It is slightly controversial nowadays, and I thought back and forth about the issue, mulled over pros and cons. Finally, I decided that there, I am going to say it: I have become disenchanted with "fashion items" like shoes, bags and sometimes belts made from PU leather, pleather, vegan leather or so called man-made leather. Because in my experience, in the majority of cases, it doesn't hold a candle to the real deal.

Some of my random ideas about style. They are the product of personal experience after my lifetime of dressing (& being dressed) and almost four years of fashion blogging, closet purging, capsule wardrobes and shopping fasts; all in the name of unearthing my very own authentic thingy and not feeding to much into the fast fashion machine. Am I there yet? Nah! Like with a lot of things in life, style is an evolution, a road to travel. Sometimes you make great way, sometimes you stumble. I've had my share of fashion faux pas. As long as I learn from it and don't take it too seriously, it's all good.

1. Take Outfit Pictures

Whether they are selfies in front of the mirror, quick snap by someone else or a more dedicated picture, seeing yourself and your outfit through the eyes of the lens is adding a second perspective.

Now, remember a picture isn't a 100% accurate replication, as lightning and angle play a very big role in how a picture turns out and even if it is perfect full frontal it will still be different from how you see yourself in a mirror. Nevertheless I've found it invaluable for two reasons:

First, I get to see the outfit from the above mentioned second perspective, helping me understand what works, and what doesn't. For example, I have this dress with the kangaroo pocket. Personally I found it tres cool to put my hand inside there. After seeing it on the picture, I realized it.just.doesn't.work for me with this dress. Right, that's a very fashion bloggeresque example maybe, but I hope you get the gist. In the same way, some colors might look good on me in my bedroom mirror, with the lightning there, and totally off in natural light.

Random rant: By the way, what's up with these high street shops having crappy lightning?

Sometimes I want to put something on to achieve a certain effect, but I don't quite manage to bring it across. It doesn't turn out the way I hoped it would. So back to the drawing board.

Second, and that's probably the more important one, seeing myself in pictures, and seeing what works, what looks good and what looks better than I thought it did in the mirror actually helped me raise my confidence and style awareness. Be a little vain. Nothing wrong at all with feeling good about your looks as long as it doesn't turn into an obsession.

While this may take some courage and a leap of faith at first, it is utterly liberating. Express who you truly are. Don't try to make something fit you just to fit in. For example, I can do the ultra chic and proper ladylike stuff. But it is not something I would want to wear everyday because I am not 100% comfortable in that kind of outfit. I love my outfits to be able to do everything with me. And I want to show you outfits that I and weird women like me are actually wearing, not something I put together for promotion.

To find the style that is most you, you have to try out different things without being afraid of "what people might think of you". Half of the people you meet won't notice anyway. Trust me. I experience it every day when walking my son to school. You'd figure it goes without saying, but so many people are stressing out over what to wear and how they appear. If only they'd realise that a lot of times other than a passing thought, no one actually remembers what you are wearing a minute later and/or doesn't care in the first place. Sure, if you are worthy of being on People of Walmart, maybe you need to reconsider. Otherwise just relax and have fun playing with fashion. They will notice you enjoying what you wear more than the actual items.

Try adding one thing that is a surprise, unusual on the eye or out of context into your outfit . It could even be something you curate to become your signature thing. Like a counter color accessory, big earrings, patterned scarves, colorful socks etc. If it's well done, it is a great style marker.

A very relative term if you ask me, but then again, I tinted my hair with a hint of blue only a few weeks ago. If you've not seen Advanced Style yet, check it out. In the wake, there's a growing number of "over age X" - bloggers that show you how you can dress well even with things that were termed a "no go" for women of their age not too long ago, like for example Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb who made it her tag line. She also often features other style daring over 40 bloggers on her blog. I'm so happy about this, not the least because I am over 40 too but have absolutely no plans to go silently into that good night.

Looking at magazines, watching runway shows and all that is fine to get inspired, but running off to buy the next "hot thing" that some carefully orchestrated media campaign proclaims  is just being a sheeple. A lot of trends - I hope you know - are actually planted. And you never catch up anyway, because that is the way it is set up to work. They need you to always run after a new trend. The faster the better. Unfortunately, not only does following trends blindly mean you'll never arrive at your own style, but not all trends are for all people. Not every trend will look good at you. Some will make you look outright ridiculous. 

