Friday 23 April 2010

Oh, This Old Thing


School holidays are over and spring is upon us and I have now begun the delicious ritual of replacing my winter wardrobe with my spring wardrobe, taking care not to get too enthusiastic by unwrapping summer pieces just yet, I don't like to tempt fate. I so enjoy sealing away winter in my vacum seal bags from The Holding Company and gently opening, unwrapping and unleashing spring.
Being a creature of habit I put aside two days for this event to ensure I can focus entirely on the job at hand as it is vital that no errors are made in the packing up process and all items have already been checked carefully to establish if any repairs or dry cleaning is needed. I always begin with the heavy items such as coats, jackets and boots and follow on with lighter pieces until I reach my cashmere section, and after removing a few of my more delicate pieces suitable for chilly spring and summer evenings, I reach the point where caution is needed as any potential nasty moths need dealing with in advance. I have taken advice from the experts and add some gorgeous scented wooden balls into the airtight environment for the summer and they really do seem to do the trick as my knitwear is completely unblemished.
On day two, when I have a beautiful assortment of sealed joy laid out before me, all labelled and dated, and the familiar sense of satisfaction washes over me I embark on the packing up process and all items are carried to the loft which has a constant cool temperature which is ideal for clothing storage (except fur which goes into professional storage), and placed in wooden packing cases which have been adapted with hanging rails or shelves for flat items. Everything is closed up and it is only then that I commence the unpacking of Spring.
Bags have been unsealed, boxes sliced open and tissue removed and everything has been placed out in order to be appraised for selection. Our tastes do change from season to season and what was gorgeous last spring, can look out of place a year later. For example, a Jil Sander very sleek but now seemingly dull dark coloured long silk hooded top and skirt is so wrong with this seasons soft pastels. However, more significantly, what has really changed for me and my wardrobe of beautiful clothes is that countryside chic is very different from London chic and I have hit a tremendous potentially life changing dilemma. Do I need all this stuff, are these clothes really going to serve me well here, am I just holding on to my London life through them, when will I wear them, and will the heels of my Giuseppe Zanotti shoes survive the uneven stones and paths I now tread. Attitudes to clothes is very different here compared to London, and it has become obvious that having 14 coats and 16 jackets (not including suits) is perhaps a tad extravagant, and although I wonder to myself why women on the school run only seem to ever wear one coat all winter and one jacket during the summer is there anything wrong with that. Should I just keep what I need and pieces that will be useful and off load the rest, or do I say, I am what I am and if I want to wear heels and a Matthew Williamson dress on the school run, than I shall.
I did ponder on this big question, and decided that I am a North West London Girl In The Country and I shall always hold my head high, be true to myself and not bow to the masses, I will always have my hair blow-dried, have regular manicures and facials, and above all I will always find any excuse to dress up.

20 comments:

Wildernesschic said...

Honey you have to be who you are.. I have about as many coats as you.. maybe more !! LOL I am an addict, I have to have an outfit from top to toe, if the coat doesn't go I couldn't wear it!
I am even more country wild than you.. over dressed is jeans and a leather jacket.. here they do fleece and tracksuit bottoms or jeans from somewhere like cotton traders :)
My school yard parents are a little more up market but still ...
You must wear what you feel good in as feeling good in clothes has a good effect on me, and I now longer care when I turn up in my brown DVF dress and high wedges, just having had a spray tan, at the looks I get, as the ones who are lovely know me and like me for me, the ones that stare .. are jealous :)
Heels though, I have to say I have too many and have a gravel drive and uneven floors so they are mainly for going out or the bedroom .. I stick to wedges..Jimmy Choo of course :)

Nicole Jarecz said...

very cute illustration!

daisychain said...

amazingly written post, have a great weekend x

Sarcastic Bastard said...

Sounds good to me, and welcome back. You were missed. Hope your break was a good one.

Love,

SB

Bookworm Bitch said...

ha ha, this post made me laugh, you have an amazing blog btw xx It sounds like you also have some amazing clothes- keep them all- you'll only regret it if you dont xxxxx

Raymonde said...

Hear hear to your post!

Love it, do not bow to the masses.

I always seem to find blogs on the other side of the pond, I am so over the moon I have found a Londoner albeit in the country.

