Back to my youth as sale-rail fashion becomes chic

As we dig out our boots and wooly tights for the autumn, I’m sure I’m not the only one holding up items of clothing from my wardrobe and thinking “that can get me through another year”, rather than rushing to buy something new. The current backlash against the unsustainability of throwaway fashion has coincided with many of us of a certain age coming to terms with the fact that we’ve exhausted all the excuses for endless buying of clothes we’ll probably only wear once.

From royalty to red carpet slebs, people are proud to flaunt the same frock twice, which in times gone by would have been unthinkable. The rest of us are

also thinking twice before buying something new, especially those of us who are at an age where you hope you know what suits you and should stick to that.

In my case, there are only so many styles of black or navy you can possibly own. I may also be finally coming to terms with the fact that there’s not much point in buying things in a sale that don’t fit, in the hope that one day I’ll fit into them. There is still a part of me that finds it almost impossible to pass up a bargain on a sale rail, but I hope to be free of this impulse when I grow up. Whatever your motives, there has been a definite shift in people’s spending on fashion, and for some of us it can be an excuse to go back to our younger shopping habits.

Although it was driven by poverty rather than choice, there was a time when I knew where the best vintage bargains could be sourced. It was the era when a Fifties tea dress could be worn with Doc Marten boots and a leather flying jacket. Happy days.

Although I might not be after quite the same look these days, I will try to follow the example of The Student and her friends and think a bit harder about my fashion choices in terms of sustainability.

“Still a part of me finds it almost impossible to pass up a bargain