Royal Ascot

June 16, 2019June 16, 2019 ~ Alicia ~ Leave a comment

With the outfits finally sorted for Royal Ascot week (just about – I’m still awaiting a delayed delivery on Monday… ) I thought I’d do a post on some of the more boring but equally essential wardrobe preparations for Royal Ascot. Some of you have been messaging on Instagram stressing about umbrellas, and I’m a bit stressed about it too! It’s not an accessory I wanted to incorporate into my Ascot outfits. But with a couple of days to go and showers in the forecast I think it’s best to take one – rain and millinery are not good friends. I featured some transparent birdcage umbrellas in my Insta stories yesterday by Fulton – the brand used by HM The Queen who matches the trim of her brolly to her outfit. Not only does the birdcage style enable the public to see her clearly – it also enables her to have a good view of them and the horses of course! They’re so identifiable to HM, so I would be reluctant to carry one myself! The high birdcage style would be good for shielding showstopper hats though.

I’m opting for a classic walking umbrella by Fulton – this one has a rose lining which will add a bit of cheer to the sombre weather.

If you want to be a really fancy Nancy you could get one of these umbrellas from James Smith & Sons. I love that this kind of shop has survived – founded in 1830 and still housed in the original Victorian building. It’s worth a visit to marvel at a little slice of history.

The other main concern is a soggy ground threatening your expensive suede shoes. Make sure you use a suede or leather protector spray on your footwear to protect it from the elements. Liquiproof was recommended to me by an Instagram follower who swears by it.

The weather is warming up and I know many people prefer to go tightless these days, but I will be wearing hosiery – If you’re wearing high heels all day the chances of your feet rubbing and causing blisters are much higher without them – and if you’re attending Ascot more than one day you’ll want to preserve your tootsies! These are my favourite summer tights – 5 denier cooling tights from M&S – they’re the lowest denier so barely there and have a natural sun tanned look to them. If you’re prone to your foot slipping out of your shoe you could get tights with a grip on the sole like these ones.

Rachel Hawkins of The Cotswold Hat Club is a regular at the races and she recommends ibuprofen spray to protect your feet from swelling in your high heeled shoes – the things we do to look stylish ladies!

Gel insoles placed inside the shoe will also offer some comfort by cushioning your foot – The Duchess of Cambridge reportedly uses these ones from Alice Bow. I sometimes use Party Feet – small invisible gel inserts that protect the ball of your foot and are particularly good if you’re wearing sandals.

One of my clutch bags is teeny tiny so I’m taking an equally teeny tiny portable charger for my phone – no cable is needed and it’s about the size of a lipstick.

Some followers have planned summery outfits and are worried about being cold – adding a jacket to floaty dresses will spoil the outline of the dress so I would recommend wearing a vest underneath if you feel cold and brave the bare arms!

I think that’s all the Ascot accessories prep I can think of – I’m off to steam my dresses for next week and pray for sunshine!

New Year Wardrobe Detox

January 19, 2019January 19, 2019 ~ Alicia ~ Leave a comment

Many readers of my book Wardrobe Wisdom have commented on how the second section – Wardrobe Organisation – has really motivated them to have a proper wardrobe detox and declutter their clothing collection. This is a process that seems daunting initially but once completed is really transformative – to your wardrobe and to your mind. I’m not a neat freak and am not keen on rooms that are overly minimal – but I know which image below makes me feel calm and which gives me anxiety!

Photo: iStock images

Photo: Ikea

If your wardrobe is chaotic then it will make the process of dressing much more difficult each day – sometimes the feeling of not having anything to wear is because you can’t easily locate what you have. Clearing out clothing clutter will also help you to identify what gaps you may have in your wardrobe – garments that you may need to purchase to get the full potential out of the clothes you currently have, enabling you to create outfits with ease and take the stress out of dressing.

A survey in 2017 by Weight Watchers estimated that the figure of wasted expenditure on clothing was £10 billion, with only 55% of the clothes women own actually being worn. Whilst some people may be hanging on to things for posterity, or “just in case” they may need it/fit in to it one day, there is undoubtedly a hoarding of unworn or unnecessary clothing going on. And if you don’t have the luxury of wall-to-wall walk-in wardrobes to store mountains of clothing, then a periodic clothing cull is a necessity for most people.

So, if you have had a post-Christmas sales splurge and need to free up space for your new winter additions, why not release your inner “Marie Kondo”, ditch the New Year diet and detox your wardrobe instead!