The funny thing is that if a ridiculous thing is part of your game, it'll work. If you just wear it to be trendy? Not so much. And don't be trendy just because you are trying to impress other people or think yourself in some kind of competition with the girl over there or because you think you'd be seen as less "in the know" if you aren't wearing all the latest "in things". If a trend inspires you, yeah sure, try it. Just not blindly every single one.

By that I mean that I've found a smaller but curated wardrobe to be exponentially superior to a stuffed mishmash of clothing that might even get worn but isn't really gelling, has no rhyme and no reason. It works for some individuals (I even have some in mind) because it is part of their personal "thang", and even then it is most often something they've curated over a long period of time. It just seems random. But for the majority of us it doesn't work. Curate your clothing and accessories. No one says it needs to be a minimalist capsule wardrobe. But put some thought in it. Talking from experience there was a period in my life when my wardrobe was full of tops that didn't have fitting bottoms and vice versa. Yeah of course, some pieces did go together, but then it was back to always wearing the same stuff I knew worked. What was the point of having all them others then? Or, if I wanted to wear something else it was either hours of desperate pulling clothing on and off in order to find some workable combination. Or go shop. For something that mostly, once again, didn't fit with much. So curate your wardrobe. Here I'd like to refer back to my "5 Questions To Ask While Shopping" which can help determine whether a purchase will be a good one or whether it is more likely to become a closet corpse.

Follow me! 

And never miss a Funky post.

Instagram || Twitter || E-Mail || Facebook || Pinterest  

Okay, so as promised, here is the new limited "Funky Shopping List", starting officially Round 2 of the modified Five Piece French Wardrobe. Since it is already April, I'll run it until April 2018. Buying only 12 major pieces between clothing, shoes and accessories is the goal.

As with last time I did this, replacements of basic articles like simple t-shirts, longsleeve or tank tops, underwear, socks, that simple black pair of leggings are fine. However just like last year I will try to avoid buying socks since I didn't really make a dent in my stash. Could, sure by tossing some out, but I don't see the point in being wasteful either. Swapping clothes doesn't count towards the limit as it's not a purchase of a brand new item.

Honestly, with continued practice, not buying seems to become easier, so I have hopes of being able to do better this time around. I've been to Germany over Easter and I can proudly say I didn't buy a single piece of clothing or accessories. So the money I saved can go towards one really fancy thing from my wish list. And thus, without further ado, here it is:

So, if you follow me on Instagram, you cannot help but have noticed that my style has changed quite a bit in the last year. And I'm obviously not talking only the hair color here. For which, by the way I'm still unsure what to do. Keep them blond or go back to red? Right now I don't even know if I want them short anymore. They are a mess.

When you start reading about capsule and minimal wardrobes, sooner or later you will come across the so called "French 5 Pieces Wardrobe". And it's not what you might initially think. It just means that, starting from your base wardrobe, you are only allowed to add 5 new and/or trendy pieces "per fashion season". Which amounts to 10 per year if you don't count "Resort" and "Pre-Fall" as fashion seasons.



At first, that sounds truly drastic, doesn't it? 10 new pieces per year only? Yikes, there have been months where I went over that mark. But then you read on and see that it actually excludes a lot of items. For example, replacements. Or essential basics that are part of the core of your wardrobe. Which you get to define what they are.

The idea of a capsule, or maybe I should say small wardrobe, has been a slight obsession of mine, as you know. I mean, I keep harping on about it every so often. Maybe because I associate a small wardrobe and not too many belongings in general with the idea of being free to just pack and go wherever or whenever the wind of life moves you. Maybe it is because I associate less items also with more mental freedom.

And I've been feeling restless for a couple of years now. It only never really struck me quite as so urgent as this summer. I guess I might be moving towards a small mid-life crisis. Or maybe I just become more myself.

Sustainability is a big buzz word these days. In a nutshell, it asks us to slow down consuming the ressources of the Earth the way we are at the moment in order to not destroy the planet. Be mindful of how and what you are using, whether it is food, clothing, transportation, etc. This doesn't equate to deprive yourself, but to making good & thoughtful choices about what to spend your money, time and energy on.



