Ebay: Selling your stuff and your dignity

Like many women I own too many clothes. And shoes. And bags.

Image taken from Flickr.com

I hold regular purging ceremonies, donating to charity, to friends younger sister’s, and also on occasion to our loft (just in case!) and yet still my collection grows!

And so in a dual effort to clear out my wardrobe and also make some money I decided to sell some stuff on Ebay.

It’s not deciding what to sell that troubles me. I’m pretty mercenary about what stays and what goes.

Item gets ditched if:

• It hasn’t been worn in a year
• It’s not vintage or designer (and therefore of no use to future generations of Shopaholics)
• I can’t think of a really good excuse to keep it (I mean really good)

Easy peasy. It’s writing the description’s that I struggle with!

There’s something just beyond cringingly intimate about describing your clothes

It feels a bit like a dating site-Funniest, prettiest picture; honest but not so honest that noone will want to date you..I mean buy you…I mean..ARGH!

Where else would you have to put the exact measurements of the skirt you wore that night you had way too much tequila and threw your chips at some guy in McDonald’s?! Too short and you look like a slut, too long and you cut off half your target market.

But you battle on, trying to view your clothes through the eyes of a prospective buyer, and before you know it you start mentally visualising said skirt with items in your wardrobe, ooh and those shoes I saw last week…!

Dad won’t notice another box in the loft will he?!

The Quest for the Unachievable Figure

Much like the search for the Holy Grail or the quest for the Fountain of Youth, women up and down the country (and men too), have long sought after the Perfect [read: Unachievable!] Figure.

The Size Zero debate emerged in 2006. Surrounded by images of Lindsey Lohan, Mischa Barton and Nicole Richie all losing weight under stylist Rachel Zoë, the question of size raged through the media and haunted the catwalk as size became a health issue.

Quicker than you can say “Weight Debate” the tide turned. Images of a skeletal Nicole running on a beach appeared in the press; A teenage model died six months after her anorexic sister collapsed on the catwalk. The backlash had begun.

NEW KID ON THE SCALES

Since then, the media has been looking for a new role model, and they’re roving eye has fallen on one Christina Hendricks.

A former model turned actress, the 35 yr old is currently starring in Mad Men and was also named the ‘Sexiest Woman Alive’ by Esquire magazine.

So far so good. Then we get to her measurements:

39D-30-39

Yes that’s right ladies. Our new body role model possesses a figure which is beautiful, hourglass, sexy and…

…COMPLETELY UNACHIEVABLE!

I applaud the media for recognising the need to change society’s perceptions about body image. Each week magazine’s berate the fashion industry for not accommodating larger figures. Indeed Hendricks still struggles to find clothes to wear to red carpet events.

But if they want to take attention away from “The Sticks” in order to boost the average woman’s morale and set positive role models then surely the more sensible idea is to actually use an average woman?

Christina Hendricks is not average by any stretch of the imagination.

It’s 2006 all over again, with women trying to conform to a body image which yes may be natural to some people-naturally slim model Lily Cole was banned from Madrid Fashion Week in 2006 for possessing a BMI under 18-but for the majority, is simply impossible.

THE “AVERAGE WOMAN” CAMPAIGN

Every time the media comes up with a new celebrity to spearhead the “average woman” campaign they do the exact opposite. Another example-Cheryl Cole was pioneered by the press as being “one of us”…

NO SHE’S NOT!!

Look at the woman she is b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l!

Here’s my body-shape analysis:

I have narrow hips and a little waist. I also have a bum once described as “something to smack”, and athletic legs built up through years of horse-riding, hockey and netball. But much unlike Hendricks, I  have a size 8/10 top with a “modest” (cue sniggers from those who know me!) bust.

Never fear, Marks and Spencer’s have the answer with their “2 sizes bigger” push-up bra (£22), as advertised in this month’s Cosmopolitan for those women looking to achieve the Hendricks effect?-TWO SIZES?! Or maybe I should just forego all this, go the whole hog and invest in a cosmetically enhanced bust?