Cleanse your Closet

When you go through your wardrobe, be realistic about the clothes that you wear day to day; hanging on to garments that you no longer wear takes up space unnecessarily, so try to adopt a ruthless sorting process. Divide into the following groups:

Keep, wear regularly
Keep, but need to supplement with new purchases in order to wear
eBay/re-sell
Charity
Storage (out of season)
Discard/recycle

If garments no longer fit or you haven’t worn them in a while, try selling them on eBay first or donate to a charity shop. Popular designer and high-street labels and occasion outfits/dresses tend to sell better than casual clothes on eBay, so consider sending casual clothes straight to the charity shop, if they are in good condition, or to a clothing recycling bank. I had a clothing clear-out just before Christmas and donated to The British Heart Foundation – they will collect the bags of clothing from your door (see the BHF website for details). You could also support charities like Smart Works, who accept quality second-hand workwear donations, which they then offer to women seeking employment.

Image: British Heart Foundation

High-end designer labels will also sell well on designer second-hand clothing websites, such as Vestiare Collective. Head over to my Recycle blog post where I have listed some other places where you can recycle your clothing.

Keeping Organised

To keep your clothing collection at a manageable level with a wardrobe that is accessible and wearable, try to resist purchasing any unnecessary items; focus instead on filling the gaps in your wardrobe that were revealed after the clear-out. Group 2 (things that you are keeping but need to supplement with new purchases in order to wear) is likely to be full of separates which only work if they have something to work with. Make a list of things you think your existing wardrobe would benefit from and focus on acquiring these items the next time you go clothes shopping. Your goal is for a versatile and manageable wardrobe to fit in with your space and lifestyle. Resist the temptation to purchase new one-off garments unless you think they will complement what you already own.

Once the detox is complete, your remaining wardrobe needs to be efficiently organised so that you can easily locate specific garments. It will be much easier to avoid clutter creeping back in if everything is suitable stored. Check out Wardrobe Wisdom for more tips on effective wardrobe organisation.

Recycle Week

September 25, 2018September 28, 2018 ~ Alicia ~ 1 Comment

Recycle Week

This week (24-30 September) is Recycle Week so I’m encouraging people to help lower the amount of clothes that end up in landfill each year by recycling or donating their unwanted clothing. According to Wrap it is estimated that £140 million worth of clothes end up in landfill each year. Oxfam estimates that 9,513 garments are thrown into landfill every five minutes. These are really shocking statistics that can easily be reduced by recycling or donating your unwanted clothing.

Retailers and Recycling Initiatives

Marks & Spencer launched an initiative with Oxfam in 2012 called Schwopping to encourage people to recycle their unwanted clothes. You can bring along any unwanted clothes (not just those that are from M&S) and put them into one of their “Shwop Drop” bins in exchange for Sparks points. M&S then donate the clothes to Oxfam, who resell the garments online, in their stores or in international markets. Alternatively, you can go to an Oxfam store where you’ll receive a £5 M&S voucher if there’s an M&S item in your donation. Since the initiative was launched, 7.8 million garments have been “schwopped”, which is worth an estimated £5.5 million to the charity. If initiatives such as these are adopted by more retailers, it will significantly reduce the amount of clothes sent to landfill each year. See their website for more details and participating M&S stores.

Other stores that now run similar schemes include:

H&M (all brands of clothing in any condition welcome).

&Other Stories (all brands of clothing welcome).

Levis (all brands of clothing welcome).

John Lewis & Partners is currently trialling a scheme which will enable them to buy back clothes from customers through an app in exchange for an e-giftcard to use online.

You can also donate unwanted clothing to:

T K Max in partnership with Cancer Research UK

Zara (currently only available at selected stores). If you live in Spain they will also collect clothes from you if you have made an online purchase.

Donating to Charity

As well as regular high street charity shops, there are a few charities that specifically accept donations of work appropriate clothing which they then offer to unemployed people, to help them dress to impress at interviews. They also provide styling advice and interview tips which is a great way of helping people that may have been out of work for a long time.

Smart Works (Branches in London, Manchester, Reading, Birmingham, Newcastle and Edinburgh)

Dress for Success (London)

Suited for Success (Birmingham)

Designer resale sites

If you have designer clothing that you don’t wear anymore, there are many designer clothing resale sites where they can find a new home. Vestiare Collective based in France is the most popular one for use worldwide. There’s also Hardly Every Worn It and Cudoni based in London.

