INVESTMENT WARDOBE

Pictured Stockport Market, Photo credit: Sam Holden

There is definitely something in turning 25 this year that has made me realise that I want to buy clothing that will last. For the past 8 or so years I have been a Primarkfiend, and more recently an ASOS A-Lister, but this year I have felt the need to invest my money a little more wisely. 

Don't get me wrong, I think you can get some great on-trend bargains from the likes of the above which I am sure I will still buy, but I have reached a stage where I don't want to be wearing most of my clothes only once. I want my clothes to last me through the season and not having to throw something away. 

As a student I have a limited budget to spend on clothes, so making sure I know how much I'm spending each month is the first place I have started with this. Having a set budget helps me to better consolidate what I have.

I have decided that I want to buy a few new and good quality classic items, as pictured above I have a Zara trench which is incredibly good quality. In fact, my dry cleaner asked me how much I paid for it - he was so impressed! I also bought the faux leather pencil skirt from Karen Millen in the sale, they currently have the same skirt in a slightly different shade of brown full price at £100, I paid £60 which I think is a steal!

Some of my favourite retailers include Karen Millen, Whistles and Reiss, so I will be definitely checking them out and adding a few pieces to my wardrobe in the coming months. There is definitely something rewarding about buying something that you have saved for, or that you will look after because of the quality and price tag.

I don't think I will be completely ditching my trusty favourites such as ASOS and Topshop,  especially when looking for on trend items however, I have decided that building a capsule wardrobe is a lot better investment than lots of cheaper, low-quality pieces. I think the real key here is shopping with a good 'eye', so establishing where you can get the quality you are looking for i.e. your favourite outerwear retailer - e.g. Cos or Jaeger and buying a coat that will last you.

           

Calculating cost per wear is another great tip I got from a personal stylist at John Lewis, so if you are paying around the £200 mark for a coat, try and estimate the amount of times you will wear it, if it's over 20 times (so four times a week for just over a month) then that's £1 per wear! It really does make a lot more sense than trying to squeeze extra wear out of something that is getting holes in it from Primark...

Consolidate your fashion decision making and how you search and shop for fashion, by thinking about which channel you use first. Do you look on your favourite retailer apps, browsing online first to get an idea of pricing and what's available? Or do you hit the shops straight away? By using the internet to shop around, even websites like eBay can really save you money. Additionally, by stopping yourself from impulse buying you can also really consider if you need that piece. 

Finally, get a personal stylist appointment. Retailer's such as John Lewis, Topshop, Selfridges and House of Fraser all offer these by appointment for free. So it's an incredibly good way to have someone with a trained eye consider what would look good on you. A good stylist should take into consideration what you like to wear and also offer you a few new pieces that might inspire you. Colour and body shape analysis are also a must. 

I hope this article inspires you to invest more wisely, if you aren't already. Let me know what investment pieces you own or are saving for :)