As a woman, I am expected to dress nicely and be fashionable, but, of course, those fashionable escapades come with a price- one that I am, more often than not, willing to pay, because I enjoy playing dress-up.
For my age, I own a fair amount of designer clothing, almost always dress nicely -whether I am going to work, the shops or to the cinema. When I was first allowed to buy my own magazines, which all centred around fashion, I looked at Jil Sander and Givenchy pieces priced at over 2,000 euros and thought to myself "Surely, once I am a grown up, I'll be able to save up x amount of money to just own this one piece of clothing.." This phase of wishful thinking and dreaming was followed by a brief addiction to the likes of Zara, H&M and every other high street retailer selling anything I could remotely describe as "Celine-esque" 'inspired by Balmain" or "a cheap version of that Max Mara coat".
As I then moved continents twice within a year, I quickly realised how useless my runway inspired wardrobe was and got rid of a lot of pretty dresses and high heels that I had been holding onto claiming they were classic or timeless, when, in reality, they were results of me digging in bargain bins and waiting for sales so that I could purchase already cheap clothing at even cheaper prices. The biggest purge happened in Berlin, as I was departing for London and could not believe that my combined luggage easily weighed three quarters of my own weight. Angry at myself for possessing so many worthless, replaceable clothes, I donated a quarter of it and moved on. Since then, the amount appointed to my wardrobe has increased, while the size of my wardrobe has decreased. Instead of going to H&M for some ballet flats, I got a pair of Lanvin flats I've absolutely fallen in love with. The pairs of black jeans I once used to buy for 40$ every couple of months, have been replaced by an Acne pair that fit like nothing I've ever worn before.
Of course, as I have been told many times, there is more to life than how you look. I thoroughly agree and do not define who I, or people I meet, are, judged on how they dress, and I admit that fashion could be considered an unnecessarily heavily discussed subject. How do we justify spending lavish amounts on designer clothing when there are people wondering how to get their children a simple pair of shoes? Being an advocate of simplicity, I appreciate a person who puts attention to their looks- by maintaining clean clothes and a healthy appearance. Charity shops are great because they'll take your old stuff and turn it into money used to help and dress the less fortunate.
Moreover I also hold myself responsible for how I feel about myself- and I feel best when I know to have invested into something I am passionate about. And my passion happens to be well-fitting jeans, silk blouses and elegant coats- amongst other things of course. Like books, food and friends.