Recycling worn clothing

Damaged clothes and shoes that are beyond repair can be recycled along with other household textiles and made into new textiles, such as household insulation or mattress filling. Check with your local council to see if they collect clothing for recycling, or look out for clothing recycle banks in supermarket car parks. Refer to the website www.recycle.com to find out what you can recycle and where.

Love Not Landfill is a new campaign set up to encourage young people in London to dispose of old clothing responsibly. They have distributed textile banks across London where you can drop off unwanted clothes.

Remember: no textiles need to be thrown away – even your old bras, socks and pants can be recycled!

Summer Holiday – Caribbean Capsule Wardrobe

August 13, 2018August 13, 2018 ~ Alicia ~ 2 Comments

Summer holiday packing

This post is inspiration for an Instagram follower who is going on holiday to a Caribbean island this summer. If you’re heading off on a summer holiday this month you’ve probably spent some time planning your holiday wardrobe. Packing for a summer trip should be really easy, in theory – summer clothes are much more lightweight than winter ones, so you shouldn’t have to wrestle with a suitcase that is bursting at the seams. But just because the clothing is lightweight that doesn’t mean you should take more! You may feel like adding that one final pair of shoes/shorts/top “just in case”, but it’s really important not to get too carried away; there’s nothing more pointless than travelling with surplus clothing that doesn’t get worn. A bit of pre-holiday planning and styling will ensure that your luggage is kept to a minimum and that you only take things that will actually get used. I try to keep shoes and bags to a minimum and only take neutral colours that will match every outfit. For clothing separates, try to have some sort of colour theme going so that everything can mix and match easily. Or, if you have heavily patterned/multi-coloured separates, make sure you have the right basics to match with them, e.g. black or white tops.

The way you pack will also make you feel more organised on arrival so that you can quickly locate the things you want and head straight to the beach! Keeping the small things organised really makes a difference so that they are not lost amongst larger things in your case. Phone chargers, plug adaptors etc can be kept together in a zip-lock bag – easy to view and find. I always pack underwear in zip laundry bags to keep it together and organised. Mine are from Cath Kidston, and I also have a couple of flat zip canvas bags that came with freebie toiletries on a flight once that I use for packing underwear. Cath Kidston doesn’t have any in their current range and the only similar thing I can find available now are these bags by Ted Baker. I wish more retailers made something like this – how does everyone else pack their underwear?! I can’t imagine packing it loose after packing like this for so long.

If you are travelling with multiple suitcases it is often worth considering having your luggage sent ahead. You may think this is a luxury service but the costs are lower than you may think – often lower than the airline charges for extra baggage. You won’t have the hassle of having to transport your cases from home to the airport, or of waiting for the suitcase at your destination airport, so it’s worth considering if you’re travelling in a large group or for an extended period of time. Sendmybag.com is a popular one that will transport your luggage from door to door and operates within 100 different countries.

Here are my recommendations for a Caribbean capsule wardrobe alongside tips for packing.

Summer hat

Hats are the trickiest thing to pack, so unless you want to carry/wear it en route, it’s best to get a hat that is foldable. The panama hat company sell foldable panama hats and tubes in which to transport the hat to make packing even easier. Remember this is just meant for short periods of time – folding any hat for long periods, or storing the hat in this way, will damage the shape of the hat. Floppy hats, like this one from Marks & Spencer, are also easier to fold and pack.

Beach bag

I really like the personalised basket bags by Raefeather. I find that when my initials are on something it ties me to it even more! You can also choose the stripe colour. The canvas shopper style would be the easiest style to pack, but I also really like the long leather handle basket, if you have a little more room in your suitcase. For a bag like this that doesn’t fold, you could fill it with smaller items to make the most of the space. Accessorize also have a great budget packable straw tote.

Bags

Streamlining your accessories is the best way to avoid suitcase overload as these are the bulkiest items in a summer wardrobe. For the day time, this round raffia cross body bag from Zara is a great summery staple. This woven embroidered seashell clutch from & Other Stories is a fun bag for summer eves – a neutral base with multicolour embroidery, so it would match many different outfits. Or for a fun addition to the Caribbean capsule wardrobe, how about this watermelon clutch by Sensi Studio.

Shoes

I’m quite ruthless when it comes to packing shoes. The reality is you will probably be wearing your flip flops most of the time, so there isn’t much point in transporting your entire shoe collection around the world with you. A tan sandal for day and a metallic sandal for eve would be the minimum I would pack. I have some tan sandals similar to the ones pictured here but with a slight embellishment from Dune last year and they’re really comfortable. Anything too strappy I don’t like for daytime as they end up rubbing and causing blisters if you walk a lot. A heeled espadrille is also good, if you want a dressier look.

