4th March 2022
I love fashion. I always have. I wasn't always able to wear fashionable things though. Firstly when I was young because of my size, and later on because my first husband controlled what I wore. I have two memories from those time which will always stand out for me. When I was young how happy I was when I found something to wear which trendy. My mother once made for me a pair of Bay City Rollers trousers which were checked and baggy and I felt a million dollars when I wore them. The other memory was my first husband getting clothes for me which I liked but they were always two or three sizes too small for me. He used to say I would have to lose weight to fit into them. I was stuck with the old, basic clothes that I had. That made me feel so sad but at the time it was just the way it was, and I could see no way out.
What you can see from this though, is the feelings that clothes can create. To be able to wear something you want to wear, and look good, can do so much for your confidence, wellbeing and mental health.
There is someone that Steve and I know that loves Batman, and the joy in his face recently when he showed us his new Batman t-shirt just radiated out to us and for that moment we could share in his happiness.
As I have said in the past, I love to shop in charity shops and it would be true to say that the majority of my clothes come from there. It's not for everyone, I know. You can't just go in and buy a mass item off the rail, nut for me it's the joy of the hunt. You never know just what you are going to find. Obviously underwear is always bought new, and that's a whole new story as you lose weight, but everything else except sometimes shoes is bought second-hand. There are many new names for it now. Vintage, pre-loved, retro, etc., but it's all technically the same. I have bought some lovely things at vintage fairs, such as a beautiful denim jacket from America, but the majority, as I said, are charity shop finds.
What makes me smile is that anything pre-2000 is now classed as vintage, which is rather scary for those of us who are that bit older. I was born in the late 1950s and have seen many fashion trends come and go. I used to love spending time in London and in particular, many years ago, Carnaby Street, where I would watch what people were wearing. I still love to people watch :-).
Now here is what I sort of see as a problem. I read a lot about trends in fashion and watch YouTube a lot and a thought struck me. When you see younger people dressing vintage or in the style of the 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s it's seen as trendy. My concern was that when someone of my age dresses that way it could be seen completely differently. As though you were stuck in a time warp, or just plain old fashioned or even, dare I say it, dowdy!
Now that is just the way I think but it is definitely different for someone who is older. However I now think that when you are young you can follow fashion and all look the same if you want too. You can choose to dress in a certain era and look fantastic that way. We should be able to wear whatever we want. I spent many years not being able to, but – and it is a big but – as you grow older you have seen so many pages of trends and fashions over the years and you have a wealth of experience to glean from. How lucky we are! Now is the time to experiment to find your own style and have the confidence to be just who you want to be.
Shopping in charity shops are my way of doing this in a far less expensive way . The few things that don't work out can be donated back to raise further money for charity, but what fun I have trying and many times I find myself a whole new outfit few just a few pounds. The thrill of the hunt, finding something different and learning all about the image you want to give to the world is, to me, not only fun but such good therapy. You just never know what is out there. :-)
I will continue to look.
The hunt goes on!
Until next time,
Love, Jackie.
xx
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