Whilst in London last week, I managed to sneak in a very fleeting visit to Renegade Craft Fair, at the Old Truman Brewery. After hearing about Renegade annually through other peoples’ blogs, it’s somewhere I always wanted to go but was never in London for. So, it turned out that Boohoo’s spring style event at Drink Shop Do, Kings Cross, was timed perfectly well enabling me to travel two hops on the underground and arrive on the doorstep of Brick Lane. Hello, Renegade!
The End of the 100 Day Spending Ban: Discovering Abi Jackson
My first job was to say hello to Debbie, designer and mastermind behind Duck and Duffel. As one quarter of last year’s Frock Swap, we constantly chatted through email and I featured her amazing Sarah dress (named after the uber talented A Million Dresses) here. Looking every bit as gorgeous in real life as on her blog, it was lovely to meet Debbie and eye up her new season wares. Second job, treat myself to some amazing collar clips by Ladybird Likes. It wasn’t easy to pick, but I plumped for pink.
After making my two stops, I idly strolled around the stalls whilst waiting for John to meet me from Hackney Wick. That’s when fate intervened and I found the one. I’m a sucker for a beautiful collar, but teamed with a quirky print then there’s no hope. I believe this dress is a twin, one of two creations that some other lovely lady must be thrilled to own. Having read Debbie’s article ‘Pricing’ and the handmade business’, I felt £65 was a real bargain. Imagine my glee when I was offered the dress for £55. Deal! Who’s it by? Abi Jackson. Describing herself as the girl who made shoes from wallpaper samples and stitched gnomes on hankies, you can see why I loved her range. It was great to chat to her and discover that we have similar views when it comes to buying clothes.
“Clothes are investment pieces.”
The words resonated within me. When I bought this dress, I made an investment. I’m planning to wear it for a close friend’s Irish wedding in July, but after the big event I want to be able to wear it for years to come. I imagine myself with a huge ice cream walking along Brighton’s sea front wearing this pastel dream.
You might have spied over on Instagram that I’ve been getting busy in my dressing room recently. Countless trips to Ikea have resulted in a pretty white storage unit being purchased. It’s so much tidier in there now, my next step is to weed out some of my dresses and donate/sell/give them away. It’s a long way from perfect, but it’s getting there.
Do you see clothes as investment pieces?