Clothing

I think you’ll be guaranteed sunshine in the tropical climate of the Caribbean. Mosquitoes are a pain in places like this, so some long and loose clothing is advisable, especially in the evening and if you’re travelling during the rainy season when humidity is high.

I really like off-the-shoulder dresses for climates like this – they look good for day or evening and I like the way you can adjust the sleeves – wear off the shoulder Bardot style, off the arms, bandeau style, on the shoulder for a little cap sleeve coverage, or even one shoulder up, one down for an asymmetric ruffle!

Travelling to the Caribbean is a great excuse to embrace colourful tropical prints – here are some of my favourite tropical inspired pieces available now:

Tropical print maxi dress, Dorothy Perkins.

Tropical leaf maxi dress, Biba.

Tropical maxi playsuit, New Look.

Red bandeau maxi dress, New Look.

Dusky blue floral trousers, H&M.

And some tropical print bikinis from H&M:

Jewellery

Costume jewellery is a great way to jazz up your holiday wardrobe – I wouldn’t risk travelling with too much expensive jewellery – it’s just one more thing to worry about losing! Some statement earrings will dress up any of these maxi dresses for a summer evening outfit.

Shell earrings, Mango.

Beaded fringe disc earrings, Accessorise.

Raffia hoop earrings, Top Shop.

Shell hoop earrings, Top Shop.

Happy holidays!

Top Tips for Travel

June 30, 2018September 16, 2018 ~ Alicia ~ Leave a comment

Packing for a holiday can be stressful. How nice would it be to transport your world and your wardrobe with the click of a finger to your sunny destination – eliminating the need to make any decisions about what to pack?! If you find it tricky to know what to wear each day, then forward planning for a holiday will certainly be a challenge and your suitcase is likely to be bursting at the seams. It definitely takes experience to streamline the perfect holiday wardrobe so that you’re not lugging your whole wardrobe around with you whenever you travel, and experience of travel and packing is something in which I have multiple-suitcase experience! Here are a few tips for travelling that will help ease the luggage load so that next time you travel you can pack like a pro!

Pack based on the length of your trip – resist the temptation to force your entire summer wardrobe into your suitcase just for a two-week holiday. Select clothing based on potential outfits you could wear – don’t pack any separates that you haven’t already planned how you would wear – if they haven’t got the perfect partner at home they’re not going to find it on holiday!
Try and pick pieces from a complementary colour palette so that you can mix and match separates as much as possible, creating maximum outfit options from minimum garments.

“Finsbury” Embroidered Top, Hush

Denim Shorts, Oasis

Navy “Alicia” Trousers, Boden

Keep neutral with the accessories – tan/metallic/beige/white will go with most summer outfits. Resist packing crazy colours unless they complement the rest of your clothing.

Screen Shot 2018-06-30 at 08.57.12 — Straw Bag, Zara

Gold Flat Sandals, Steve Madden

Nude Laser-cut Espadrilles, Dune London

The weight allowance for hand luggage is the same as the hold luggage on most airlines, so if you really want to pack that extra pair of shoes then invest in a great cabin bag for luggage overflow! The Cosmolite Spinner cabin bag by Samsonite is super light at 1.7kg and has a 36 litre capacity.

Zipped travel laundry bags like these ones from Ted Baker are really good for keeping small things together (e.g. underwear, swimwear) and separated from the rest of your suitcase contents. It makes it easier to find things when you don’t have stray undies jumbled up inside your case. I really find they make a lot of difference to how organised I feel when packing. Similarly, if you have a lot of chargers or plug adapters, pack these in a transparent zip-lock bag to keep them together within the case.

I’m rubbish at judging distances and weights, so I really have no idea whether my suitcase weighs 20 kilos or 30 kilos! I’ve been hit with an excess-baggage charge at the airport that was more than the cost of the flight itself – once that has happened, you never want it to happen again! I always weigh my case at home, just to be sure. This handy digital scale is available at Sainsbury’s. Different airlines vary with their charges and some will charge an excess fee per kilo of extra weight.

