What, my pretties, is wrong with the outfit in this picture? It fits well; it looks good; the colour suits me. So why didn't I buy it? I felt it was too short to wear in Mumbai without some kind of cover up. And I've learned from bitter - and costly - experience if your summer outfit needs a cover up, don't waste your money. You'll never wear it.
One of the most important lessons to learn when shopping for clothes is: if it needs something - whether it's alterations, a slip underneath, something over the outfit - leave it. Usually we almost never get around to doing the necessary, and the clothes lie untouched in our wardrobes. A complete waste of good money that could have been used elsewhere.
These are my expensive mistakes of last summer.
Rule One when buying anything is to note just how much ironing is needed, and if you're the sort to spend that kind of time ironing it. This chambray blouse from Zara is gorgeous. It's cropped, the sleeves are amazing and it's airy. However, it needs a ton of steaming - yes, steaming, NOT ironing (another thing to check) - after each wash. And did I mention that I do not possess a steamer?
As you can tell from this photo, it's so crumpled and crushed, it's only fit for a house blouse. I do plan on buying a steamer in the near future, so hopefully this blouse will get worn. But honestly given that it's spent the better part of last year in my closet, that's not good use of my clothes budget.
Rule Two would be, check the fabrics. For goodness' sake, check the fabrics!! Some fabrics shrink in the wash. All good clothing stores will have this noted on the label. In that case, size up. I didn't bother to read the labels for this green blouse. It's why I have only one picture of it. I put in in the wash and it shrunk. So this cost me Rs 1200 for just one wear. A real waste of my precious cash. Sadly, that's totally prejudiced me against Cover/Story (the brand I bought the blouse from) as well. And they really have such pretty things at great prices. However I can't bring myself to step into their stores any more.
Rule Three would be: check the transparency of the fabric. Is it something you can live with or not? I love these white Zara trousers. And they're surprisingly not so transparent as most whites are - but they're not opaque either. It means I have to be sure that I'm wearing nude knickers if I plan on wearing them. And without giving too much away, I buy most of my knickers from La Senza. Step into the store and you'll see just how colourful their stuff is! In short, they aren't something I can just throw on, which means that the occasions I wear them are few and far between. And that's a shame, cos they really are lovely trousers. Fortunately they weren't too expensive - they were less than Rs 2000. And equally fortunately, they still look brand new, despite having been worn over ten times. It wasn't a total loss. But I'm not going to be purchasing white trousers again, unless I fill my lingerie drawer with neutrals.
Rule Four: When checking fabric and transparency, also check this - can you actually wear anything beneath it?? The short answer in the case of this H&M dress is - NO! I actually used this dress a lot. I definitely got my money's worth from the Rs 799 that I spent on it. Which is why I'm not complaining hugely about the fact that I eventually had to chuck it away. But despite the thickness of this fabric - and it was thick - if you stood straight in the sunlight, you'd have a Diana moment. (Re: When she wore a white dress and posed against the light. Look it up!)
Now this wouldn't have been a problem, but the cut of the dress prevented you from wearing a slip underneath. Which meant that I could either wear something on top - an option I chose very often. Or I could chuck a longline jacket over it - not that easy, cos the skirt is flared. It meant that I had limited occasions to wear this. I managed quite well, let me tell you. So this wasn't a waste of my money. But I include this because it could have gone horribly wrong and left me with a dress I couldn't wear. So definitely make sure that if you want the item and it needs something underneath, that something will fit and not show.
Rule Five: Will the clothing piece be suitable for the purpose??
There's nothing actually wrong with these shorts - except, I haven't really worn them as shorts outside the house. I usually wear them under my shorter dresses and skirts to avoid Marilyn Monroe moments. Given that I already have Spanx and the like for such purposes, these are rendered a little pointless. A good question to ask would be, why don't I wear them out of the house? To which I have no answer. They just somehow never seem right.
Which is why they usually get worn in this fashion - slouching under very bad lighting with messy hair and slippers. And really, who wants to spend Rs 990 on home clothes??
Rule Six: Remember your fashion foibles! Which is what I didn't do when I bought this pair of black, high waisted, wide-leg trousers from Zara. Oh, they're fabulous. They look like they're seven times the price they were - Rs 1800 or thereabouts, I think. They wash beautifully. They don't crease. They're just the right length for a shorty like me. There's only one problem - they're high waisted, and I hate stuff on my waist when I'm eating and just after. Having any kind of band around my waist - no matter how loose, makes me feel nauseous. Meaning, I can't wear these if I plan on eating anything. It kind of limits my options. Movies? Nope, there's the popcorn. Parties? Not really, there's the food. To class? Only if I'm not going to be ordering coffee. And dinners or suppers are simply out of the question. Even shopping is questionable, cos I usually get a coffee or a juice when I'm out. In short, had I remembered my issues, I would have waited for the low-waist version of this - or bought a much larger size and given it to a tailor to alter.
No matter how trendy, don't let yourself get carried away. "Can I actually wear this without any issues?" is a good question to ask yourself - or have your shopping companion ask you. I do love these trousers. I do wear them often. But like the white ones, they require a certain amount of forward planning. So I don't use them as often as I'd like to.
Rule Seven: Will it wear well? Will the material fray? Can it be washed with ease? And how will it look if I gain or lose weight? I wish I'd asked myself that question when I bought this Vero Moda blouse. I loved it. I used it through last summer, autumn and winter. Then I lost some weight - and instead of fitting better, or loosely, it got weird.
As you can tell from the pic, it's pulling all around the chest area, despite hanging everywhere else. I had hoped to wear it this summer as well. But I've had to give it away. I'll admit that you can't really predict how an outfit will look if you lose or gain weight. But pay attention to the seams and the cut. At least you'll know whether it can be taken in or let out, if necessary.
Rule Eight: Whatever you do, don't buy for occasions you're not sure of!!
I fell in love with these Aldo ankle boots and bought them last spring. Boots are not the most practical things for our weather. But I do travel often, and told myself that I'd take them with me whenever I went to the UK. Long story short, work got in the way and I didn't wind up going abroad last year - at all. It meant that I've worn these boots a grand total of four times. And I've had them since March 2017.
They're Aldo, so they'll last. And I'm sure that I'll take them with me eventually. However, my travel plans are still very vague - with two books coming out this year, I don't have too much spare time. Meanwhile these boots are taking up space in my shoe stand, which could have been used for some fab summer sandals. Buying in advance is only useful if your advance plans are definite. If not, save your money.
Hope you learn from my many - and costly - mistakes. May your wardrobe be filled with things you use constantly and love to bits!
Till next time,
MumbaiGirl.
IG: @maryannecp
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