Quality vs. Quantity

Happy new year, lovely people! With the new year comes a new set of resolutions.  I prefer to call them "promises" to myself (somehow it has a nicer, more definite ring to it).  And one of these promises is that I will prioritize quality over quantity when it comes to shopping.

You see, I do have a lot of clothes and it's only lately that I've realized that throughout the years, I just bought and bought without any regard if they were investment pieces or made of good quality.  In other words, I bought for the short-term and not with the end goal of building a really great wardrobe. While I have some surprisingly classic investment pieces, it seemed that quantity, and not quality, was still the overarching theme of what I have.  And the same goes for my shoes, bags, sunglasses, makeup and accessories.  And now that we're growing up and with a new year, I guess it's the perfect time to make a change. 

(This realization has also been inspired by the article "Invest in Your Wardrobe" which I have reposted here.)

So here are my top picks/ classic must-haves for starting my year with this promise: 

1. The Oversized Gold Watch  

A gold men's watch is a big trend now (hello, arm parties!) but I also see it as a classic that will last for years. I decided to upgrade the cheap gold watch that I've been wearing to this chronograph watch from Michael Kors. It's not exactly Rolex or Cartier-expensive but it's not too cheap either. And just because I'm on the hunt for quality doesn't mean that I'm not watching out for opportunities to save.  So instead of buying this here in Manila, I asked my friend Alice to buy this for me in the States, which saved me more than 100%.

2. The Red Pants

As I've shared with you in this post, I've been on the hunt for red pants and  I thought I scored a good deal with the pants I found for P595.  It was only later on as I was wearing them that I realized that the fit wasn't that good, the stretch denim made the pants tend to fall down as I was walking, and the pockets were peeking out.  All in all, I wasn't too happy about them. So I decided to practice my "quality over quantity" principle and got myself a pair of colored denim pants from Zara. Although the color isn't as bright a red as the cheap ones I bought, I do love the coral red color of the Zara pair. It's nearly five times the price of the cheap pants but what I really paid for was the quality and the fit. 

3. The Black Ballet Flats

The search is over.  (Or at least until I finally get my hands on a pair of Repettos).  I have found my perfect pair of black ballerina flats with Topshop's Malachy3.  It's 100% leather
and I can't wait to wear this pair to death.

4.The Breton Shirt / The Striped Shirt

I have amassed quite a number of striped shirts, especially Breton shirts. Perhaps this is something where it's ok to go lean towards quantity instead of quality? Anyway, since is a classic that I see myself wearing for years, I upgraded from my usual department store and bazaar shirts and got myself a piece also from Zara. It's made from organic cotton, and feels very soft and comfortable.

5. The Bright Pink Lipstick

When I was a teenager, I read somewhere in Vogue that a girl only needs five lip colors. And one of them is a true pink color. That's true now, as it was in 1995. And for me, that true pink lipstick is none other than Nars Schiap. It has the perfect semi-matte formulation, doesn't feather, and is very long-lasting. I don't want to wear cheap lipsticks again!

6. The Aviators

There are only a few sunglasses that every girl must have, and one of them is a classic pair of aviators. And of course, for aviators, it has got to be nothing else but Ray-Ban.I chose mine in the uber-classic Arista lens with a gold frame in an updated size.  I love how the lens change color depending on the sun level.  I love how it makes me look classic but trendy at the same time. I know I will love this pair forever. 

I know I won't have an easy time staying away from my old habits when it comes to shopping.  After all, these habits have been with me for years. I guess I'll always be on the look out for good, bargain finds.  But now, I want to be more conscious of what I buy and how it fits in my wardrobe, in my room (which I keep forgetting is a finite space!), and in my life---whether they're cheap or expensive.  

I'm not saying that expensive items are necessarily better. But we can't deny that usually, those that are of good quality come at a price.  And I've also realized that most of the time, expensive stuff have a built-in "shopping chilling effect"---meaning, since I'm not paying dirt cheap prices for them, then I'd be more likely to consider if I really, really want/need them (instead of impulsively buying them just because they're super cheap). 

What about you---what are your promises/ resolutions for the new year (whether it comes to fashion or otherwise)? I hope we all get to fulfill them :) Cheers! 

Invest In Your Wardrobe

{Via}

I found this article very helpful and meaningful to me, especially in light of my promise to myself to prioritize quality over quantity when it comes to shopping. It was written in Fall 2008 but it's still as relevant as ever (in fact, four years on, one can still pick up a few tips from the wardrobe investment guide at the end of the article).  The prices may be relative (what is very cheap abroad may be high-end in the Third World) but the message is the same. Quality over quantity.

I hope it inspires you too.

Cheers!

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Invest In Your Wardrobe

The same way we've forgotten how to save our pennies, we've forgotten how to invest in our wardrobes. For the past decade and more, we've been on a reckless spend-o-rama, maxing out our credit cards with cheap, chic, disposable fast fashion.

But now -- with rising concerns about the economy, the environment and worker exploitation in developing countries, not to mention a season of temptingly timeless modern classics -- investment dressing is chic again.

Good thing, too. All those cheap Prada knock-offs were not only clogging up the landfills, they were overflowing the closets in our tiny condos, too.

The investment dressing trend is major news all over, according to everyone from the editors of fashion magazines to tastemakers like Holt Renfrew fashion director Barbara Atkin, to the designers themselves and right on up to politicians.