No-one wants to do ironing on holiday, but even with my top packing tips, it’s likely that some of your floaty summer frocks will be a bit creased on arrival. A portable steamer is great for eliminating creases quickly and effortlessly. I know you’re probably thinking that the last thing you want to do on holiday is anything resembling laundry, but it’s easier than drying your hair, I promise! Steaming will also kill bacteria, eliminate odours and freshen up your clothing, delaying the need for regular washing. I have one by Philips which weighs 0.72kg, so it won’t add to the weight of your case too much, and it’s worth it if you have a lot of crease-prone holiday clothes and don’t want to pay for the hotel laundry service. A good budget alternative is ProBreeze which is very compact and travel friendly (0.65kg) and comes with a handy travel pouch for storage.

Philips steamer

ProBreeze steamer

Toiletries can really add to the weight of your suitcase. I never pack full-size toiletries of anything except sun lotion; I streamline the rest of my products. There are so many miniature versions available for most beauty/bath products these days so it’s much better to pack these to lighten your washbag. I really like transparent hanging washbags for travel: Victoria Green has a great new one available now from Marks & Spencer. They’ve clearly done their research into what people want from a washbag and the importance of organisation when travelling. I like the ease of being able to hang up the bag so that I can easily view the contents and not have to unpack everything inside – it makes it much easier if you travel frequently or are hopping from one destination to another. (When you’ve visited 13 different countries and 22 cities in the space of three months like I have, then unpacking your toiletry bag is no longer on the agenda!). The bag is constructed with a 3-in-1 system which allows you to use it as a hanging organiser, but you can also detach the larger bag at the bottom and the transparent middle pocket so that you can personalise your beauty packing for each trip – great for both shorter trips and more extended vacations.

Seasonal Storage – Spring

March 25, 2018March 25, 2018 ~ Alicia ~ Leave a comment

Summer days may be a little further around the corner, but as we are now officially in British Summer Time, it is a good time to start thinking about a wardrobe rotation and packing away those chunky winter knits (you might want to wait until after Easter, actually, as the Beast from the East’s extended family looks set to return for more unseasonal snow!) But with today marking the start of longer daylight hours, I thought it an appropriate time to share some tips on spring seasonal storage.

As the weather warms up you won’t be needing the chunky jumpers, blanket scarfs and winter woollens that have kept you cosy during the winter months, so it is a good idea to pack some of these garments away to free up space in your wardrobe for your spring and summer wear. Winter knitwear takes up a lot of space, so even packing away a few jumpers will free up a shelf or drawer for garments that you are more likely to wear in the coming months.

Clothes are at the greatest risk of damage when in storage if they are not protected properly, so ensure that you take the correct steps to protect your garments – especially woollen knitwear, which is prone to the scourge of the moth. Moths attack only natural protein fibres (cashmere, wool), so your winter wear is more susceptible than summer wear when in storage. If you have ever been the victim of a moth attack you will know the despair that comes with losing your favourite woollen jumper! And they never munch a hole in a discreet area like the cuff or underarm – somewhere that won’t be too visible; it’s always bang in the middle of the chest, ensuring there is no hope for hiding or fixing it, even if you are the most skilled of seamstresses! So, if you want your favourite luxury knits to embrace you next winter after their summer in hibernation, then follow my top tips for spring storage.

First, ensure that everything going into storage is washed, clean and thoroughly dry. Dirty clothes will attract bugs – any natural protein fibre clothing with old food stains or perspiration will attract moths and carpet beetles which cause damage to the clothing fibres. Some stains are colourless, so even if the clothes aren’t visibly dirty it is best to wash/dry-clean them first before storing.
Never store clothing in polythene bags or plastic garment bags, especially if the garments are made of natural fibres, which need to breathe. Condensation will form inside plastic bags and could cause mould or yellowing of fabrics, leading to permanent staining.
Garment bags should be made of a breathable material, like calico, and large enough to hold each garment.

Garment bags and boxes can be bought from department stores and specialist storage companies such as The Holding Company Remember to check the measurements of boxes before purchasing. I once bought 2 under-bed storage boxes only to realise on delivery that they were too tall to fit under my bed. So of course my solution was to buy a new bed! (My old one was on its last legs so it was about time anyway!)

For added protection you could separate precious knitwear from other clothing and place it in special breathable jumper storage bags such as these from Hangerworld.

Place an anti-moth lavender sachet at the top of each storage box, or hanging on the garment bag, to protect from moths and other pests.

Place the storage containers in a cool damp-free area away from direct sunlight and heat. Above wardrobes or under beds are the most obvious places. Attics are not the best place for storing clothes as they are likely to become quite hot in summer and possibly damp in winter. They are also likely to be very dusty places as, unless you are the most devoted of housekeepers, it is unlikely that you regularly dust your attic!

