Images shot at Kew Gardens by Helena Bradbury

This magical words have been said; autumn in here. Knitwear and boot season is officially upon us and I’m just as excited as anyone else for this. Yes, I may be typing this whilst on a sun bed in northern Bali with the temperature sitting somewhere around a cosy 32 degrees (don’t hate me too much, please) but that doesn’t mean that I’m not already turning my thoughts to my wardrobe for the next few months. In fact, I was thinking about it even before I started throwing my swimwear in my case. Autumn is undeniably my favourite time of the year; and the cosy evenings and justified granny behaviour are only part of the reason. I’ve always enjoyed autumn/winter style more than spring/summer. But this year I’m approaching my wardrobe a little differently.

For me, autumn is when all the best clothes are released and I’m not the only one who thinks it. I love a bargain but by the end of August I think we can all agree that we’re over the jumble sale effect of the summer season ending. The pieces return to being more about classic styles, the colour palettes are more appealing to me and I find the pieces much easier to style into outfits I love. Plus you don’t have to negotiate complicated underwear solutions and roasting weather forecasts every morning before you leave the house.  Autumn provides more opportunities for a streamlined wardrobe, interchangeable pieces and investing in things that will serve you year after year, so with these things in mind I’ve been giving more thought to my autumn wardrobe than usual.

Planning

When I moved back in April I knew that as soon as autumn rolled around I would struggle with storage more than I ever had done before. It lead me to be ruthless in my pre-move clearout but also made me aware that I’d have to operate a much stricter “one in one out” policy this year. Instead of buying everything that I fall in love with the second it drops, this year I’ve taken a little more time. I’ve identified what I feel most comfortable in, what I got the most wear out of last year, what desperately needs replacing (sorry Topshop Magnificent boots, you’ve served me well but your time is up) and have started from there. I’ve also been a little more critical with trends. I feel like I get better at this each season but this year I know I’m going to be mainly sticking with animal prints, some 80’s style shoulder pads and maybe some 70’s hues and even these will be in styles that will last me going forward.

Investing and Sustainability

Talk of sustainability within fashion is becoming ever more prominent and I think it can only be a good thing. In an ideal world I would only buy items from sustainable fashion labels that were really doing their bit, however the reality is I do not have the budget for that. I work in an office 5 days a week and need to own enough outfits to enable to me to wear something new each day. Over time I have no doubt that I will start to shop with more sustainable and conscious brands but for now I’m trying to make some smaller changes that are achievable for me and my lifestyle. Instead of running out to Primark and picking up every roll neck I lay my eyes on only to have to recycle the over-stretched and bobbled things in a matter of weeks I’ve decided to invest a little more in one or two items. My logic being if I do this every year or season then I will build a wardrobe that is not only more sustainable but actually lasts me longer. Yes my M&S white sweater was 5 times the price of my Primark one but after 3 years it’s wearing a hell of a lot better than the Primark one that left me many seasons ago. If we are in a position to make better choices then we should, and if we aren’t yet then we should just do what we can because it’s better than nothing.

Being more selective with trends

I have a habit of falling in love with beautiful pieces that I never wear to their fullest potential because the weather changes too quickly, I get too cold or they don’t work with winter shoes and they sit there in my wardrobe until I can’t take the guilt anymore and pass them on. This year I’m strictly only buying things I know will see me through to the much colder weather. If I can’t layer tights or leggings under the dress then it doesn’t come home with me. If I can’t layer the shirt then it’s a no. Analysing what I own and love vs what I actually wear and love has helped me to be much more critical and stop making impulse purchases just because it looks great on someone else.

Fashion is fun, and it should be. Combining my love of style with organisation is basically my idea of heaven but more than that it has helped me to head into the new season with a better attitude towards throw away fashion, a clearer idea of what I want and also how to make myself feel best in the clothes I own. I’m over having those items that I don’t feel great in and that just don’t get the wear that they should. Instead I’m putting more time into planning, less into purchasing and maybe a little bit more into scheduling my washes so I never have the need for “back up clothes” again.