Inherited Clothing – Not all bad!

Coming from a family with two older sisters and loads of older female cousins, I was the unlucky one who inherited most of my clothes until the age of 12. I hated it and longed for the time when I had my own money to buy clothes for. Around 12+ years later I have my very own money and I could buy all new shiny clothes if I wanted to. But how is it that I get loads more excited when I visiting a ‘clothes exchange’ or having raid-session of friends’ wardrobes?!

My friend Frankie, who is moving house, needed my help with going from two wardrobes to one (thank god, that wasn’t me in that situation!). Trying to be a good friend, I agreed to it since it was an excellent opportunity for me to ‘give and take’!

I got all her clothes, shoes, bags etc. out on the floor and separated the ‘unwanted-too big-or-too small’-pile with the ‘I might wear this at some point!’-pile. In half an hour I had, without fighting with fellow annoying shoppers on a Saturday afternoon, managed to get four scarves, a shirt and a dress!... for free! Bargain!

The little 'non-black dress'

During several occasions this autumn, I have visited Dorothy Perkins for the same reason; to see whether their dresses from Purple were on sale. After seeing my work mate and my sister in these dresses, I decided that I NEED ONE!

After years of my lovely mother dressing my sister and myself in the same coloured clothing, I decided that choosing the same one would be out of the question. I went with a lovely grey dress. This dress looks great with thicker black tights and my black leather shoes from Office.

Another one for my MUM

Since my mum is one of the most amazing people in my life, I thought I would keep ranting about her a wee more! Similar to the ‘blue hippie-top story’, there is another item of my mum’s which I absolutely love. If you have read my previous posts, you may have noticed my slight obsession for ponchos and floaty tops.

Mumsie got this lovely dark red knitted poncho maybe eight years ago. It’s perfect in the spring and autumn, and looks ace with a brown or black skirt, tights and high leather boots. My parents try to visit me and my little sister in UK at least twice a year, and they always brings us fun treats. Around two-three years ago, my mum said – I think you’ll like this present Maja! She opened the bag, and there it was; the lovely poncho! My mum is truly amazing and has an ace fashion sense! Looking forward to see what interesting things I can find in her wardrobe this time!

Recycled Treats

One of my highlights is to go down to 25 spaces in Leeds for the monthly ‘Leeds Community Clothes Exchange’. One of my friends works there and I will hopefully soon be volunteering there. It’s usually the last Saturday of each month. However, thanks to a grant, the space is currently being refurbished.

It’s a great concept where people bring their clothes and accessories down to this little place and then exchanges them with other people’s items. This does not only enhance the community spirit but also fulfills the aim to ‘reduce consumption and raise awareness of unethical consumer habits’ as written on its Facebook fan page.

Since moving out of my last house and going through all my hundreds of garments, which I never really use, I managed to get a whole bin bag full of clothing. So I will be dragging that down to the August clothes exchange.

First time I ever went, about a year ago I think, I managed to get this amazing knitted blue/turquoise poncho that I wear all year around. It’s convenient when sitting around a late evening fire as well as when going shopping.

Last month I brought four garments (one of my favorite dresses which was too small, two tops and a tang-top) and obviously got to choose four new ones. I got this lovely 60s inspired dress with a lovely pattern in white, black and yellow. What I like the most about this dress is that I can wear one of my short lace skirts underneath it, which makes it look like a tutu. Also, I do love the neck line which makes me look a bit slimmer on top.

Nana's Wardrobe

The best place to find a stylish vintage garment that no one else has, is your mum’s wardrobe from the 50-80s, or in my case; my grandmother’s wardrobe. My 80 year old nana from a small little village in Sweden had the greatest fashion sense of all time I would say. I have many times rummaged her wardrobes for shoes, bags, dresses and so on. Although, my nana was really skinny (and still is) and had a great figure, while I am stuck with my plus-size curves, therefore, I couldn’t fit in all of it.

One of my favourite findings is a beautiful long-sleeved black dress with green flowers on it. This dress, with its high collar and green buttons all the way up to the neck, is made from a very elastic and thick fabric. Unfortunately, the tag is long gone so I won’t be able to describe the fabric better than that.

I have used this dress hundreds of times since I found it, around 16 years old of age, therefore, it’s been washed many times, but it still looks the same.

A few years ago I told my nana that this is my favourite garment and that I would cry if I lost it. Nana then laughed and told me she bought it between the 60s and 70s for a funeral! Now, I was a bit shocked since this is a very short dress and if you undo the buttons, frankly, I think it’s a bit too revealing for funeral. Well all I could say was “good for you nana” and thanking her for not throwing it away and letting me find it 40 odd years later!