Just last week, England's House of Lords' Science and Technology Committee released a report that condemned cheap and chic insta-fashion, calling it "costly and socially unacceptable."

The report pointed out that clothes from retailers like Britain's uber-popular Primark and Top Shop are so cheap that there is no incentive to repair them, or even to hand them down or recycle them. And that, they say, is just wasteful.

Of course, the Brits aren't the only ones who have been revelling in a frenzy of cut-price poly blends. International chains like Spain's Zara and Sweden's H&M have conquered the retail world by not only knocking off designer duds minutes after they appear on the runway, but completely restocking their stores with brand new fashions every two weeks or so.

That's right: Where once there were two fashion cycles a year (spring and fall), now there are two a month. When clothes are this cheap, why not?

The thing is, when a dress costs only $20 or a pair of jeans is a mere $15, someone is paying full price for it, even if it isn't you.

That someone is typically a garment worker in a developing country like, say, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. There, millions of people -- most of them women and children -- work brutally long hours sewing clothes in squalid situations for less than $10 a week, which may be the legal minimum wage, but it's not exactly a livable one. That's all manufacturers can afford to pay, though, if they want to keep prices as low as customers demand.

The other way clothing companies keep costs down is to use cheap fabrics, typically energy-wasteful cotton or non-biodegradable synthetics. Producing these fabrics can create massive amounts of pollution -- especially in regions with lax environmental standards.

Admittedly, it can be easy to forget about conditions half a world away when you're looking at an adorable blouse that costs little more than your morning latte. To bring the harsh reality home, consider this: A closet crammed with cheap, disposable clothes is more expensive than a wardrobe of well-made, long-wearing classics.

It comes down to the cost-per-wear formula. Take the cost of your garment, divide it by the number of times you wear it and that's what its actual value is.

For instance, a $20 top you wear once has a $20 cost per wear. A $500 jacket you wear every week for a year has a $10 cost per wear. The better value? The $500 jacket. Besides, those inexpensive garments just don't last -- which is why, back in the day, fashion guidebooks always used to say that women on a budget can't afford to buy cheap clothes. That's definitely something to consider given the current economic meltdown.

Something else worth considering: One of the reasons we all fell for fast fashion in the first place was to express our personalities through our clothes. Ironically, all we've managed to accomplish is looking like everyone else out there.

We've also devalued the very designers and labels we've been ripping off.

Given all that, it should come as no surprise that there has been a backlash against all this gross over-consumption of clothing. Just as fast food inspired the slow food movement, so has fast fashion inspired a new "slow fashion" movement that encourages shoppers to buy locally produced, ethically made, high-quality clothing that will last more than one season.

In fact, that's how the world's most stylish women have always shopped.

French and Italian women don't buy a lot of fast fashion; instead, they are famous for having a few well-made basics that they update with well-chosen accessories. They look inside North American women's closets and wonder how on earth we manage to dress ourselves with so much junk. Men don't typically buy a lot of fast fashion either. Instead, they often expect to get a decade's wear out of a coat or suit, so it has to be top quality -- and that's why menswear stores offer expensive, beautifully made clothes and complimentary tailoring.

Meanwhile, we women have been dressing ourselves in nasty, flimsy, scratchy, badly made and ill-fitting clothes, all for the sake of being on top of a trend that lasts about two minutes.

Sure, we want to have fun with fashion, and fast fashion can definitely be fun. And it's great for teens, who are still trying on new styles to learn what suits them best and have small allowances to pay for it in any case. But for the rest of us, shouldn't we know better by now? Shouldn't fashion be a bit more luxurious than this? Shouldn't it make us feel good? Shouldn't it be, well, nicer?

Luckily for all of us, this fall is all about beautiful, modern, updated classics, the kind of clothes you'll want to wear for a good, long time. Atkin calls it "stealth wealth," clothing that is elegant and carefully crafted, but doesn't shout its pedigree with all-over logos and bling.

And yes, it can be expensive, but maybe it's time to bring back another outmoded concept: the idea of actually saving up to buy something special instead of racking up more debt on a whim.

This is a great season to begin investing in your wardrobe again. It's a great season to invest in the building blocks of a timeless wardrobe, in luxurious fabrics, beautiful colours and flattering fits. It's a great season to invest in creating your own unique style, and not following the same trends everyone else is.

It is, in short, a great season to invest in you.


YOUR FALL 2008 INVESTMENT GUIDE
This is a great fall to shop for wonderful clothes that should last a coupleof seasons at least. But before you whip out the credit card, remember, notevery piece out there is worth the big bucks. Some garments are merely fadsthat will last a season. Other styles are so outrageously new it's too soon totell if they are going to have lasting power. Here are 10 Fall 2008 piecesworth investing in and 10 trends you might be better off skimping on.

INVEST IN:
A fabulous, slightly crazy signature piece
A great couture coat
A pencil skirt
A beautiful blouse
A classic shift dress
A well-made, perfectly cut, straight-legged slouchy trouser
Anything in charcoal grey
An oxford or loafer-style pump
A structured leather handbag
A great piece of costume jewelry

SKIMP ON:
A nutty new trend you're not sure about
A fun, colourful faux fur jacket
A flared miniskirt
A crafty knit sweater
A boho floral frock
An MC Hammer-esque trouser (baggy, tapered, cropped)
Anything in teal
Fringed suede booties
A novelty handbag in neon brights