I'm in the process of reading "Wear no Evil - How to Change the World With Your Wardrobe" because this topic has long since interested me and if you've been following along for a while, you know it's been mentioned before here and there. For example, one of my reasons for "Why I Love Thrifting" was exactly that. Sustainability.

So I've talked about the fact that this holiday was quite the transformer for me and I wanted to explain you all a little bit more about that. Life is constant change, growing, renewal, so I welcome this as a new part of the journey.
---

This year, I had packed even less for our summer holidays in Germany, thus ended up doing a great deal of repeat wearing. From some of the snaps on Instagram you could see that I was pretty much in these jeans/pants/that black skirt & tee/tank top/blouse for the duration

"Closet Shopping". The idea that you approach your wardrobe with the eyes of someone who would step into a store to buy an outfit. You could also call it Closet Re-evaluation, since you are reconsidering what you already own. Ideally, you combine it with a shopping break to get the maximum effect out of it. I've always found it beneficial to do closet evaluation sessions fairly regularly to keep a good grip on what you have and make sure your wardrobe changes as your style evolves.

1. You Can Dream

And live the joy of expectation. When you go into a shop, you will see something you fancy, see if it's there in your size, try it on and see right there and then whether it is or isn't for you. With online shops, you see an item you fancy, but you'll have to imagine how it will look on you and how it'll make you feel when you put it on. You'll be wishfully thinking that it will look oh so good on you.

I've promised you that I would present you with my personal list of "must haves". Now, consider that this list is written from the perspective of the mother of a very active boy, who doesn't work in an office with dress code, who works from home most of the time and that doesn't have to attend fancy parties weekly.

All of the things listed below I consider worthy of splurging on, that is investing in quality, because I need these to stay with me a long time and they will be (well are) worn often, but of course, if you are a thrifty bargain hunter I am sure you'll find good quality version at decent prices. Never thrifted before? Check out my tips for clothes thrifting.

I've been talking already about doing a little nip & tuck and sprucing up of clothing in various threads, for example here under "Think outside of the box". Today I am going a bit more into detail with the topic and am giving you a little list (well it's more like a collection of spreckles) of ideas & resources. Take old, plain or boring clothes and give them a second awesome life. Now, I was mainly thinking about what you already have in your wardrobe, but of course, it also can apply to those thrift finds.

In this new installment of the beloved Closet Conundrum Series, we are going to talk about spending bans. I am sure the concept of a shopping break isn't new for most of you. A lot of people do this, and yes, I am one of them. I am going on spending breaks at least twice a year. This year I did my first one secretly in January. 

My rules for them are fairly simple. No money spend on clothing, accessories or decorative cosmetics for 30 days. If I do really have to replace an item I can do that - and no, having a hole in 1 t-shirt but 5 others left doesn't count.

So in the series "The Closet Conundrum" we previously went over a lot of questions you can ask yourself when you are actually already in the shop ( here and here ), in order to help you with the final decision on whether to purchase an item of clothing or not. 

Today let's go over some tips on how to stay up to date fashion wise and/or keep your own style fresh and trendy on a budget. Some of these things can be done before or without setting foot in a shop or visiting a retailer website respectively.

1. Thrifting

I've already talked in some detail about the reasons why thrifting rocks and gave some practical tips. For me, it's hands down one of the best ways to score some wonderful pieces for little money. It is entirely possible that I put it at number one because I am inspired by the ace Jil Sander crop jacket I scored for 5 bucks earlier today. Along with thrift shops I will also put flea markets and garage sales as well as Ebay in this category.

2. Buy Anti-Seasonal

Contrary to produce, which you absolutely should buy seasonal (and local if possible) in fashion it's more money savvy to buy anti-seasonal, that is during the last days of the sales of the season that's just fading out. It requires a bit of knowing what is going to stay and what will come in terms of silhouettes, colors, patterns and items but you can absolutely stay on trend. I however especially recommend this when we are talking about basics and classic investment pieces. 

