Hipster in Chester

My little sister Eve has recently discovered thrift shopping, and let me just tell you, she could pretty much be a pro.

Her outfit in the picture is a genius combination of a ballet summer school t-shirt, a jacket she bought from some crazy shop in Chester where everything is £1, and an American Apparel skirt she "fished" from a friend. Apparently "fishing" is something you do to get rid of unwanted stuff and gain other peoples cast-offs. Waste not want not works well at boarding school I guess...

Anyway, taking inspiration from my baby sis, lets talk about making the best of a bad situation. Take me for example, I've pretty much ran out of money until pay day so roll on Friday, and the Friday after, and the one after that...
I've become very accustomed to being frivolous with my money (probs why I'm in this sitch) so I'm finding this HARD. My heart breaks at the thought of that pink crop top still hanging up in River Island rather than my wardrobe but I'll get by - I'll tell you how.

Basically, I already have loads of clothes. I think every girl probably has roughly ten times the amount of clothes she thinks on account of the fact that only a tiny fraction of her wardrobe ever sees the light of day. I'm going to bring out those clothes I haven't worn in ages purely because I like shiny new things. My Barbie t-shirt is a prime example of something I've only worn once! And what about those oversized t-shirts I bought 3 for £5 in the summer? Yepp, I'd forgotten about them all. Imma draw on my art student creativity to style new outfits using old clothes. Being thrifty can be almost as fun as buying new clothes... almost..

THE BIGGER THE BETTER

You can always rely on Nelly Furtado for words of wisdom because really I can think of lots of things that are better when bigger; hoops obv, but also jumpers. I love a good jumper, doesn't everyone love a good jumper?
If you can see through the smears on the mirror, the oversized burgundy sweatshirt in the picture is a recent purchase from H&M and can currently boast favourite child status. The intention was probably for it to be worn with trousers, however I bought a couple of sizes larger then usual so I could wear it as a jumper dress. You see I don't like to cover my legs up more than necessary. So thanks Nelly, deffo a case of bigger the better here.

But alas, sometimes shops don't understand a girls needs. I mean, I don't always want to wear something fitted! Sometimes I want to be lost in a mass of material, to bury my (very sensitive to the cold) hands in my dangling sleeves, have the option of inviting a friend to join me in my clothes on particularly cold days, that kind of thing, y'know? When women's wear doesn't offer up a solution to such wants you have to seek advice from a different source ---> Oh hey Jessie J! We be doing it like a dude with you girl; let's head to men's wear.
Here jumpers are comfy and shapeless and tend not to have slightly nauseating slogans scrawled across them in swirly writing. Although I usually consider myself slightly above establishments such as Primark I love their men's jumpers which are usually piled high in all different colours and levels of cosiness.
Basically, as a gal who's all for gender equality I no longer see the boundaries between men's and women's wear. Yes we'll have equal pay and wear the same clothes as well hurray.

Pink Coated Consumer

Coat, Newlook

I wanna tell the world about a friend of mine,
this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
I'm gonna take you to a better time,
I'm gonna talk about my new coat if you don't mind.
I was 18 years old, when you and I left Newlook,
harsh winter gave me a cold,
but you wrapped me up, warmed my very soul.

...Okay I think I should stop with that now. Shout out and also apologies to Kanye for defacing his lyrics, all hail King Kanye etc etc.

But seriously my coat. I wasn't sure I believed in love until I spotted it hanging there in Newlook. I threw off the black fur beauty which I had been admiring and ran towards MY coat - because I knew right away that it belonged to me - arms out stretched, tongue lolling, you get the picture. Roughly ten minutes later I was gliding home wearing it. To this day I am unaware how much it cost, but really can you put a price on happiness? I'm a material girl and definitely not ashamed to admit that acquiring some beautiful new item of clothing can bring me happiness, this coat is truly evidence of that. I wouldn't be surprised if I had a dream I could buy my way to heaven, but when I woke up I spent that on a necklace (so so sorry Kanye) and really is there anything wrong with that?

We live in a world consumed by possessing things. You've got to earn money to live and doesn't owning nice things make life just a little bit better? I look like a Queen in my coat; I love wearing it with my hair sky high, hoops dangling from my ears and my pink Pumas on my feet. What I love most is that I earned all these things. That coat probably cost me a good fourteen hours wandering round a freezing warehouse but it sure as hell feels good to wear it now. My friends tell me I'm the worst at saving money but the truth is I love spending. Do you get that slightly sadistic thrill as you type in your pin? Yes I may have spend a weeks wages but in return I got a coat (aka new best friend), a pack of M&S pants (the best for essentials hun), and quality time with my mum over a meal at Handmade Burger Co. See, my mamma doesn't try to get through to me because she knows if I'm buying myself Louis V she probs gawn receive some soon too.