JOANNE Watkinson
My childhood home was recently sold. Some 40 years of memories packed up, among it all the stuff my siblings and I didn’t want cluttering up our own cupboards but also couldn’t bare to see thrown away.
E.T. money boxes, 21st birthday horseshoes, boxes of sentimental tat, festival wrist bands, photo key rings bought in nightclubs, and in my sister’s case, more costume jewellery than one person could ever possibly wear.
I don’t consider myself a hoarder, but the under-bed storage box in my mum’s house tells another story.
When faced with having to sort through it or see it sent straight to charity, I had hoped there would be some hidden gems waiting be unearthed.
What I found was mostly questionable clothes worn by me from age 13 to 19. In my early teens I seem to have had a thing for tennis-inspired clothing. Fred Perry pleated skirts featured heavily, and a smattering of Thomas Burberry (before it was cool).
The change came when I discovered going out, and my taste was as dubious as my fake ID.
The worst offenders include some army issue pants with ‘Less Delux’ printed on the rear.
You would be forgiven for thinking I was a fan of All Saints (the band not the brand) but it was more of a Jennifer Lopez vibe, back when she was dating Ben Affleck and was known as J-Lo.
A candy-floss pink faux fur cropped jacket completed my ghetto not-so-fabulous look.
Then came the boiler suit, a style I still love, but this one I remember wearing with lime green pointed stilettos.
This was obviously before my “would Kate Moss wear it?” rule came in to play.
Going through the items was like opening up a time capsule. The only things that stood the style test of time were, as you would expect, the vintage and designer pieces.
The Missoni halter top I got when it finally got reduced by 70% is still as gorgeous (and skimpy) as it was when I bought it.
Then there’s the first vintage leather belt I bought. If it wasn’t so small, I’d happily wear it now the leather is so soft.
The rest of the pieces were tatty, tired and ready to be recycled but full of happy memories
The army pants I might hold on to, now Jen and Ben are back together, you never know.