If you are selecting clothes for storage, now is also a good time to have a wardrobe detox and get rid of things you don’t wear anymore – freeing up even more space for pretty summer clothes! See my post on detoxing your wardrobe for more tips on how to organise and clear out your clothes.

Lighten the Load – Travel Toiletries

July 30, 2017December 9, 2017 ~ Alicia ~ Leave a comment

Lighten the Load – Travel Toiletries and Make-up

Travelling light is not easy even for the most seasoned of travellers. Even the Lady’s Maid herself has been caught out at the airport with an extra charge for a heavy suitcase. One area where you can lighten the load of your belongings to avoid this happening is with your travel toiletries and make-up. These can really add to the weight of your suitcase, so if you want to free up space for that extra pair of shoes you might wear on holiday, take note of the Lady’s Maids top tips for toiletry packing.

Screen Shot 2017-07-30 at 16.50.03

Pack miniatures not full-size bottles. Besides sun protection, the Lady’s Maid would recommend packing only miniatures of your essential daily toiletries. Full-size bottles of anything will seriously add to the weight of your suitcase. Boots and Superdrug have a much larger range of mini toiletries these days. Department stores such as John Lewis also sell a good range of miniatures.
Many brands also do ready-made travel sets complete with zipped transparent bags, which are great as they are permitted in hand luggage. Only buy these if you’re actually going to use all of the products though, or remove the ones you won’t use – there’s no point in adding unnecessary weight to your bag.

Screen Shot 2017-07-30 at 16.51.10

If you are loyal to a particular brand and can’t do without it, then decant a small amount into empty miniature bottles – you can purchase these in most chemists. Muji also sell a wide range of empty mini pumpable, squeezable and sprayable bottles.
Stream-line your skincare routine. Pack only the products you actually use on a daily basis. Most hotels will have a decent shower gel, if not more, so you could forgo your usual shower gel.
Pack full-size sun protection for face, body and hair and mosquito repellant. These are the only products that you’re likely to want to use a lot, so you won’t want to run out.

Screen Shot 2017-07-30 at 16.51.21

Pack your toiletries in a transparent bag so that you can easily see what you have and if any items are missing. These ones from M&S are great value.

Screen Shot 2017-07-30 at 12.21.52.png

Be selective with make-up. If you are holidaying in a hot climate, you are probably not going to want to wear your usual make-up, especially in the day-time when your skin is exposed to the sun. The Lady’s Maid has only six items in her holiday make-up bag:

Bourjois CC cream
Lanolips tinted lip cream with SPF
Maybelline mascara
Chanel cream blush stick
MAC bright moisturising lipstick
Guerlain bronzer

Screen Shot 2017-07-30 at 16.50.58.png

Use a make-up bag that makes it easy to locate items. The Lady’s Maid travels with a frame make-up bag from Cath Kidston. The sturdy metal frame keeps it open so that the contents are easy to find.

Screen Shot 2017-07-30 at 16.59.59.png

Happy Holidays!

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Clothes for Life not Landfill

September 3, 2016September 24, 2018 ~ Alicia ~ Leave a comment

Screen Shot 2016-09-03 at 13.27.58 The Lady’s Maid loves to shop for new clothes, but she is also very savvy when it comes to keeping her wardrobe organised so that there aren’t too many items collecting dust and going unworn and unloved. But what to do with these items? One place for which they are definitely not destined is the dustbin. Clothes should be bought to last and not thrown away, but even the most seasoned and stylish shopper will end up with items of clothing that are unwanted – perhaps rash purchases bought in the Sale or garments that no longer fit properly. Throwing away worn-out clothing should be avoided as it is environmentally damaging – millions of garments end up in landfill each year. According to Oxfam, 9,513 garments are thrown into landfill in Britain every five minutes. That’s a total of one billion items a year. As well as the environmental concern resulting from this (because some textiles will emit harmful gases when they eventually biodegrade), there is a huge financial cost to landfill depositing: at £72 per tonne of landfill waste, the cost per year of throwing away clothing in the UK is over £25 million.

Here are a few ways of dealing with your unwanted clothing without resorting to the dustbin:

Selling unwanted clothing on eBay is a great way to find your unwanted garments a new home, whilst – after all, one lady’s trash is another lady’s treasure!

High-end designer labels will also sell well on designer second-hand clothing websites, such as www.hardlyeverwornit.com, Vestiare Collective and Cudoni.

