State of the vintage wardrobe: year nine

I'm going to end this post with some general resolutions, but first my annual look at what I've been wearing.

I'd been thinking there wasn't any point to a retrospective this year, that I hadn't really got anything to talk about, but that's not actually true. I have veered more into wearing what I like, rather than trying to conform to overall styles other people admire, which does make me feel like I'm not really part of the 'vintage community', but if people can wear top-to-toe modern pinup and be part of it, I'm going to wear my damn crimplene. I may not look authentically vintage, or even conform to the modern notion of what vintage looks like, but my clothes are definitely old enough!

ACQUISITIONS
I did buy new clothes for going to India, and in India. They're not vintage style. I'm keeping them because I like travelling and they're sure to come in handy for future travels, though there's a couple of shirts I'm not 100% keen on and will need to consider carefully whether to keep or donate. I bought a neat little navy miniskirt that's perfect for 60s looks. I also got some basics from charity shops – a modern flutter skirt that's a dead ringer for the 30s styles high-end repro brands sell (for less than a tenth of the price) and some fine-gauge knitwear.

I didn't buy much actual vintage, though I did get a splendid Peggy Page jacket and 60s scarf from Kinky Melon. Gisela sent me a fantastic olive green bag and navy/red scarf at the end of the year, and I'm already coming up with future outfits around them. The bag will match well with a houndstooth check miniskirt I already own.

On the repro front, again I didn't buy much. My two big-purchases were my House of Foxy Evelyn dress, which I should probably just wear the heck out of instead of saving it for best because it cost enough so needs a lot of wears. I also got a pair of shoes from Modshoes and I love them. Deffo getting more from that company. 1960s styles are so pared back that every little detail – the print on fabric, the squaring of the toe – matters, and every time I put the shoes on they really bring something to an outfit. They're a finishing touch, not an afterthought.

MAKES

This was my big achievement of 2018, and I keep forgetting I even did it. I sewed a top. In fact, the same one a couple of times, because making mistakes is part of the learning process. Pete gave me a sewing machine for my birthday and it gave me the chance to explore sewing, which I'd always wanted to do. Deadline hell at the end of the year knocked my progress on the head, so it's something to pick up and get stuck into in 2019. There's a stack of patterns and fabric in my trunk, so plenty to get started with. I really love the navy miniskirt I bought, and fancy making myself a couple of similar ones from patterned crimplene, to go with plain tops.

I also completed a 1930s jumper. I'd actually finished knitting it in 2017 but didn't get round to sewing the pieces together till 2018. Oh dear! And then it didn't look very nice on. OH DEAR! I've got a 1960s knitted jacket on the needles now and am hoping that looks better.

RESOLUTIONS
I have no resolutions for specific things I want this year. My wardrobe's a mishmash, so there's no point planning additions. Though most of what additions are made will probably have a midcentury feel.

* Eat more healthily, exercise more and generally get in better shape. A lot of things in my wardrobe didn't get out in 2018, and that's going to change in 2019.
* Spend more time on the people who like me and less on those who don't. That means blogging as well as IRL; I really missed my blog chums in December.
* Sew and knit myself more nice things.
* Have phone-free Sundays – I want to do this as I think it will help my stress levels and give me more time for making things, but have a friend with severe mental health issues and I worry about cutting myself off in case she needs me. So we'll see if it comes to anything.

I hope you too have a productive and happy 2019!