The Big Issue
The one where we try not to blow our pennies on new season pretties.
How blimmin’ poetic, to begin a project such as this, in a month such as this - the biggest issue of the year - September.
While most of the fashion world is layering up for fall, New York Fashion Week is trotting out Spring 2025, right in time for us New Zealanders to lap up the latest trends and walk out the house in them next week.
Of course, spring unfurls and with it comes all the trappings of femininity; because frills and flounces and florals and bows may find a foothold in winter wear every now and then but *pretty* belongs in the spring.
Colours abound; full skirts are kicking about, it’s truly the season of fun, free fashion.
I’m like a butterfly in spring. I start out in layers; black, white and beige, nothing much to see, very caterpillar; then I unpack my vintage dress collection and boom, different person entirely, very cutesy.
Suffice it to say, I love spring and j’adore spring fashion, obvi.
But my big issue with spring is that it capitalises on the fresh excitement of a new season (and not just any season - the unofficial season of hope), with bold colours and prints and trendy accoutrements and ultimately leaves shoppers with wardrobes full of fashion doomed to gather dust.
The hottest pieces for this spring, if purchased at the high end, may prove to be a treasured relic of a time and place in 20 years time, but that won’t matter, because you’ll have sold it on or donated it within the next two.
And so we find ourselves between a rock and hard place. How are you supposed to have fun with fashion if I’ve just burst your new season bubble?
Because we’re gonna float above it all. Observe, cherry pick the colours, styles and shapes that work for our wardrobes and our bodies and personalities and skin tones and invest in pieces that stand the test of time. Trends come and go, but shopping for YOU means that you’ll never be out of style.
I’ve reached an odd point in my life where I could get away with trackpants six out of seven days. I work from home predominantly and most of my efforts in the getting dressed arena are purely for my own amusement and enjoyment, and a little bit for my humble social media following.
And to be a little less humble for a moment; I’ve always seen my exploits in fashion as something rather selfless. I’ve been spurred on over the years by the woman who lean in to tell me they love my outfit ‘but could never pull it off’, for the ladies who confess that they’d like to dress up a bit more but feel self-conscious in doing so; like there’s some invisible ceiling on the daily dress code and my aesthetic efforts lift it up a smidge for everyone around me.
Consider this your permission slip. It’s ok to be a bit out there. To dress up just for the sake of it. For the fun of it. Whatever that looks like to you.
It’s not try-hard, because you’re not doing it to be accepted; you’re doing it to be you, proudly. And lift the ceiling for everyone else in the process.
TIMELESS OR TREND
Bows. We’ve gotta talk about ‘em - because they’re simply everywhere. We live in a post-Barbie world and this trend has her ultra-feminine fingerprints all over it. If she had fingerprints.
Every fashion brand marketing towards girlies aged 5-55 have dipped a toe into the bow thing and it seems so prolific and entrenched that buying into bows can’t really be a bad thing, right?
No, not really. Bows show up in every decade of fashion history; as a sweet little sign off, a demure display of femininity, or a bold, almost screaming declaration of it.
But sometimes bows go bad. I wouldn’t buy this Zara top. The cut is chic, it looks like it’s been borrowed from the 1950s, but it’s still a no from me.
It’s going to be poor quality, so will never achieve special fashion treasure status, it simply can’t hold up against the ravages of time
The design isn’t one you’d wear for years, anyway
It has a niche purpose - it’s a going out top and nothing else, it’s not versatile and you’ll get bored of it quickly because the styling is so distinctive
So which bows would I buy?
Remember, fashion should be an investment. It can be fun, but we’re done with thoughtless shopping - we’re building wardrobes that stay with us and hold their value for when it’s time to pass them on. This white linen shirt ticks boxes for me - it’s a classic shape that looks elegant and sophisticated but you could still wear it with hot pants and boots in the spring. It’s linen, higher quality and is something you can wear for *years*.
Same with this tie top from Assembly Label - it’s quality cotton, heavily pets the trend without being too trendy. Clean, chic, and you could easily layer it through the year and years.
This secondhand Ruby dress is one you can pull out every time you need to look a little polished - and I’ll bet you can cross over the bow to tie at the back, and possibly even wear it backwards too.
Til next time, you have enough, you are enough, and you look fabulous today bb!
Han x