude ballet pumps. These are one of my most worn bargains, they are actually faux fur lined slippers but look like normal ballet pumps. The soles are thick enough to pop outside and they are sooooo comfy but make me feel more dressed than normal slippers (important for me as I work from home). They were one of my wiser sale purchases at only £6

Wearing navy silk/jersey t shirt from TKMaxx,boyfriend jeans,navy light weight parka and high wedge gold flipflops.Its a beautiful sunny day here!
I've just ordered some silk/jersey tops from Tk Maxx online.They're an Italian brand and look really similar to Phase 8 tops[which i love].I will have to see what they look like when they arrive though.In terms of summer grooming i have updated my make up to Cliniques cc cream [more natural on] and a brighter coloured chunky lip pencil.Pedicure has also been booked as i find my toes look so much better compared to when i paint them.My stomach is really annoying me and i have downloaded My Fitness Pal to follow for the next month.Even though i exercise fairly strenuously 5 times weekly the weight is not shifting[due to 3 week flu bug and bad asthma since the end of Febuary and stress eating].I can identify with the feeling of clothes feeling tighter after winter.

Ha ha, Frugal, I bought short sleeved cardigans in my new Mum phases, too. Glad I wasn't the only one! Every time I wore them I had to sling a denim jacket over the top.

Wearing one of my favourite spring outfits today: a navy cotton 50s style skirt with red and white striped trim to the hem, a navy vest and a navy boat neck cotton jumper. The jumper has elbow length sleeves (was also a new Mum purchase) but I can cope with exposed lower arms! Sounds a bit navy navy navy but the differing textures make it work (IMO anyway) and I finish it off with red suede shoes.

Supposed to be working so must stop prevaricating and disable MN somehow......

I've also just chucked a white short sleeved cardigan into the recycling pile.What was i thinking of?

Well things have been busy here clotheswise, but it hasn't all left me with a warm, cosy glow.

I finally managed a successful shopping trip, but came away with a bit of a nasty taste in my mouth which I have been pondering. I went to H&M, as they had stuff in my newly diagnosed autumn colours (forgot my swatches last time I went in). I tried on 15 things and bought four, which for me is almost like a shopping binge. But, but, but...even as I was buying them, I knew none of them were 10s and that they will be cherished. I bought:

A khaki zip jacket - love the jacket, but it's thin and shoddily made
A deep blue t-shirt - soft, fits well but the arms are too short
A khaki lace trim vest - fits well, nice material but not sure how well the lace will last
A pair of purple straight legged trousers - fit me well and are comfortable, but are they too bright and young?

Those four things cost £30, which also doesn't make me feel too good. It's all a minimum 60% cotton, but nearly all made in Bangladesh ergo a sweatshop.

However I looked round John Lewis and didn't see anything nicer or better made and I don't believe the provenance is that much more ethical. Still failed to buy a new bra!

But on the plus side, I've altered a couple of skirts and bought a couple of patterns off eBay, as making some of my own clothes is really appealing. Also I've dyed my hair chestnut (was generic blonde highlights) which has made a real difference. It makes my eyes look huge!