BE HEALTHY BE HAPPY

Let’s just consider for a moment that there is no perfect body shape. That each woman, whatever her size has beautiful bits, less beautiful bits, and bits which frankly should never see the light of day!

I LIKE my little top – I like that I can wear strapless dresses that show off my shoulders, and that going bra-less doesn’t bring me out in a nervous sweat like some of my more ample-bosomed pals.

I’m not a HUGE fan of my bum and legs – Jeans are not my friend and I swear I saw some cellulite the other day! But they were borne out of being healthy and exercising regularly, and not eating all the pies which makes me think that things could be worse!

And the bit I hate? My feet: The result of spending my formative years ramming them into Wellington’s and trainers. Ain’t no diet gonna fix these beasties! One day I promise to make it up to them! But on the plus side-I’ll know I’ve met “The One” when they love my feet as much as the rest of me!

So there you go.

Not the “perfect” shape.

Just my shape.

A nation of lipstick lovers?

A survey carried out by QVC beauty has revealed that women spend 5 days a year in front of the mirror.

Collectively, British women use enough lipstick in one year to draw a line from London to New York.

That’s 3459.34 miles- you could drive from London to Edinburgh and back 4 times and still have plenty of 012 Candy Girl left!

We also use 4,000 litres of foundation-that equates to approximately 32 baths.

Topped off with 16million sweeps of a mascara wand-bingo wings worldwide could be eradicated forever with that kind of arm action!

When I heard these stats, I was quite perplexed.

Now I am perhaps not the best person to be talking about make-up. I purchased my first foundation when I was 19, I can do shower-to-door in  30 minutes and am often intimidated into buying products I don’t understand by the make-up ladies in Selfridges. As a result my Ted Baker make-up bag is full to the brim with Mac, Bobbi Brown, Estee Lauder, YSL and Chanel, yet I have no idea how to use any of it!

But even to me 5 days (that’s 120 hours) a year is a difficult figure to fathom.

However when I passed these figures on to some of my male friends they all snorted in disbelief, convinced that it must be longer than that.

And then I read an interview in Grazia with the guys and girls from The Only Way Is Essex during which 20 year-old beautician Amy revealed that on “a big night out” it can take her 4 hours to get ready!

– But she’s a beautician! Surely it should only take her 10minutes! No?

But Amy is not alone, with 40% of the 1000 women asked in the survey stating that they wouldn’t even consider leaving the house with no make-up on.

Have these girls and the beauty industry not heard of a little thing called the recession?

Apparently not-Blogger, Jenni West, reported earlier in the year that whilst Harley Street practices have experienced a 50% drop in patients seeking invasive procedures such as Breast augmentation and tummy tucks, non-invasive surgical procedures such as anti-ageing facials and chemical skin peels have experienced a 10-20% rise.

And this growth has been matched at the make-up counters, with Superdrug reporting a 33% rise in the sale of false eyelashes.

But we’re not seeking quick fixes. Buying trends show that British women look for quality not quantity in their beauty products and are happy to spend more if it means owning a higher quality product that’s essentially going to last longer.

Another interesting trend is that during a period when many bank balances are nearing that dangerous red, red lipstick sales have soared. Even I recently gave into the red, splurging out on a YSL red-lippy.

My mantra’s always been if you look good then you feel good, and it seems like in this economic climate recessionista’s are looking to their beauty bags for the answers.

Grazia: “No outfit is complete without a hat.”

Last Wednesday I was lucky enough to attend a Grazia/Hoss Intropia event to celebrate Hoss Intropia’s flagship store on Regent Street, London.

Attending any event is always a bit of a wardrobe minefield, but knowing I was going to a Grazia event made deciding what to wear impossible! For those faithful readers amongst you, you will be interested to hear that I did go with a predominantly Next outfit!