Local Charity shops. Make sure that they are in a wearable condition and wash clothing before donating.

Worn-out clothing of appropriate fabric, such as cotton, can be cut into rags to use for household cleaning or shoe polishing.

Clothes and shoes can be recycled along with other household textiles and made into new textiles, such as household insulation or mattress filling. Some clothing will also be sold on for reuse to countries such as Africa. Check with your local council to see if they collect clothing for recycling, or look out for clothing recycle banks in supermarket car parks. Refer to the website www.recycle.com to find out what you can recycle and where.

Retailers and Recycling Initiatives

Marks & Spencer launched an initiative with Oxfam in 2012 called Schwopping to encourage people to recycle their unwanted clothes. Customers were invited to bring along an M&S labelled item of clothing that they no longer wore to a participating store where they would be rewarded with a £5 M&S voucher in return. M&S then donated the clothes to Oxfam, who resell the garments online, in their stores or in international markets. Clothing that cannot be resold can be used to make new fabric for things like loft insulation. Since the initiative was launched, 7.8 million garments have been “schwopped”, which is worth an estimated £5.5 million to the charity. If initiatives such as these are adopted by more retailers, it will significantly reduce the amount of clothes sent to landfill each year. See their website for more details and participating M&S stores.

Other stores that run similar schemes include H&M, &Other Stories and Levis.

schwopping

Jigsaw launched an advertising campaign in 2015 to encourage the idea of clothing being for Life and not for Landfill. Their ads featured clothes from their current collection worn with vintage pieces to promote the idea that fashion doesn’t have to be all about the new and that quality clothing can be classic and bought to last for decades, with the new complementing the old and vice versa.

jigsaw

So before discarding even that worn-out old bra to the dustbin, have a think about the lasting damage to the environment to which you are contributing, and recycle!

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Pack like a Pro

February 13, 2015January 13, 2018 ~ Alicia ~ Leave a comment

Screen Shot 2017-07-24 at 12.03.01 — © Punch Limited, 1895

“I get ideas about what’s essential when packing my suitcase.”

– Diane von Furstenberg.

The Lady’s Maid is a seasoned pro when it comes to packing – she has been known to pack 10 suitcases in the time it takes for her Ladyship to have breakfast, whilst also being afflicted with jet lag and recovering from the after effects of a mild electric shock in Bangkok. But if the thought of packing sends you into a cold sweat, worry not: follow the Lady’s Maid’s practical packing advice below to ease pre-travel stress and ensure that your clothes are kept in tip-top condition in transit and on arrival at your destination.

Don’t overpack. You might be going on holiday, going away for the weekend, or on a business trip – you’re not moving home, so be selective when packing clothing for trips. Think about what you’re going to be doing on the trip and what the weather will be like and pack accordingly. Plan outfits in advance – bring a selection of clothing out of your wardrobe and think about what will work together for the trip. Separates that can be mixed and matched are a good idea in order to maximise outfit opportunities. Avoid too many brightly coloured or patterned “statement” pieces that will be harder to wear multiple times.
If you are packing delicate, beaded or crease-prone garments, use acid-free tissue paper (available from Hangerworld) to protect the fabric and minimise the risk of creasing. Pack heavier items at the bottom of the case (shoes, bags) and lighter clothing items at the top.

Try to fold garments along natural seam lines as much as possible to minimise creasing. Avoid vertical folds as these do not fall out as naturally.
Pack trousers by folding the trouser leg half in the case and half out and then continue to pack clothing before folding the outer part of the trouser in once the case is full. This will prevent you from having to fold the trouser leg on itself which would create a crease.
Lingerie/laundry bags are a good way of keeping underwear together in the suitcase.

Dustbags for shoes and bags are also worth using to protect the contents and the surrounding clothes. More expensive shoes usually come with a dust bag but you can buy them separately like this one from Cath Kidston or you could even make your own.

If you travel regularly, it is well worth keeping a travel toiletry bag separate from your main home toiletries so that you don’t have the extra bother of having to constantly pack these every time you travel. Pack liquids in zip-lock bags before placing in toiletry bags for added security – if there is any leakage your clothing will be protected. Travel hanging toiletry bags with transparent pockets for makeup are also great for travel as you can hang them straight up and easily locate their contents.

Try to streamline your skincare and beauty routine when on holiday as toiletries will really weigh down your suitcase. Most chemists and skincare brands offer a large range of mini toiletries these days, or you can decant your favourite products into empty plastic bottles – Muji has a good range of mini pumpable, sprayable and squeezable empty bottles.

