Please tell me your clothing habits!

[RGPargy]

I'm not sure if this is a bit of an odd request, but i want to know your clothing habits please!

Basically, i never buy new clothes unless i NEED them, and i mean really NEED them (i.e. there are holes in stuff that just cant be repaired etc).

I work in a London office and compared to everyone else, i think i look scruffy/frumpy etc.

When i went back to work after being on Mat Leave, i bought two new work tops and a pair of trousers. That was in July. Since then i have bought two more work tops (but i cant wear them as they have shrunk in the wash) and one pair of casual trousers.

My "new" stuff is now starting to look scruffy as i wear it so often, even out of work and my wardrobe in general is looking absolutely pitiful. I have nothing smart or dressy. Everything is either stained, has holes or generally just worn out.

So how often do you buy new clothes? Do you buy them as when you see something in a shop or do you buy them to replace pathetically overworn garments?

DP and I dont have a lot of money to spare each month but with the Xmas season looming and me having absolutely zero to wear to any party whatsoever, it's made me realise that i dont think i can go on like this!

Do you have clothing allowances etc?? I always feel guilty when i say to DP that my clothes are like rags because he always replies "so are mine, i haven't bought anything new for months and months" (which is true).

Sorry, for the ranty-type post, am sounding off a little too i think!

The more clotehs you have, the less each item gets worn, so the longer they last

it's a false economy to wear things into the ground, and you look scruffy while doing it.

I buy basic things like tops and trous that suit me as and when I see them at good prices (if I have the money) because there's no point waiting till your best jeans wear out if you could have bought a perfect pair in the sale three weeks earlier and put them away till needed.

ironing things also helps
and vanish stains before wahsing else they will 'set'

It's true what you say, Mrs B. It's just as well we dont have credit or store cards or i'd be a nightmare!

I always iron my stuff but have to admit to trying to wash a stain out before i even think of the Vanish!

Don't ask me, am a shop-a-holic. Am trying sooo hard to be more like you.

Hello RG by the way. I remember you briefly flirted with my Dec07 post natal thread.

Mrs Badger is right. I apply same principle to shoes too. I mean I have to walk and run a LOT!

I love the sales.

Write a little list so that you don't go nuts and think of an ideal price too. e.g. Black trousers, £40 max.

I'm with you Pargy. Never buy clothes. Lukcily I don't work in an office so no-one cares of scruffy I look (think Swampy)

oh yes, lists

I have a constant list of things that will need replacing within the next 6m (currently: brown casual trous, zipped cardigans, white vests, black ballet flats for choir) so always have half an eye open for likely candidates.

Think about how you shop for the kids' clothes - 'oh yes that will fit dd next summer' 'DS will need a new coat next year, must look in January sales'

I used to be like you - buy only to replace worn out stuff - but now I try to get maybe a new top or pair of trousers every month if I can afford it. Also look in sales, which I never used to do.

In the past I never had a clothes budget at all and would panic when I needed clothes and put stuff on the credit card.

It's much better to buy one thing on a regular basis than to find that you suddenly need to replace your entire wardrobe. You have to be disciplined though and just get one thing - not do a splurge...

Just burying my head in the sand and not buying any clothes was definitely a false economy.

I have quite alot of clothes I must admit. They do last longer and I would get bored of the same clothes all the time

I am fortunate in that I can afford to indulge myself a bit but I do buy too many.

After DS1 was born and I was still carrying quite alot of extra weight I had 3 pairs of trousers which I wore constantly and they started to look tatty very quickly.

MrsB I love the list idea. You are so right, I do this for the dc but never thought to do it for my own clothes.

Keep everything fairly plain so that it is easier to mix and match with everything and then add interest by adding accessories.

I used to aim to have 5 tops and 3 bottoms for work so that could wear something different every day.

I like M & S t-shirts. They start at only £5 each (and they are Fairtrade) but lots of colours and you can dress them up or down and they are better quality than other brands of cheap t-shirts.

Hi Wizzska!

WowOoo - that's a good idea about writing a list. At the moment, it would be as long as my arm as i need everything from underwear and socks to jackets,coats and shoes!

Needmorecoffee - you are lucky! I have probably only started to feel a bit of pressure since returning to work and being surrounded by smartly dressed people. Practically 99% of my wardrobe is made from jersey fabric lol.

I really want to look nicer but my big question is can fat people actually smart? I have this idea that no, they (i.e. me) cannot look smart if they me are fat. Hmmm.... perhaps i have pushed my own self destruct button on clothes buying, i.e. "cant look smart, wont look smart" type thing.

It is definitely important to me (both personally and professionally) that I don't look scruffy or frumpy!

