Shop your heart out without breaking the bank…in your closet!

With history often repeating itself, the same goes for fashion. We constantly see new trends revived and freshened up with a slight twist. Chances are, you already have a stack of essentials tucked away in your wardrobe. Recession or not, there’s no better time than now to spend a rainy Saturday indoors fishing for these pieces as many designers have begun reinventing classic pieces.

Statement Earrings

Zac Posen 2009

Model Kate Moss triggered the comeback of chandelier earrings last summer. Designers followed suit and you can find some I have handmade at www.u-fhern.com/earrings. Glamorous statement pieces are easy to dramatise any ensemble.

New Neutrals

Flesh tones are the colour choice for Spring. Designers have used the colours for nearly every silhouette including evening gowns, casual dresses, pants, jackets and skirts. So be on the hunt for any pale khaki pieces hidden away in musty boxes and pair them with similar colours.

Classic Cardis

The light pieces always follow me on my travels as I can throw them over anything whether it be a t-shirt and jeans or a girly dress. Even if the one you dig out has been bitten by bugs or moths, no need to chuck them out just yet because distressed is in.

Mummy Dearest

Whenever I’m back home and in search for something new to add to my wardrobe, I’ll go through Mum’s. No matter how many times I’ve done it in the past, I still manage to find something new and unique and I’m always surprised by the shopping habits she possessed over two decades ago. A few things that I have found, and you just might too:

• Costume jewellery
• Old school handbags 
• Well preserved heels (thank God Mum and I have the same sized feet… it really has saved me a fortune) ~ Mum has had a pair of bright yellow Manolos tucked away in her shoe rack, and long before SATC!

Of course I’ve been able to inherit all these lovely vintage items because I have a lovely Mum, and I tell her if I take her old things, she can get Daddy to get her new things...That’s a fair deal to me! But what I love most about raiding Mum’s wardrobe, is that everything that’s been passed to me, I have not seen the exact same item worn on anyone else. Having said that, one of my favourite moments was seeing this gold ball from one of Mum’s Chanel’s handbags swinging off the arm of a Miss SZT.

I was glad to find out that she too joins the club of inheriting classic goods from Mummy Dearest. I love Chanel, and probably always will due to the pure sense of sophistication the brand creates from the black and white packaging to the polished looks of the store representatives with neat bows in their hair. 

However, in recent years, I have seen more and more girls carrying Chanel bags. With Mischa Barton sporting a Chanel bag in most episodes of the O.C, it is no wonder that young girls have followed suit. I only have one of my own (which only makes an appearance conditional on my outfit, and more importantly, the weather ~ I’d rather I get wet than it get stained from the rain), the rest are from Mum. I think I will continue to carry the ones Mum passed down to avoid walking into a bathroom at a club seeing an 18+ girl bent over the toilet bowl puking carrying the exact same bag. Plus, its financially a much wiser move!