Chillie Guide: How to re-wear party wear

When we're all making a conscious effort to reduce our carbon footprint, buy less and shop mindfully: the idea of buying partywear for a special event can seem at odds with the modern-day mantras of sustainable fashion. We get it, buying something to wear it once then never again is not only a financial drain, but also leaves you with a seriously overcrowded wardrobe. As party-season draws to a close, and those sequin pieces start getting thrown to the back of the closet, we've put together a handy guide to extend the life of your partywear.

Don't fear the repeated outfit

The phenomenon of being an 'outfit repeater' has been universally accepted as one of the biggest fashion faux passes for decades. But we've never really understood the hate? Because I like an outfit and want to get the most out of it suddenly I'm a pariah? No thanks. Clothes should be worn and used to their full potential, not taken out of rotation as soon as you're seen in public wearing it.

If you have a go-to 'party dress' that's still going strong, makes you look and most importantly feel absolutely fabulous then we say re-wear it. If you wan't to make it less obvious you're wearing the same dress as last year then change up your jewellery, shoes or make-up for an updated feel.

When in doubt, style it out...

We believe in the power in good styling, and the potential to totally transform a single garment with the right accompanying look. You can use this method to switch-up your party-wear and make just as fabulous for casual looks.

Velour body con dress, feels too formal? Pair it with chunky boots, a slouchy mohair cardigan and a natural make-up look. 80's glimmering sequin extravaganza blouse looks too fancy? Style it with wide-leg mom jeans, pointed toe mules and low-key gold jewellery. Killer Jerry Halll-esque two-piece tailored suit seems like a bit much? Wear it with a vintage band-tee, suede sneakers and hair accessories for a perfectly casual yet chic look.

Don't Bin it!

I know, sometimes you can just get stuck on a garment, it's not the vibe; it doesn't make you feel fab, it doesn't fit or it's just not you anymore. We get it, and guess what... it's totally fine to give up on a garment when you've exhausted all your other options. But if you're getting rid then do it the right way.

Don't like it but can see someone else loving it? List your wares on the plethora of marketplace apps and platforms at your fingertips; eBay, Depop, Vestiare and Vinted, not only will you get some extra spending money but you'll be extending the life of your garment with a new owner.

And when you're in the market for something new, try and look for pre-loved pieces. And you you can start with Chillie London!

While you're at it... Shop our Partywear trend edit:

Boxing Day Sales: How to Shop Smart

Chillie London on how to navigate the post-Christmas slump

Now that we're at the start of December it's now that time of year when it's acceptable to spend large sums of money in the name of holiday gifting and overindulge in all of the festive treats that your heart desires. But what comes after? The inevitable spendathon comedown which brands will cleverly use to push you towards even more retail therapy to soothe the empty week between Christmas day and the new year.

Now if there's one thing you should have gathered by now is that we're not ones to turn our noses up at a bargain, quite the opposite. We also love fashion, obviously; and as-well as bringing the coolest pre-loved pieces to the masses we also love showing people how you can avoid constantly buying new things. So here are our top tips for navigating the Boxing day sales, without any regretful purchases.

Remember the golden rule, ask yourself 'Do I really need this?' - ask it when you're browsing the crammed sale sections, website pages or social feeds; ask when you're adding to bag or strolling over to the till, ask when you're about to hit 'checkout' or hand over your card. If the answer at any time is anything other than '100% yes' then don't buy it. If you have to convince yourself: red flag.

Think about what you've just gotten. Have I already been gifted something that's similar? Can I exchange one of my gifts that I'm not too keen on to make space for something I actually want? We've just had a whole day, week, month of gifting, and chances are there's probably one or two items you've accepted out of politeness whilst mentally envisioning yourself shoving it to the back of your closet the second you can. But if you spot something you truly want in a sale, then why not free up some room - there's no shame in returning, exchanging or even regifting - we won't tell...

