Wardrobe wisdom
This week Samantha Wilson, freelance fashion print designer, shares her style secrets
Q What’s your personal uniform?
A Honestly, I don’t think I have one! I dress instinctively and have never had a go-to formula.
Q Which pieces do you spend the most on?
A I’m a total magpie and so probably spend the most on jewellery, especially earrings. If I’m feeling a bit down or tired and just want to wear jeans and a hoodie, putting on some fun jazzy earrings really cheers me up and makes me feel more like myself.
Q And what do you spend the least on?
A Basics, like T-shirts and vests to layer under things.
Q What are your go-to brands?
A There are a few too many! Pleats Please Issey Miyake, Ellery, Loéil, Dries Van Noten, Marni.
Q Where do you shop on the high street?
A I love Arket, especially for basics like T-shirts and jumpers. Zara is great for fun earrings, knitwear and the occasional good pair of shoes.
Q Do you buy secondhand?
They take up about 70 per cent of my wardrobe.
Q What’s the hardest working item in your wardrobe?
A Currently it’s my Dr. Martens; I haven’t taken them off for the past five months. This is also probably because of the severe lack of shoes in my wardrobe, as once I find ones that I love, I wear them to death.
Q What item in your wardrobe have you had the longest?
A A great neon-speckled grey Pleats
Please Issey Miyake shirt my mum gave me probably 20 years ago; I wear it all the time. The quality has really stood the test of time.
Q What’s the last thing you bought?
A An amazing pair of second-hand gold fish-shaped clip-on earrings from my favourite shop, Felt (feltlondon.com), and a pair of ripoff Prada leather boots from Zara. I’m not ashamed to buy copies.
Q How often do you go shopping?
A Probably too often! About once or twice a month...
Q Who do you shop with?
A Most regularly with my mate Sophie; we have very similar taste so end up buying the exact same things. Although it gets very frustrating when we’re in a vintage or second-hand shop and she finds the good stuff first… So I just have to pray it doesn’t fit her and I get to buy it.
Q Do you usually shop with sustainability in mind?
A I like to think that I always have it in mind subconsciously, as I’ve naturally always been a lover of vintage and second-hand shopping anyway. I do really take my time when I buy clothes; I’ve never been an over-consumer of fast fashion. I prefer to save and spend my money on a quality piece that I know is likely to last.
Q Do you have pieces tailored to fit?
A Not professionally, but I tend to alter things myself – badly. I find it really hard to find trousers that fit my body shape, so I’m always taking them in at the waist.
Q Do you believe in dressing your age?
A Absolutely not! Clothes are meant to be fun and for self-expression. I believe in dressing how you feel! I intend to have pink hair in my 70s and be covered in sequins.
Q Does your work affect your style choices?
A Yes, but only in a functional way, as some days my job requires me to do dirty jobs like painting and screenprinting.
So I avoid wearing anything precious and impractical; those are the days I’ll be in head-to-toe black.
Q What’s your beauty routine?
A My beauty routine is pretty lengthy – I cleanse with Skinceuticals Simply Clean (£35, skinceuticals. co.uk) then always follow with AHA (alpha hydroxy acid); my favourite at the moment are the Nordic Skin Peel pads by Skyn Iceland (£39, johnlewis.com). Next I use the C-firma Day Serum by Drunk Elephant (£67, spacenk. com), then the Intensive Hyaluronic Serum by Institut Esthederm (£49.50, lookfantastic.com) and finally Skinceuticals
Ultra Facial Defence SPF 50 (£41, skinceuticals. co.uk)… And that’s just the day routine!
Q Who’s in your beauty black book?
A Pfeffer Sal is my favourite place for an amazing facial (pfeffersal. com). They completely tailor the facial to your specific needs, and my skin has never looked better. Sadly, it’s pretty pricey so I can’t go that often – as an alternative, I like to go to The Light Salon as often as I can for a 15-minute LED Rejuvenation Facial (£35, thelight-salon.com). It’s quick and affordable and you still get that satisfying post-facial glow!
Q Do you have any beauty secrets?
A My top beauty secret is the Ultra Facial Defence SPF by Skinceuticals; whenever I go make-up free I get compliments on my “dewy skin”, which is all thanks to this product. It’s a magical wonder cream, but I let people believe it’s all me!
Q Which beauty products couldn’t you be without?
A Well shamefully the whole of my make-up bag. If I had to choose it would be my SPF, hyaluronic serum, Bare Minerals Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (£24, bareminerals.co.uk), Surratt Auto Graphique Liner (£40, spacenk. com) and Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer (£45, spacenk. com).