I am following, your wit amuses me.

Have a beautiful Saturday and by the way Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest. xxx

Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl said...

This is very true - what was gorgeous once, can look out of place a year later. But then again, a few years from now it could be the chicest thing ever, trends do come back and I think they come back faster than we sometime expect... And I definately agree with your desicion to stay true to yourself. I believe one should do what mkaes them happy and comfortable, because once they give in to what others think they lose touch with themselves and that is never good for anyone.

Maureen said...

Great blog! Reminds me of how I used to dress before I moved to the US and how I always have my make up on (well at least the basics lol) and now I'm back in my home country so I'm dressing up more although I miss beautiful coats LOL :D

Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest from Indonesia!

Emily Daley said...

Here here!! Wear whatever you feel like whenever you want, I always think its better to overdressed than underdressed. I like to think that when feeling overdressed you could be on your to somewhere more fabulous, even if you're not those around us need'nt know any different!!! LOving the blog,
E xxx

Couture Carrie said...

Oh I love the winter to spring wardrobe transition too!

xoxox,
CC

Metropolitan Mum said...

You just made me feel order a batch of these vacuum sealer bags. Not only do I have to stow away my winter clothes, I have to sort out out-grown baby clothes and pack them tightly for maybe one day...
I hear you on the seemingly having too much stuff. We went shopping today and I didn't want to buy anything, because I don't really need anything. Ok, maybe a nice summer scarf and a pair of white jeans (any tips?) and some new underwear.... But I am trying to limit myself to pieces that are worth keeping even when they go out of trend for a while.
Good on you for keeping being yourself in your own style and wardrobe. I am trying to resist the Islington mummy uniform too and refuse to leave the house in tracksuit bottoms unless I am on my way to my pilates class.
Re your question when Richmond is going to happen: we hope to exchange within the next two weeks and most likely we'll move into a rental to begin with. There's just nothing on the market at the moment. It's depressing.
That's it so far. I think this is the longest comment I ever left on a blog. Can you tell I missed you?
xx MM

Semi Expat said...

You go for it! And why not? Life xs too short not to wear what you want and where you want - Enjoy! z

Jeanne Henriques said...

I love his post!! I recently read something about sending off coats etc.. into cold storage. I automatically started worrying. SInce arriving in the UK I have become a big fan of Brora cashmere thanks to the lovely lady above, Sarah @ Semi Expat.

Your post has helped immensely. I have only been here a few months but am now familiar with everything you said and can so relate!

Don't even get me started on the city/country dilemma. I feel like I am stuck in a time warp. Only 40 minutes from London yet it is so different. I need two wardrobes!

Ok...I will stop here, at least I know I am not crazy. I say where what makes you feel great..my guess is that you will have a league of followers in no time :)

Jeanne

Style At Every Age said...

It all sounds like hard work to me, I just put my stuff in suitcases but still can't face the change over from winter to summer! I don't think there is anything wrong in wearing heels and a designer dress on the school run, but I laughed about your coat comment as I wore the same one to school all winter, but I am trying to create a wardrobe of basics that will last, so bought one that would go with everything and keep me very warm!

A 2 Z said...

Its been a while since I visitd your blog! You have a way with words. We are young and beautiful only once. Take advantage of everything right now. Go ahead and enjoy all that life has to offer!

Anne-Marie

Anonymous said...

Sounds similar to my ritual except for the bit where I empty a couple of cases of spring/summer clothes onto my bed, replacing them with all my coats & jumpers. I usually spend a few minutes lying across one or both cases as I try to do the zips back up then toss them back into the loft...Job done!

Liberty London Girl said...

I left all my winter clothes carefully packed in London to bring back over in late summer - and it's 10C & bloody freezing here in NYC. I was a little previous! LLGxx

Anzu said...

I totally agree, but I also think that even outside the country and here in London there seems to be an attitude that it is a crime to be overdressed. I have also decided to just ignore it and wear what I want.
Conkers by the way work wonders against moths, and in my old moth-ridden flat I found them to be the only thing that worked.

Song S. McMinn said...

I agree with you. Btw, I discovered a shopping site that sell various fashion and beauty items. And also womens button down shirts. Thinking about buying from them...

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