Mend and Repair

Things would be a lot less wasteful.
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Dress The Edit Heels Aldo Clutch Witchery Ring Mom’s

I love attending weddings. Not only is it an honour to be a part of a celebration of love and union, I also get to be a lot more fancy than usual.

Who here would go out and purchase a new dress just for the sake of attending a special event?

Me *insert sheepish emoticon here*.

As I begin to delve into the concept of mindful purchasing this year, I struggle to apply this idea to the realm of fancy occasions. Sure I could try and curb all the binge shopping that I used to do for casual clothing because I’m slowly developing an appreciation for well tailored items and beautiful materials but things just become that much harder when there’s a certain expectation to look good, be it from myself or the requirements of the occasion. I don’t have any problem with repeating my casual outfits (in fact I like the idea of lowering cost per wear) but I do feel uncomfortable having to repeat my fancy dresses especially when people I know have seen me in them. Having said this, most people wouldn’t have cared much at all about my outfit really so what I need to do is to work on myself and break down that mental barrier if I really want to tweak my purchasing behaviour.

I was half-heartedly looking for a fancy dress to purchase while I was in Malaysia last week and was totally prepared to re-wear something that I already owned until… I found this lace number on a rack at Shoes Shoes Shoes. Now as the name would suggest, Shoes Shoes Shoes is actually a Malaysian-owned footwear boutique that also offers a small selection of handpicked clothing from all over Asia. I did a happy dance after putting the dress on and felt that the weight of the unknown lifted off my shoulders. I have a dress and I don’t have to worry about my outfit for Saturday! YAY! (No, not true). What about shoes? The girls at the shop had given me some beautiful pumps embellished with black rhinestones to try on and they matched so beautifully together. Now what do I do?!?

I decided to forego the shoes, thinking that I could wear my old nude pumps instead but the moment I arrived back in Australia and relocated those shoes that had been untouched for a year, I just lost interest in them. As expected, the patent leather was scratched with tiny patches of discolouration, covered with flacks of dust and the heels were scuffed.

“Ahhh! I’m running out of time and I need an easy way out.”

SO, quite naturally, The Iconic and their legendary same/next day delivery came to mind. I immediately ordered a pair of Tony Bianco heels, thinking my problem was solved but guess what, they were way too small! By then I had run out of time so I looked up the WWW to find ways to freshen up the heels. Here’s what I found:

#1. Use nail polish remover to lightly rub on the scratched marks – “Ok, I have nail polish remover.”

#2. Use windex to give the leather a good wipe – “Yes, I have windex available as well.”

I yielded such great results from these couple of easy steps and the heels looked almost brand new, well apart from the scuffed heels. I could have tried to paint the beat up sections with glossy nail polish in a similar tone but that was too much effort for me. I was quite satisfied with the restoration project and was sold with the idea of mending and repairing.

Often times, I’m so caught up with the convenience of purchasing things that I’ve forgotten all about the beauty of fixing an otherwise good and sturdy piece of item. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with replacing things but if I could assess my things from a mend and repair kind of perspective, I would be able do justice to the penny I spent and also the item itself.

Things would be a lot less wasteful.

Upon discovering websites and podcasts that discuss mindful shopping, I’ve been thinking more about what I could do to incorporate that in my daily life. I love fashion wholeheartedly and would love to own all the trendy things out there so I need to find a balance where I’m not overindulging and at the same time not depriving myself from what I enjoy.

Are you feeling the same way too?

What’s your shopping philosophy? Are you sold on mindful purchasing or do you go all out simply because you only live once?

x

    1. Hi! Yes will do. Shoes Shoes Shoes is a must whenever I go back to Malaysia. I’ve purchased countless heels from your store!!! <3

    1. Hey Belinda, thanks for your sweet words. You gotta try it and just immerse in the femininity! ;P

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