Wearing the right thing, having the right look and trying to fit in is all part of the lifestyle of most modern women. We constantly get different answers on what look is in, and there is a constant competition to have the "latest" fashion accessory and be 'in the know' about the future of fashion to be ahead of the game.



Why do fashions change all the time? Why should leather be in fashion one season and faux fur the next? Why do people follow fashion and buy the latest must have when they have enough clothes already? What's hot and what's not? Do we ever really know? And is there a way of keeping up with fashion without blowing our hard earned salaries on the high street? Visit www.thetextperts.co.uk/sales_text_alerts.html for updates on all the latest sales.

You see, the problem with fashion is that most women look at their wardrobe and see a choice: follow the fashion and have an ever changing collection of clothes and styles and an ever dwindling bank balance, or give up all together and wear what looks okay even if you are dressed in that trusty coat you bought when you were a student that's 2 sizes too big now and is frayed at the hem.

Whatever happened to people owning timeless pieces that embraced longevity? Look at the fashions over the last 10 years. How many of those must have pieces are throw backs from a fashion past that spans decades? A fashion past full of trends that would normally cause a raised eyebrow of disdain...until a fashion house launches a collection that recognises and encompasses these fashions and reproduces some of these timeless pieces. Think about it, how many times have you heard your mother say she used to have a dress just like the one you've been coveting when she was your age? If only she had kept a few key items and not moved on with the constant changing fashion, disposing of anything that wasn't in vogue.

From my earliest childhood memories I can remember a fascination with women who were well dressed and fashionable. As I grew up I tried to emulate these women, and actually just gained an unhealthy obsession with clothes and fashion, buying clothes and accessories until my wardrobe, groaning under the strain, finally gave up the ghost and I invested in hanging rails that I jammed into my spare bedroom full of pieces I didn't wear from one year to the next. My penchant for quantity jaded my judgement on the quality of my wardrobe.

The final decision about what to buy, or whether to buy anything at all, belongs to you. Ultimately, fashions change because many people like new and different styles, but if these 'new and different styles' are just reproductions of the past then why do we spend all our hard earned cash on owning them? The answer, empty your mind, and your wardrobe of unnecessary clutter, focus on the quality of pieces not the quantity, fixate on the timeless pieces, ones that are well made and can be worn from one year to the next, with style and elegance, and most of all ones that suit you.

J Francis 2007 Copyright