Let's enjoy Colourful Friday!

Is your Inbox being inundated with Black Friday offers? Mine too! I've just walked home from my local shopping centre where Black Friday notices were on display in most shop windows. Are you tempted by all these amazing bargains? Me too! However I'm trying to resist temptation by asking myself the following questions.

• Do I really need that sparkling jumpsuit? In my case, extremely unlikely!
• Would I be willing to pay full price for it?
• Am I likely to use it or wear it on a regular basis? How many items do you have either hanging up in your wardrobe unworn or shoved to the back of a cupboard?
• Is it an ethical purchase? Remember that even more expensive brands aren't necessarily produced ethically.
• If it's an item of clothing, will it go with several other pieces in my wardrobe or will I need to buy other items to go with it? 

I'm also using the "one in, one out" rule when I go shopping. I take a shopping list with me (always a good idea if you're over 60 and becoming forgetful!)  to remind me what I need and to help me stay on track. When I get home with any new purchase, I ensure that an existing item goes into the recycling. 

Of course if there's something you really need, this is the time to look for good deals. My friend Lesley needs a new washing machine so is delighted at the prospect of saving some money.

I'm in the process of having another wardrobe clear-out so I should be able to spot any gaps in my wardrobe, although being totally honest I think it's highly unlikely! I'm now putting together my winter capsule wardrobe too, so if I do decide to buy any clothes or accessories I will be able to choose wisely. Black isn't a good colour for me (which is why this post is about Colourful Friday), but I still have plenty of options and if I stick to my capsule wardrobe palette I shouldn't go wrong.

Please let me know what you think. Will you be going on a spending spree for Black Friday?

Seasonal colours

Have you been inundated with emails offering you sales discounts from 10% to 80% like I have? Have you been tempted? If you're not tempted first time round, you may even get another email offering you a last chance special discount! Of course if you have any gaps in your wardrobe or are looking for something new to pack for your holiday, it may make sense to look at these summer sales. Just make sure that any purchases will either fill a gap in your existing wardrobe or will fit into your holiday capsule and work with your other clothes.

I have been a fan of Kettlewell colours for a long while, so I often take advantage of their sales. They allow you to shop by seasonal colours, plus they show tonal directions too if you feel you don't quite fit into the seasonal slots. Alternatively, just look for your favourite colours! You can read about their policies and practices on the Kettlewell website: about us. I am trying to avoid fast fashion and shop more ethically, so feel this is an important point. If you know of any other on-line retailers who are both ethical and have a good range of colours, please add a comment below.

As I live in Spain, I tend to wear a lot of bright colours during the summer months, with red and orange featuring strongly in my wardrobe. Come to think of it, red and orange feature strongly in my winter wardrobe too! Although I did buy the orange and pebble stripe top shown below (50% off, so how could I resist?) I decided that a different accent colour would liven up my wardrobe, starting with the linen top in the first picture, which I am wearing today.

I always read the reviews on the Kettlewell website before I make a final decision, which proved fortuitous. One reviewer of the sea blue spotty top mentioned the matching skirt, saying that together they make a really pretty dress, so I decided to try it for myself as you can see below. What do you think? I'll probably wear it with a dressier shoe rather than the chunky sandals shown.

Of course I realise that the striped top and spotty skirt don't go together, however I have several pairs of lightweight neutral trousers, including those shown here, so I have plenty of options. I wore the spotty top with white trousers when I went out with friends for lunch yesterday.

Do you wear lighter and brighter colours in the summer months then change your colour palette when Autumn arrives? I 've heard that some Americans will wear white clother throughout the summer, then put them away after Labor Day. However I suspect that most modern day women (including those who are over 60) totally disregard this old-fashioned rule!

Black Friday - in the red Monday?

                        

It's oh so tempting, isn't it? All these incredible offers that are causing our inboxes to overflow and popping up on Facebook to lure us onto their websites. Even if you manage to resist them, no doubt your local shops have huge signs in their windows that you can't avoid seeing when you go out.

 Yes, even in Spain I'm being inundated with exclusive offers!

If you haven't already succumbed, I would suggest taking a look in your wardrobe before maxing on your credit card to see if you really need anything new. If your winter coat is looking a bit shabby and you've been thinking of replacing it, maybe this would be a good opportunity to do so - unless of course you already have six other winter coats that are still looking good! Will this new jumper that you're about to purchase go with at least three other items in your wardrobe, or will you need a new skirt and pair of shoes to go with it? That dress is definitely in one of this season's on-trend colours, but will that colour actually suit you?

If I haven't managed to put you off making some impulsive purchases, I have a final suggestion. Make a list of what you need first, then please consider making your purchases from an ethical company like People Tree, who are having a Fair Friday instead of a Black Friday. Click on the following link to find out more: People Tree.

Are you a conscious shopper?

Those of you who live in the UK, or have access to the BBC's iPlayer, may have seen a programme in the series "Stacey Dooley Investigates", where she uncovered some of  Fashion's Dirty Secrets. If not, you might like to look at this clip, where Stacey took to the street to talk to shoppers and to demonstrate to them how much water goes into producing just one cotton item. The actual documentary upset me, especially when Stacey travelled to the Aran Sea and showed the shocking environmental impact caused by the fashion industry, but even worse was the detrimental effect of the polluted rivers on local children's health.

