Sorry, I seldom take outfit photos... Here's one taken by my awesome friend, Samuel, in Oxford!

It's Sunday and I can't wait to tell you how much I enjoyed my lazy afternoon today. I started my first attempt on bullet journalling (the non-fancy way, not the ones that requires splashes of colours / fancy graphics, man, I can't draw). More exciting is that I've tried that on my iPad!!! I'm excited to try out what it's like to 'have control of your own life' (that's the cliche that they say). Another exciting thing is - I've started an amazing book on Creativity on Audible. Another attempt at being paper-less and also good for me - I don't want to sit for a long time because of my spine.

Anyway - by the time I sit down properly to write this post, it's already past 12am... I made this about half a month ago before my trip to Cambodia, Oxford and Barcelona. It was a piece of impulse work because I wanted to consolidate all the questions that go through my mind when I make a purchase. It's not revolutionary, but it's a good reminder for myself.

These are the fundamental questions I have in mind whenever I assess whether I should purchase literally anything. But I guess you might also find it extremely useful when purchasing clothing and/or accessories.

These questions will help you figure out:

Do you need or want the item?
Do you love it (for real).
Will it fit your lifestyle? For example, if your job requires you to walk around all the time, wearing a non-stretchy pencil skirt probably doesn't fit you. Or, if you need to stay under the sun all day long, wearing silk that yellows with sweat and sunlight probably is a bad idea.
Are you making the planet or people behind the supply chain miserable?

price

You might notice that I didn't put affordability into the equation here. This is because I believe this is a 'common-sense' factor that you should consider before you buy, also because a lot of quality pieces are, to be honest, a little bit un-affordable at first glance. I don't want to introduce the price factor because there are more important things that whether 'that item is cheap enough'. And I also believe you won't risk your credit card bill buying something you absolutely love but 100% cannot afford. You see, I am assuming that you possess financial intelligence here.

If you can't afford the item, then I would say, allow yourself to pass the decision tree with one or two 'no's. IT'S OKAY. It's not the end of the world. We tried. We're not millionaires. We will buy something nicer when we have more money :)

Versatility

Another tricky word here. By 'versatility', to me it means the item can be worn many many times in many other styles. To me, this is a given. Why would anyone buy something that is not versatile, that can only be worn once? Buying something that's versatile is just common sense to me.

(Wearing the same item over and over again is fun!)

Durability

Perhaps I have kind of missed it in the chart below. That something is easy to care for, is half the battle already. Durable items are high quality ones. But the question remains: how can I tell if it is high quality? Well, you will be able to tell - just walk into any H&M / Zara shop (H&M is worse these days) and walk into fancier shops. But I must say, fancier shops =/= high quality. Just that the fast fashion garments are so bad in quality that you will feel the immediate difference from average-quality-fancier-shops.

>> Thickness of fabric

If you can see through the fabric under the light... consider it a skimpy outfit. The fabric will continue to get sheerer and sheerer as you wash it, so unless you're signing up for another purchase in the short run, don't buy it. But it doesn't count if you're buying beachwear. :)

>> Seams

It's just common sense that the seams should not be broken or overtly visible, unless it's part of the design (which I never get).

>> Weight of the garment

When you hold it, it should fall and have the weight 'straightening' the garment a bit. You would want it to hold some weight (not too heavy of course) that when you wear it, it kind of 'straightens' instead of looking like pyjamas.

My all time fav tutorials

These are the 2 gems that I found on YouTube that I repeatedly watch and reference. The above tips are also from them. Do take a look and see if you can extra inspiration!!

Well. That's it from me! A quick post today because it's time for my audiobook and bed :) See you soon!

xoxo,

Kammie

What's your 'Fashion Decision Tree'?