I spend £150-£200 per month on clothes.
Dp spends more like £50/month.

I also sell my old clothes on ebay which makes me a few hundred pounds a year back.

I don't buy expensive jewellery or bags - lots of my colleagues spend £200+ on a bag or have expensive jewellery/phones/watches. I don't, but I do have a great wardrobe!

Buying one thing a month sounds like a good idea.

Podrick - wow, you spend alot on clothes per month! You are very lucky! Do you work in a law firm or similar?

RGPargy, fat people can defineately look smart (or casual, dressy, sexy, anything they want).. don't put yourself down. I used to get disheartened about clothes shopping as not many plus size options on the high street. However, once I found the internet was totally liberated, I love clothes and have many.. But manage not to spend a fortune.

RGPargy - in finance. It's a tough place to be middle aged and slightly overweight - the wardrobe helps me deal with it.

If I worked in a nicer place I would spend less on clothes, more on my house and on holidays!
I would probably also spend less if I were younger/slimmer/more naturally gorgeous!

Elliegant (very apt name! ) - I have seen lots of stuff on the net too but i do worry about it not fitting and cant be bothered to buy it and then have to send it back and wait for a refund! I suppose i'll just have to do that if want to shop at places other than Evans. I have joined WW and also the gym so hopefully i wont be shopping there for too much longer.

Podrick - Ah right, if you're in that sort of environment i can understand why you spend so much on clothes. If i had the money (and the excuse that i HAD to look smart all the time) i think i would be spending the same each month too.

Know what you mean about not fitting and having to send things back, but I found once I had used the same companies a few times I had a good idea how there range fitted my proportions .. Much better in most cases than Evans which I got Sooooo fed up of.

Good luck with the WW and Gym

WW and the gym! Good for you, I wish I could motivate myself to do those things! If you are changing shape it might be good not to spend too much along the way.

Good Luck

One of the things I do quite often is dye everything back to black (get one of those machine washes from dylon where you don't have to bother with the salt) - it makes all my black stuff look almost new again.

In an office women have to spend more on clothes - they get noticed and judged on them more than men do. ime.

Littlewoods direct is MUCH better than it used to be. Big range of clothes (and prices)and you can order a whole load of stuff and then specify when you want it picked up. They will take stuff from garden shed etc if you are at work.) I ordered 4 dresses for the Xmas party season and send 2 of them back. Just seen one of my dresses in their big tv advert!! Also do work stuff/suits etc.

Elliegant, what online shops do you use?

I am also trying to be better - in the past, I've been good about buying one or two items a month, which keeps your wardrobe constantly refreshed. But I've got out of the habit and need to get back into it. I do agree though that when you work in a corporate environment, especially as a woman, especially one that's a bit overweight, clothes are important.

I just bought a very expensive coat. But I thought about it in advance and planned for it - it wasn't a spontaneous unthought out event. I attend a lot of meetings with very senior internal clients in other buildings, so realised I needed to turn up looking smart. And an expensive coat will last me for years, so it's an investment too.

OP, one thing I've been doing recently as DP and I are trying to be better about money is that at the beginning of the month, I work out what I need to spend on everything, and if necessary (eg coat above) include a cost for a specific clothes item. On top of that, I have been giving myself a weekly allowance which, if I just cruise about all week without thinking about things, I spend easily, but that if I am a bit more careful, leaves plenty at the end of the week. Then I pool the leftovers and buy more spontaneous clothes/cosmetics etc without any guilt feeling (I even have a seperate purse for my "savings"). It's really helping.

Elliegant - Yes, i'm really fed up with Evans too. They just seem to be so frumpy and i've always considered myself to be 100% NOT frumpy (except when i'm fat haha!). I want clothes that i buy because i like them, not because they look ok or fit me, if that makes sense.....

Podrick - thanx. I wont be blitzing money on loads of clothes but it would be nice to have a choice of more than 2 bras and 1 pair of trousers!

Miyazaki - that's a good idea. I might even try that myself! You are very right on the judgy thing in the office.

Notyummy - I will have a look at Littlewoods. Your DD is gorgeous, btw.

As notmummy said Littlewoods Direct have really got their act together, the service is excellent. Also try AdditionsDirect (Exactly the same stuff as littlewoods but slighty cheaper). simply-be, fashion world and I must admit I have a weakness for Ebay as well.

Bling - thanx for the tip. It's a good idea about having a separate purse. I do stuff like that when we're trying to budget for other things, but stick money in labelled envelopes instead.

I think you definitely need to buy more and better quality clothes.

What is your annual spend on clothing? How much could you afford to budget?

There is an issue of how often you buy clothing, and also of how you plan and manage your wardrobe.