3. Scoop out discount codes

Nowadays, especially online, shops are running various discount codes (X % off, free shipping, 2 or 3 for 1 etc) all darn year long. There are entire sites dedicated to send you newsletters with the latest, other than those the shops send themselves. I do not actually recommend signing up for those unless you have an iron clad will and/or love mailbox clutter. Doing a quick search with the terms "Shop X discount codes" will work just as well most of the times.

Personally, I have cancelled most of the discount/shop newsletters I was getting, keeping only those shops I love and buy from regularly, but for you it might work better to keep in the loop.

4. Check the extreme clearance rack / last days of sale

It's my favorite section and my favorite days, I can't help it. For me it has much of the same appeal as thrifting. During last days of sales shops will often mark down up to 70% and clearance often reduces the price even further because they are trying to get rid of that last of its kind. They are basically begging you to take their stuff. Now, it is true that a lot of times they should rather pay you for taking the left over crap, but not always. Ya know, it does happen that there's that thing you've been looking for all your life, in your size, at a mere fraction of the price you would have paid 4 months ago.

Don't stop believing!

5. Clothing swaps

Once you are done with your wardrobe purge, find a like minded individual (in my case, the first adress are my sisters) and swap the clothing you each don't like anymore. You can also host an entire swap party if you have more than one friend. I know in a lot of areas these are also organized as events, for example among fashion bloggers. And there are several online sites dedicated to this concept, like for example Swap Style, Rehash, Dig'n'Swap, Swishing (UK) or Thred Up (US only)

6. The Vimes Paradigm - Quality over Quantity

I've quoted the Vimes thing here under point 4 already, but basically in a nutshell it says "Save money by spending money, buy quality that will last instead of having to rebuy and rebuy as the cheaper stuff deconstructs"

If you can, absolutely invest in quality for those items you either

- need to use a lot

- need to project a certain image (work wear, for example)

- want to love forever and ever.

or all of the above.

7. Outlets

As anyone following this blog for some time may have noticed, I am a big fan of the Mango Outlet Website, especially during last days of sales with special promo codes on top. Ah yes of course, you can on occasion stack these things. Also, my 3 recent pairs of Buffalo shoes come from one of their outlet stores. Again, Outlets are good for snagging up items at a fraction of the original retail price and again, it helps to know either what is coming, or being confident in your style.

8. Fidelity Programs 

Just like a lot of supermarkets, some clothing retail stores / brands will offer customer fidelity programs. If you have one shop or brand you really dig and where you find yourself in time and time again, it might be worth your while signing up for the shop fidelity card in order to use those bonus point programs or special VIP customer discounts.

9. Plan Ahead

Anyone who isn't completely out of the loop because they lived somewhere under a rock (or on the other side of the moon) knows about the major sales events for their region / country like for example summer / winter sales or Black Friday. Some that used to be regional nowadays are worldwide, thanks to the internet and shops never passing up an opportunity to sell us more stuff. Plan your clothing budget with these dates in mind.

10. Customize

I've mentioned this before, in my post about Thrift Tips, but this works also for your own old stuff. Customize it! Change it up. Get creative. Chop, Nip, Tuck, Embellish. Nothing rocks more then expressing your own style not only by carefully selecting what you buy and methodically curating your wardrobe but also by customizing pieces in creative ways.

Find lots of ideas and tutorials on how to customize here.

Yes, there are items I will splurge on and pay full price. But they have to be worth it.

11. Bonus Tip: Student Discounts

This is not something I can make use off, so I am not an expert on it, but a lot of retailers do offer student discounts in some countries.

... or what Discworld has to do with investing in quality and saving money.

Inspired by my dear readers who suggested three more questions that can help with the buying process in the comments on "5 Questions to ask yourself while Shopping", here are another five questions you can ask yourself while shopping for clothing. 

Inspired by the comments on my "5 Reasons why I love Thrifting" thread, I've decided to compile my Top 5 Tips for smooth and successful thrift shopping for you so you can get the most out of your thrifting experience.

I figured, with all the thrifted items coming up continuously in my outfit posts, I give you some of the reasons why I personally love "going to pop tags" and why you should consider trying it at least twice. Once isn't enough because luck plays definitely a factor. We all know three times is a charm, so go for that.