The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - The Telegraph Magazine
My style CV
The journalist and author of How To Break Up with Fast Fashion talks vintage, moodboosting clothes and ebay tactics with Emily Cronin
Journalist and author Lauren Bravo on vintage shopping
More than half of my wardrobe is second-hand.
During my 20s I got into fast fashion in a big way but the clothes never made me feel as good as they promised. So I began buying more second-hand and eventually I challenged myself to go a whole year without buying anything new. Now that the year’s complete, I can’t imagine going back to my old ways. I feel like my wardrobe is the most ‘me’ it has been in years.
I’m usually about 30 per cent overdressed.
I’m a magpie and a time tourist – I’ve always adored vintage, especially the mid-1960s to mid-’70s era that was all poet sleeves and swishy silhouettes. I love waking up each morning thinking, ‘Who do I want to “be” today?’ But I try to rein myself in before it reaches the point of ‘walking jumble sale’. Just.
The best looks are all about contrasts.
I like to juxtapose fabrics, colours and prints, silhouettes that balance each other out, or something flamboyant, paired with something practical. I try to mix up newer purchases with things I’ve had and loved for years. It’s nice when each element of your outfit has a different story behind it.
A great coat is a shortcut to chic.
I bloody love coats. My favourites are the ones with emotional resonance. I have an oversized, navy-wool blazer that I pinched from my granny – it goes with everything. I love that she can see me wearing it and giving it a new lease of life.
Feeling committed to your clothes makes a difference. Fast fashion
makes clothes so cheap and abundant that we’ve lost that connection with the things that we own. If you feel emotionally invested in a garment, you’re more likely to keep it longer, look after it better, repair it and wear it, even after the lazy Susan of trends has kicked it off the table.