A Letter to My Wardrobe

Coco Chanel once said: “Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak!” And she couldn’t have been more right! My wardrobe has always been important to me. A vital part of my routine, personality and in many ways, the first piece of “property” I ever owned. 


Quite often our style changes through the years and I believe that our wardrobes are an accurate reflection of what’s going on in our lives at any particular time. Many a time I’ve likened my wardrobe to the one in the Narnia chronicles: look for clothes and you will find them, seek excitement and it shall appear. Fashion tells stories. The clothes we wear say a lot about how we feel and who we are. This is the story of my wardrobe.


 
As a child it was always my goal to have an amazing wardrobe when I grew up. It’s funny that I should use the term “grow up” because my love for dressing up has never wavered. Yet, I don’t think that playing dress-up makes anyone immature. As I’ve grown older and witnessed how my passion for fashion has had a positive impact on my life, I consider dressing up as an imaginative and creative quality that shouldn’t be discouraged. I don’t believe in overconsumption, but I do think we should fill our wardrobes with style to make us smile.


 
My obsession with collecting vintage jewellery and fashion pieces first started when I was a small child. As well as being a form of self-expression, fashion can also represent milestones and achievements in your life. Over the years I’ve also compiled a beautiful collection of vintage accessories, reminding me of fashion eras that continue to inspire and fascinate me. Although during my teen years I went through a phase of buying costume jewellery, including lots of oversized earrings, I’ve always preferred vintage jewellery to modern pieces. My conscious accumulation of limited edition designer handbags and shoes, vintage jewellery and modern fashion, make for intriguing outfit combinations.
 
 


I do admit to having numerous hobbies and leisure interests, so it’s rare that I get bored and have nothing to do. But this manner of filling time and creating beneficial ways to fill my time started with wardrobe planning. My favourite habit of planning my outfits in advance all started when I was a teenager. In between moving around, as I did a lot around that time, I’d fill my spare time by creating unique outfits. I’d seek inspiration from wherever sparks inspiration or I’d replica a look I’d seen on a celebrity. Outfit planning gave me a sense of discipline and routine in my life, but in a fun and creative way. It seems trivial but I believe that everybody needs a purpose and sense of direction in their lives. And I don’t think it’s going too far to say that taking the initiative to keep myself busy in this way, served as a valuable characteristic that I benefited from later on as a business owner.
 
Given my lifelong love for fashion and personal style, it’s no surprise that in my current work I choose to tell inspiring stories through clothing. I want to reassure you that it is possible to dress well, look good and be intelligent too! However, I wasn’t always sure that I wanted to work in fashion. At the time of leaving school, it was my goal to become a fashion designer. This was probably the only career option that interested me, because we’re going back now to a time when nobody knew what a blog was, let alone run a blogging business. Most of all, whether we’re talking about studying fashion design or launching a fashion blog, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to turn my fashion addiction into a career. On the one hand it seemed like a dream, on the other, I didn’t want to lose interest in my favourite hobby. I’m glad to say how overjoyed I am to be working in the fashion industry and everything has turned out better than I imagined - but it’s not for everyone. My wardrobe continues to play a huge role in my daily life and is the main stimulus in my work. So it just goes to show the importance of personal style.
 
What’s your style story? Let me know over on Instagram.