Don't get locked in. Shops will sneakily add in final sale and no-return clauses on some or all of their sale items which when you're under the spell of the elusive 'limited deal' or 'final markdown' can sometimes be all too hard to spot. If you change your mind, tough luck, you're stuck with it leaving you with annoyingly limited options. Banished to the dark recesses of your home storage, off to the charity shop or hastily listed on eBay, whatever the outcome you've still made a loss.

Plan a new years clear out. Why waste the prospects of a brand new year on the same few resolutions that you know by January10th will be totally out of the window. Instead take a day to go through all of your clothes, shoes and accessories to make way for all of the new things you've acquired over the festive season. Donate anything you don't wear to charity, list online or go one step further and do a carboot sale one morning and make back some extra spending money.

Try and find it pre-loved. Love an item for it's colour, print, style or other specific feature? Do some online digging and see if you can find something similar that's pre-loved and give it a new lease of life. Love the brand? Do a quick eBay or Depop search. Sometimes you might even be able to score the exact same piece at a much better price a few weeks after the sale ends. Or you can always cut to the chase and shop our hand-picked selection of pre-loved fashion, which we know you'll wear again and again.

Happy shopping everyone!

In Defence of Black Friday

Chillie Journal weighs in on the spending-driven day and asks, is Black Friday really all that bleak?

The winter months can bring a lot of negative things into our lives family tension, overeating and don’t forget the waves of seasonal affective disorder which seem to intensify with every 3pm sunset. But one of the most hotly contested social pressures of every holiday season is the intense pressure from seemingly every media outlet to spend money.

Black Friday, another adopted tradition from across the Atlantic, originally a one day event after Thanksgiving where you’d be subjected to mildly entertaining news footage of fistfights over plasma TV’s in a Walmart. The term ‘Black Friday’ has it’s origins all the way back in 1869, and was used to memorialise a particularly destitute day in financial history, when a gold-buying conspiracy failed, causing the stock market to nosedive.

But now it’s turned into a festive multi-week spendathon. The day has also paved the way for other shopping-centric events such as Cyber Monday, usually (you guessed it) the Monday following Black Friday, after you’ve come down from the Bargain hunting-induced high and cried a few times over your bank statement and you’ve decided you’re ready to go into round two. But now most shops and e-commerce names opt to combine both days into one; holding reductions and special prices for the entirety of November all in the name of Black Friday.

Understandably, the now seemingly global push to set everyone on a spending spree has been met with some considerable opposition, most notably from environmentalists and sustainability advocates who understandably reject the consumption-driven nature of Black Friday. Truly, you find yourself dropped into a herd mentality where you’re encouraged by a nonstop barrage of marketing to buy things that at times you don’t really want or need because of the created urgency of these so called bargain prices.

This year many independent businesses are even going one step further and completely boycotting the event in entirety. The Guardian predicted that 85% - the highest figure ever recorded - of small retailers across the UK are planning on either completely shutting down their websites or donating all or a portion of profits made over Black Friday weekend to charity.

Now don’t get us wrong, we love seeing fellow small businesses going against the grain, making their own rules and doing things their way. But we just can’t ignore one of the few positives in the midst of of Black Friday negativity – it makes beautiful things - in our case expertly curated, cool and top quality vintage fashion – more accessible to the masses. Think about it, if there’s something you’ve really wanted for ages, you’ve been dreaming of owning but it’s just slightly out of your budget, you’d jump at the chance to get your hands on it at a lower price, right?

So, we’re rethinking Black Friday at Chillie London with our simple tips for Black Friday Hunting. Make a Wishlist, and stick to it; preferably a few weeks or months in advance, if you’ve got a clear idea of what you’re looking for you’ll be less likely to cross into frantic buying territory. Know your stuff: Larger retailers will use the sneakiest of subliminal marketing tricks to trigger impulse buys – don’t fall for it! Ask yourself: ‘Do I really want this?’ – make sure you’re buying things you genuinely want and will want in the new year – the price reduction is just a final push towards the checkout, don’t buy something just because it’s slightly cheaper. And most importantly, check out Chillie London’s Black Friday edit (Insert link); get something fabulous and save money, that’s what we call a win win…

Happy shopping!