Tag: student

Fashion Hacks

As a student, I can barely scrape together the cash to eat, let alone own a wardrobe like Rihanna’s. Though on the face of it this is depressing information, with a little bit of imagination and some accessories it is possible to make a capsule wardrobe go a long way. Here are my three top fashion hacks:

Firstly, go for black. Black is a great canvas for accessories, it’s slimming, it can stand up to the rigors of almost any student party (white and light colours can be taken down with the first slurp from the bottle of cheap red!) Take the little black dress (LBD to those in the know) fashionistas know it’s a safe bet, it’s long-lasting, versatile, affordable, and that’s good news to my student bank balance. It’s hard to go wrong with the LBD, and you can accessories the hell out of it. Add some cheap vintage jewellery found at the local chzzar and you can turn the LBD from minimalist chic to Grammy awards glitz.

Get ONE pair of good jeans. Seriously, you can’t go wrong with a pair of well-fitting jeans. Do your research, buy vintage, chase down Japanese denim, and don’t be afraid to spend some serious dosh on these strides. If you get it right they’ll be your best fashion friend for years to come. They’ll age with you, and once they’ve been around the block a few times, the tears and fading will be real, not faked in factories in the third world.

A brilliant way to add colour to your base staples is through scarves. A quick slick through the fashion glossies and it’s easy to pick up seasonal colour trends, and If you’re a charity shop hound like myself, you can pick up a matching scarf for pennies. Then the worlds you oyster, scarves can be used as belts, headbands and yes of course actual scarves.

Now all you need is a mirror and a little imagination!

 

 

Fast Fashion is Killing the Planet

It used to be there were four seasons in Fashion, spring, summer, autumn and winter. These days’ fast fashion chains like H&M and Zara push out clothing for 52 seasons year, that’s a staggering one season per week. The fashion industry has gotten faster, and this has led to the era of disposable fashion. Teenagers no longer expect their cloths to last, ‘cheap chic’ is their motto, buy a skirt for a tenner, if it falls apart on it’s first spin cycle, never mind, there’s another tempting item clothing being pushed by the mega brands.

It’s the unadvertised side of fast fashion that needs highlighting. I know I’m not alone when I say I have no idea where my clothes come from, who makes them, if these people have a decent life. Is my new Top Shop jacket made by an underage child? The trouble is for most of us  when we’re looking for that fashion fix all thoughts of ethical purchasing tend to go straight out the window. Our thoughts turn to what a bargin these garments are, surly at that prie I should get one in every colour. This is when we need to STOP, put the brakes on and think about the exploitation, pollution, and the fact that you can only wear one pair of skinny jeans at a time.

Change starts with the consumer and their wallets, if companies see that there is a demand for more ethically produced garments they will respond to that. I hope ’ll never look at my wardrobe again and complain I have nothing to wear.