Welcome to the Nothing To Wear edit, where each week, we delve into the topic we spoke about on the podcast, just for subscribers.
On this week's episode of Nothing To Wear we used the end of the financial year as a bit of a fresh start. Happy New Year!
It's a great time to take stock of our shopping budgets, to assess what we already have in our wardrobes, and to set some new intentions when it comes to shopping smarter.
Watch: Leigh style Annaliese in the Mamamia office. Post continues below.
My guest this week is Kim Crowley. Former fashion designer and now a colour consultant and stylist, Kim and I talked about the real reason we often feel like we 'have nothing to wear', how to audit our wardrobes, and dissected the 4 x 4 method when it comes to buying better.
Listen to the full episode here. Post continues below.
In the spirit of new year intentions of the financial kind, here are some of the best tips I use when it comes to looking good while keeping my bank cards, too.
Oh, it's your birthday?
I learnt this trick from a clever retail assistant and have used it ever since.
I was purchasing a pair of jeans, and he asked me if I was a member of the brand's database or loyalty program. I wasn't, so he signed me up and suggested I list my birthday as, well, not when my birthday is.
Often you'll receive a special offer or discount if you're a member of a store or website, but they usually have a short expiry. If you spread them out throughout the year, you're more likely to use them as opposed to getting a bunch of offers all within the same month (when you're hopefully receiving a gift or two from your loved ones anyway).
Now I get a little treat pretty frequently throughout the year. Clever huh!
Thanks, it's thrifted.
If you're a regular listener of the podcast you'll know how much I love thrifting. I probably don't have to remind you, but the joy for me is threefold — saving money, benefits to the environment thanks to the circular economy, and finding something unique.
But I totally understand that a lot of people aren't that keen to rummage through second-hand stores. It takes a lot of time and focus, and it's luck-of-the-draw if you live near any shops.
Thankfully, the online offering for second-hand fashion has gotten a lot better over the past few years. eBay has glowed up with the revamp of their pre-loved fashion category, and Vinnie's recently launched Vinnie's Finds, which is an online platform selling men's and women's clothing and accessories (with a returns option, which is rare!).
Depop is a goldmine for a variety of fashion finds, too. I go there most often to search for mid-range brands like Witchery and Dissh. There's also Vestiaire Collective which is generally known for designer fashion, and don't forget good old Marketplace for almost anything you can think of (if you can cope with the randomness).
Wait for it.
I've been working really hard to rectify my impulse shopping. Lately I've been adding things to cart when browsing online so I don't forget about them, but not hitting 'buy' right away. I've found that a lot of the time I'll come back to the item and decide I don't want it, or I'll leave it there if I'm still unsure.
The best part is a lot of online stores will email a reminder of what's left in my cart after a certain period of time, often with a discount code as an incentive to buy. Wishlists work similarly in that I receive a notification if an item I've been looking at goes on sale. It's a great way to keep tabs on what I have my eye on without a million random links scattered through my inboxes or Notes app.
You need an outlet.
Outlet shopping is nothing like it used to be. Back in the day, there were dusty bins of sad shoes in unwanted sizes or random clothing with pulls or missing buttons.
Now there are whole complexes dedicated to reduced-price shopping from big brands you actually want to go to. In Sydney we have a DFO which also has outlets in Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia. We also have Birkenhead Point which is excellent for the whole family — my favourite stores are Seed, Style Runner, Adairs and Adidas.
My favourite is definitely Rosebery Engine Yards. Recently revamped, there are outlets from Camilla & Marc, Scanlan Theodore, Bassike, Rebecca Vallance, July Luggage, Oroton…you get it. Set aside at least a few hours.
I don't know much about outlet shopping in other states, so I have a favour to ask. Pop over to the Nothing To Wear community group and let us know about the options in your town or city. I'll then compile a big directory!
Feature: Supplied and Instagram/@style.sense