I know that I've been as guilty as many other shoppers when hunting for a bargain to add to my ever-increasing wardrobe. Taking part in challenges such as Project 333 and my current 10 x 10 challenge is helping me realise that I really don't need that many clothes, however we have to be realistic. I go through my wardrobe at the start of each new season, discarding anything that is past its best (nowadays I take them to the recycling bins) and this does create gaps. However I have resolved to shop more consciously in future and look at the ethical policies of any on-line companies that I am considering purchasing from. My latest purchases were from Mint Velvet, a company that is based in the UK although they deliver internationally. Click on the link above to read their ethical policy.

Mint Velvet top

This new red top instantly became my latest favourite, partly because red is one of my best colours, but also because of the gold stripes down each arm. Even better, it was in the sales!

One of my favourite online companies is Kettlewell, as they specialise in producing clothes and accessories in seasonal colours. You can read about their production and ethics here and I also recommend reading their blog. Other British companies that I have used are People Tree, the fairtrade fashion pioneer, and FatFace, who issued a '360' sustainability policy in 2016. Friends of mine have also recommended Thought and Seasalt. Although these are UK companies, they do deliver internationally. Do you have any ethical companies that you can recommend? If so please leave a comment below with details.

You might also like to read this blog post of mine that I wrote five and a half years ago. Have things improved since then? It doesn't look like it, so it is up to all of us to shop more consciously and spread the message. What I do know, having worked for a while in the retail industry, is that the big companies are interested in profits. If we become conscious shoppers and it hits their profits, they are more likely to do something about it - sad but true!

Blue and grey capsule from Monsoon

My third example of a holiday capsule from an ethical company is - surprise! surprise! - also in blue and grey. This time the capsule is from Monsoon, a company which started life as a small, independent store in London in 1973. Although it is now a global company, Monsoon still remains true to its roots.

Again I have selected seven tops and two pairs of trousers, which gives you fourteen different outfits to last you on a fortnight's holiday. Remember you can add a pop of colour with scarves, jewellery or other accessories if you are becoming bored with all the blues and greys.

You won't need to break the budget if you purchase any of these items. The jacket is €76, both pairs of trousers cost €57 and the tops cost between €10 and €69. I've bought clothes from Monsoon in the past and they have lasted well. The styles are fairly classic so they shouldn't date and they will mix and match with the rest of your wardrobe. You may be able to buy clothes cheaper, but is that the most important issue, even for those of us who have retired and don't have unlimited funds?

Have you had enough of blue and grey? I may choose a different colour scheme for my next post - though I'm not making any promises.

Blue and grey capsule from People Tree

When I first started buying my own clothes - many, many years ago! - life was simple. I went to the local shops and bought what I liked, so long as it fit me and was within my budget. Being petite, I was very grateful when mini-skirts were fashionable though obviously mine didn't look quite as short as those of my taller friends.

Nowadays life isn't so straightforward. Ideally I would like to support local businesses, especially as times are hard here in Spain, however all too often I return from a shopping trip empty-handed. For a start, my local shops don't stock petite sizes. Admittedly many of them have short skirts on display, but they are aimed at the young "chicas" and, even though older Spanish women do wear shorter skirts, I would feel uncomfortable wearing one that is thigh-high. Shops in my local town either cater for the younger woman or are aimed at elderly women.  I may be over 60 but I still enjoy wearing stylish clothes and don't want to appear older than I am.

If I can't find suitable clothes locally, then my best option is to buy on-line. This though is where I face a dilemma: should I buy cheaper clothes, which may have been made under unsafe conditions, or more expensive clothes that are a bit over my budget and which haven't necessarily been made ethically anyway?

Luckily for me there are more and more sustainable, fair trade companies trading on-line. I thought it would be interesting to create a few capsule wardrobes from some of these companies. The first one is People Tree.

Using the capsule above you can create two weeks' worth of different outfits, as all of the tops can be worn with either pair of trousers. I would add more interest with some brightly coloured scarves, necklaces or other accessories, but that's just my style. It's not essential.

I have to admit that I was very tempted to order a couple of these tops, however I'll wait until I've looked at some other websites before I flex my credit card! For those of you on a budget, I would like to point out that the tops shown above cost between 12€ and 51€, the trousers cost 91€ and the jacket costs 145€. Fair trade, fair prices.

Cruelty-free fashion

Many years ago I became a vegetarian, however in recent years I have re-introduced fish into my diet, partly for health reasons - although I still don't eat meat. One of my reasons for becoming a vegetarian (having been persuaded by my oldest daughter Vicky!) was that I disliked the idea of animals suffering just to feed me, when I could easily survive on a vegetarian diet. If I'm not going to eat animals, logic says that I shouldn't wear them either, however I confess to having a few leather shoes and handbags in my wardrobe, even though I would draw the line at wearing fur.

That same vegetarian daughter has just started a new blog for the ethical consumer, expanding on her ideals: NOT BAD. Having read Vicky's first post, I suspect that she is going to persuade me to stop wearing leather too, or at least desist from buying any more leather products.

Looking back over the years, vegetarians used to get a bad press and were often mocked in the media for their beliefs. I guess it didn't help that some of them were very earnest and that vegetarian restaurants could be a bit boring! When it came to non-leather shoes, they weren't exactly the height of fashion either.

Readers, things have changed! You probably know that Stella McCartney is a committed vegetarian and therefore designs vegetarian footwear, but did you know that Vivienne Westwood and Karl Lagerfield have created collections for an ethical brand?  Neither did I till I read my daughter's blog.

Vivienne Westwood - Melissa shoes

What do you think about this shoe designed by Vivienne Westwood? I doubt if anyone would describe it as boring - I certainly wouldn't. Do you know of any ethical companies that produce stylish non-leather boots or shoes? If so, please share them with us.