The store itself was beautiful, punctuated with clothes I yearned to own. As their website states, Hoss Intropia seeks ‘to create real and varied fashion for real flesh and blood women.’ And a walk-through of a few of the Grazia team’s favourite items showed exactly how they do this.

Crombie coats trimmed with Victoriana lace; Full length dresses in jewel colours, wrapped around the body in order to create a silhouette both flattering and unique; Sequined cover ups highlighting how Christmas party fashion has moved on from the “garish reds and greens of last year and into something a lot more autumnal,” explained Grazia’s fashion team.

Hmm now for the prices. whilst they did make my eyes water slightly (think £370 for a dress and cover-up all-in-one), the quality, cut and colouring of the clothes definitely appealed to the cost-per-wear part of my brain.

Accessories were a different story. Quirky 20’s-style hats, embellished cuffs and ornate bangles set off the splendour of Hoss Intropia clothes perfectly and with purse-friendly price tags that made you realise how much accessories can make an outfit.

With a fear of unsightly umbrella’s, I’ve been stressing out over trying to find the hat for this season. Enlisting the help of Grazia girls Sophie Ferguson-Jones and Hannah Almassi who’s mantra is John Galliano’s declaration that-“No outfit is complete without a hat”-I bought a cute blue and grey striped part-beanie, part-cap structured little number.

Leaving the event with a goodie bag full to the brim with a Leighton Denny voucher, this weeks Grazia and a Hoss Intropia umbrella (I knooow!); stuffed with vegetable crisps, olives and a never-ending supply of Cava as well as a deep red manicure, I was a very happy Grazia girl!

Complete with this season’s chicest hat!

Next girl for life

Don’t you love it when you spot a girl in an item of clothing and immediately know where it’s from? My personal favourite is spotting a Topshop girl; they’re the ones dressed the most “individually” whilst coveting an item owned by quite literally thousands of other girls.

Now I’ll admit I would always snigger slightly on such occasions. Possessing a slightly more eclectic (also dubbed “weird” by my best friend Lindsey) dress sense I prefer to stay away from items owned by the masses. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being a High Street Honey; you’re always guaranteed to bag an outfit that ticks all the trend boxes, I just prefer to rock a trend my own way.

But just lately there’s been more than a few occasions where someone’s complimented me on my outfit, only for me to realise that I’m wearing head-to-toe Next!

Now I’m not talking the odd top, maybe a cute little pump, I mean quite literally everything-even the stuff under the clothes!

My Mother and I have been pioneering the store for years, even my bridesmaid’s dress for my parent’s wedding was a Next buy-I was 4! And the boots in my header photo-yep they’re Next too! But everyone seems to be going wild for Next at the moment. Just take a peek at this and you’ll see why!

Lucy Taylor, Next’s Press Officer told Company High Street Edit that “Next’s new-season collection is all about desirable textures.” Punctuated with pieces in tweed, faux fur, sheepskin, lace and leather, the store seems to be pioneering a look that’s a little romantic, a little edgy but most of all luxurious.

Me showing off a new Next purchase before I've even left the changing room!

But for those of you who are Next veterans doesn’t this all sound a little familiar?

Whilst Next in its oldest form has been trading for 150 years, Next as a clothing brand first emerged in 1982. Whilst leg warmers and rara skirts were staple pieces for those too young to understand, (and some elders who should have known better!) Next recognised a gap in the market for stylish women who wanted smart, high-end pieces but at sensible prices.

They were able to tap into the luxe look leftover from the ’70s, combine it with the masculine tailoring and sharp silhouette synonymous with the late ’80s; and thus a super-brand emerged. With an emphasis on texture (the first Next catalogue in 1988 featured real fabric swatches) what Next offered was classic, lady-like fashion with a twist.

Is it any wonder therefore that with this season focussing on elegant tailoring, rich and luxurious fabrics and a more sophisticated look this has become Next‘s time to shine once more? Next has even been appointed as the Official Clothing and Homeware supplier to the London 2012 games proving just how relevant the brand really is.

Okaaay so maybe head-to-toe’s not that bad!