Outfit post: Autumn tones for summer

Playing tourist outside the Pump
Rooms and Bath Abbey
As a former goth who probably first began to think about clothes in the 1980s, I've grown up with a double dose of aversion to brown. Nobody wore brown in the 80s. Nobody who didn't want to face utter ridicule at school, at any rate. It was such a 1970s colour and therefore assigned to the dustbin of history along with flares and glam rock. (Very little stays in the dustbin of history, of course, and I think we've dug it all back out since then!)

Lately I've been trying to work out what colours suit me, and browns do seem to be quite high on the list! Happily, we're far enough from the 80s that the decade's influence on my tastes has waned, charity shopping means it's easy to try different options, and a mistake won't break the bank. Several times this week I've realised that virtually everything I've had on, apart from shoes and unmentionables, has come from a charity shop. This is one of those outfits. It had loads of compliments, so I thought I'd share it with you.

Dress New Look via a chazza, £5
What attracted me was the print - it reminded me of those gorgeous 1930s chiffon dresses that only ever seem to exist with a 22-inch waist and cost £300 nowadays.
Jacket half of my beloved Miss Marple suit, a 1970s tweed Edinburgh Woollen Mill suit, £8 for the suit.
Bag Dents via a charity shop, £8
Shoes Neosens, bought half price in the Sarenza sale, £55
Necklace coral, a gift from Mr Robot
The colours went a bit wonky thanks to the cameraphone; I don't actually have scarlet arms!

I get a real kick out of my charity shop outfits. The things I buy new or from dealers are usually pieces with specific purposes in mind, even if that purpose is 'cover my feet so I can get to work'. Charity shop clothes have the magic of chance. They probably weren't in the shop the week before I found them, and they probably won't be there a week later. It's the magic of finding the perfect thing in the right size for very little money. You don't get that pleasure from picking something up off a rack of 37 identical ones.

Comments

  1. Fabulous! Ooh, I do love a charity shop trawl, it's like a treasure hunt, isn't it?
    I've always liked brown, which people were forever telling me was weird and a boring colour etc, but I have reddish hair, so that and greens suit me. But as I always say, an old Goth never dies, nor does she fade away, it's always lurking somewhere. And I own a few Holy Clothing frocks. So the velvet and the purple and black etc will always appear somewhere for me. Just depends on my mood of the day. I like the Edwardian dowager/Wooster Aunt look, heh, heh!

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  2. Most of my old goth self is lurking in my record collection. I'll never stop loving the music I loved in my teens. :-) And I do still have the dress I wore to a Neph gig in 1990 (and the T-shirt I bought there!)

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  3. You look lovely, like you it took me years to embrace brown but that was because my school uniform was brown so that put me off it big style!

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    1. Thanks! I had the same problem with navy, and got round the 'school uniform' feel by only wearing it in luxe fabrics or clearly non-schooly clothing.

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  4. I've never minded brown, weirdly, even in the 80s! You look lovely, I love charity shop finds too, my wardrobe is such a mish mash of everything!

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    1. Yeah, I'm realising I don't really have a decade, especially with my figure making 20s and 60s styles most wearable, so I'm going to work with the mish mash. It might be vintage FAIL and offend purists, but it makes me happy.

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  5. I love this outfit, you look fab in it. You've made me realise I've taken to wearing leggings with so many little dresses, but I need to take a leaf from your book, I think.

    I had the exact same problem with brown until a few years ago, now I really like it. I favour the mish-mash wardrobe - seems very punk to me to wear what you like, and what works!

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