Halfway through the wardrobe decluttering
Yet again I found myself standing in front of the wardrobe shocked at the sheer amount of stuff crammed in. The big old mahogany drawers were bursting, the two large ironing piles were the stuff of hell and the number of towels and sets of bedding was ludicrous. So once more a serious turf out loomed.
So, The Rules for the weekend's clothing declutter-fest was to try and form as much of a capsule wardrobe for work and one for leisure as I could from what I had, each capsule consisting of two skirts, two pairs of trousers, three tops, one shirt, a dress, a jacket, a cardigan and a jumper plus five skinny cami tops that i tend to wear everyday either alone or under something else which would be shared between work and leisure. The obvious base colour was black or charcoal grey, while my accent colours were olive greens and browns, which tend to suit my hair colouring. I also needed to have a major turf out in the knicker department as things kept trying to escape from the drawers.
I hadn't got rid of everything though. Good clothing that clashed with my hair colour but I didn't feel I could part with yet I packed away for a few months to see if I miss them. If not, out they go.
Now the declutter is complete, I'll start hunting for those things I want to replace or add to my capsules. I'm paying a lot of attention lately to good quality home-produced clothes made from natural materials. I have too few clothes made of natural fibres, and I'm also conscious just how many miles my clothes travel from the far flung places they originate...not to mention how much they cost and the short time they last. This is starting to bother me. Cheap clothing is being mass-produced under generally appalling working conditions for the people making it, usually abroad, and they only last a few washes. How have we got to this point where things that were once so well crafted with integrity have been so devalued? There are few good companies in the UK that make clothes and shoes, often from native materials, and they're struggling to get by in the recession because of the influx of poorly made textiles.
So I've decided I'd like to own some good quality clothes in natural fabrics made by a British company from materials originating in this country.
That last one is the kicker.
I've spent the evening searching but haven't found anything much beyond wool-based materials with the odd bit of 'british-sourced cotton', whatever that means, but I have found some very interesting producers of British clothing which has had me salivating to be quite frank. I've had to confront my touch of miserliness and rampant secondhand fetish to realise that supporting british clothing producers - in fact supporting any producer of quality crafted items - means being willing to spend more on something that will last for many years. I want robust, well-cut, flattering clothing that fits nicely, washes well and retains its shape while keeping a British business and their suppliers in business.
Anyway, here's a few that have caught my eye, and I'll add some more to the list as I come across them over the next few months.
Roobedo clothing - in particular Ruth's maxi skirts.
Peregrine knitwear
Jane beck welsh tweeds
Old Town Clothing - handmade clothing with a distinct yesteryear flavour based around the fashions of traditional tradespeople. British cottons can be found!
Colenimo - British made clothes and British sourced fabrics.
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