What I Learned from Second Hand September

It is October now, and that means Second Hand September has been and gone, but it really has not been forgotten, or at least not for me. I have had an amazing month, removing myself from the world of fast fashion, instead entrenching myself within the vintage and second hand community. I have absolutely loved it and as cheesy as it sounds, I have actually learned so much about myself.

By not buying anything new for an entire month, I have to think a lot more about the clothes that I already own, and really think about what it is that I like to wear instead of instantly opting to buy something brand new. I have had to consider the reasons why I actually buy clothes, is it to fill a genuine need or is it to cheer myself up? After a month of abstinence, the answer was undoubtedly to cheer myself up, and as a result, I have had to look for other ways to make me feel good about myself and lift my mood. This has been such a learning curve for me and it is almost silly to think th


at such a revelation has come from simply buying less! 

I have rediscovered clothes which I had forgotten I owned, some of which still had the tags on. Other things I realised that I wore purely because I couldn't be bothered looking for anything else, and it was on top of the ever increasing pile. This whole month has truly made me consider the way that I consume fashion and the reasons why I do. It has made me notice the constant bombardment of advertisements from Instagram influencers, e-mail marketing, and even just switching on the television, telling me what I should wear if I want to be cool, and how I must ditch my last season clothes if I wish to stay current. It can feel unrelenting at times, but the majority of the time, I have found myself no longer caring or wanting it after just a few days. 

Another thing that I've found by only buying second hand is that I have really had to think about what it is that I want rather than endless and mindless scrolling on the likes of Asos or Topshop. Instead I have had to have a specific kind of item in mind so that I get results of things that I mostly like or want. I have had to think about whether I want a shirt or a blouse, do I want a skirt or a dress, etc, and although this can be quite frustrating when I'm not entirely sure what I want, it is really interesting because it really was stopping me from absently filling my shopping basket with items I momentarily thought were pretty. 

Of course, it cannot be forgotten all of the money that I have saved this month! I would normally spend about £50 on new clothes and the likes every month, instead this month I have spent a measly £12 and even then that was at the beginning when I was still feeling quite frivolous! 

So what I'm trying to say is that just because Second Hand September is over, doesn't mean that you have to go back to your old habits! Because here I am, wearing some old favourites which I found at the back of my wardrobe!