Portable steamers are great for quickly eliminating any creasing in your clothing when travelling – they’re really easy to use on dresses and blouses and will save you the effort of having to get out the ironing board or fork out a fortune for hotel laundry services.

Even The Lady’s Maid has been caught out with a hefty fee for an overweight suitcase. Check the weight of your bag before leaving for the airport with a hand held weighing scale – find out the weight limits of your airline to ensure that you won’t be lumbered with an excess baggage fee when you get to the airport.

See Styling a Holiday Wardrobe for more tips on packing the perfect suitcase.

Bon Voyage!

Wardrobe Organisation

October 30, 2014December 9, 2017 ~ Alicia ~ Leave a comment

Convert Clothing Chaos into Calm: follow The Lady’s Maid’s guide to Wardrobe Organisation.

Organising your Wardrobe

Organisation is key to keeping a tidy and accessible wardrobe and prevent chaos from creeping into your clothing collection. There are many different constituent parts you have to bring together to create an outfit, so the process of dressing and creating outfits will be made a lot quicker and easier if your wardrobe is kept in a tidy orderly way at all times. Once you have a system for organising and storing your clothes you will begin to value the things you do have and want to get the full potential out of each garment, rather than resorting to buying something new when you’re looking for a new outfit to wear.

Here are some of The Lady’s Maids tips for keeping the perfect wardrobe:

Sort through your wardrobe as outlined in the previous post Detox your Wardrobe. Before rearranging the clothes give the wardrobe space a thorough clean – vacuum inside and clean the sides and base with a damp cloth. Leave to dry thoroughly before placing clothes back inside.

Re-line drawers with lining paper or drawer liners – preferably lavender or cedarwood scented to ward of moths.

The best way to organise your clothing is to divide it into sections such as: business/formal wear, casual wear, evening wear, outdoor wear. Within these sections organise garments by garment type (e.g. skirts/tops/trousers) and then by colour within these types, from darks to lights. Group together patterned and multi-coloured pieces.

Don’t pack things in the wardrobe too tightly – clothes need space to air and hang freely to allow creases to fall out.

Evening dresses with very delicate fabrics and clothes that are only worn occasionally should be protected from dust with garment bags. Use breathable calico bags. Short plastic shoulder covers can be used to protect the tops of dresses if you have lots of them and want to be able to view them all in your wardrobe.

Very heavily beaded dresses should be laid in drawers rather than hung as hanging them will cause the fabric to sag and stretch.

If you want your wardrobe to look professionally arranged and organised use matching hangers for all clothing within the wardrobe. This will keep the clothes hanging at an even level and make them look more streamlined on the rail. Slim wooden or non-slip rubber hangers are the most space-efficient.

Sort knitwear into groups such as: V-necks, High-Necks, T-shirts, Cardigans, and then into colour order: dark-light. Thick woollen knitwear is best kept folded in drawers or stacked on shelves to prevent the delicate fibres from stretching on hangers. Thinner knitwear can be hung but be sure to use appropriate hangers to support the vulnerable shoulder area, such as these ones from John Lewis.

Buy John Lewis Non-Slip Knitwear Hanger, Set of 3, White Online at johnlewis.com

If placing shoes at the bottom of the wardrobe below the clothing, order them in a way that corresponds with the clothing above. This will look better visually and will also enable you to match up the shoes with appropriate outfits.

Shoes that are not worn everyday are best kept in boxes to protect them – use boxes with a clear front so you can easily locate them.

Storage solutions

There are many clothing storage solutions available that will help supplement your main wardrobe and help impart a little calm amidst the chaos:

Portable hanging rails are practical and economical if you need extra hanging space in a spare room, and also very useful for planning travel wardrobes. The downside of these are that your clothing will be exposed to dust, so make sure you only use clothing rails for everyday clothing that is worn and washed regularly.

Single Pole Garment Rail

Shoe hanging bags can be fixed over a hanging rail to allow you to store multiple pairs of shoes and are particularly good for flat and casual shoes.

A multi-hook rail fixed over the back of doors for hanging coats and bags.
Baskets or stackable trays could be placed on shelves within the wardrobe to keep together bulkier accessories that are awkward to store elsewhere.

Multiscarf hangers – a clever way of displaying scarves on one hanger

Draw dividers – good for organising underwear or accessories such as belts within drawers.

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