The Recycled Summer

The sun has got it's hat on hip hip hip hooray! Now I'm all for moaning about British weather (or anything for that matter)  but it's not easy to do when when I'm getting tan lines in April! Now there is the added 'bonus' of all that extra grooming that becomes necessary in this glorious weather, (before now my legs could easily be mistaken with those of the gruffalo and my toe nails wouldn't look out of place in world war 2's trenches), but other than that I was delighted for the change in weather and the change in wardrobe.


I went through the traditional ritual of persuading my long suffering father to drag my suitcase of summer clothes out of the garage, replace them with my winter clothes and drag it back again. Looking through the mounds of frills and spills it was like being greeted by old friends. I went for a Laura Lees Topshop number, a white, floral, dolly dress that I'd had for several years, but it was not quite the emotional reunion I'd hoped for. After getting 3 family members involved in trying to close the wretched zip I concluded that perhaps a new summer wardrobe was in order.


But where's a girl to start? I've worn the same summer clothes year after year, and I think I can say that for the most part of my friends. Because in summer trends don't change, you think about it if you look at summer dresses you have had for 3 years compared to ones you've had for a few weeks they will be incredibly similar in style. If we look at 2011's summer trends, maxi dresses, White, Tribal prints, it's all very been there done that (literally) got the t-shirt.


I felt cheated, how do designers. year after year, get away with just reproducing what they have done countless years before. I bet you any money they have sent the same collection down twice and we have not noticed because we're so bloody eager to get our legs out!

(Jil Sander- Top row s/s 2011, Bottom row s/s 2008)

So why do they do this to us? Do they enjoy the humiliation we suffer as we try to squeeze ourselves into our old summer wears only to have to use the kitchen scissors to cut yourself out again? (bad times.) Is it a question of logistics? Logically how adventurous can a designer be when the summer heat restricts them to so little fabric, and such a little range of fabric? 


Maybe they're doing us a favour making us more eco friendly because we re-wear our clothes?


Or maybe it's an economic solution? we don't have to buy a new wardrobe every year. (Though this isn't always a good thing especially if you're a student and you now require an excuse to shop!)


Well whatever it is my piece of advice for this blog is, if you bought it 3 years ago, and it says size 'S' and you are now a size 'M/L' it's probably not going to fit. Save yourself the heart break and visit Topshop?