The other day I published a video (linked in the bottom of this post), where I’m sharing some of my best hacks to repair your wardrobe. Maybe you have a pair of shoes that are too tight, pants that no longer fit you or something similar. Another thing I mentioned in this video is the fact that your clothes will naturally show signs of wear through time. One of the ways I try to accept this myself is by embracing the worn-outness of such items, rather than striving to replace them every time they show signs of wear and tear. Nothing lasts forever, even the most expensive high-end purchases will show signs of wear through time. But we should all become better at recognising the value of our clothes, even when they are worn out or dumped in the laundry bin full of stains.
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Den anden dag udgav jeg en video (har linket den i bunden af dette indlƦg), hvor jeg deler nogle af mine bedste tips til, at reparere pĆ„ din garderobe. Det kan vƦre sko der er for stramme, bukser du ikke lƦngere kan passe eller andre ting. En ting jeg ogsĆ„ nƦvnte i forbindelse med denne video er at acceptere det faktum, at dit tĆøj med tiden vil blive slidt og vise tegn pĆ„ brug – store som smĆ„. Ćn af mĆ„derne jeg selv forsĆøger netop at acceptere dette pĆ„, er ved at omfavne slitagen, mere end konstant at erstatte mit tĆøj med sprit-nyt. Intet varer for evigt, selv de dyreste luksus kĆøb vil med tiden vise naturlige brugstegn. Men vi skal alle blive bedre til stadig at kunne se vƦrdien i vores tĆøj, selv nĆ„r det er slidt eller ligger og er beskidt i vasketĆøjskurven.
My Acne Jensen boots, bought pre-loved around 4 years ago, which I wear several times each week – I drop them off at the local cobbler’s once every 1-2 years and he fixes them up real nice for me
Worn-out is cool
The following of course depends on what type of style you might have, but even if your style is more feminine than mine, I still hope this might give you some food for thought in a way that makes sense to you. Now most of you know by now that I’m quite addicted to Pinterest, where I’ve dedicated an entire mood board to all the cool women (style icons, as I like to call them), who’s style I relate to in some way or the other. It’s not only the combination of outfits I might be drawn to, often it’s simply more about an attitude or a way of life. It’s also simply the fact that many of these women are often seen in the same outfits, which I just love.
There are someĀ common denominators among these women, which is the reason why I keep being drawn to this particular kind of style. I think the most important one is my love for imperfections and edgyness; messy hair, worn out boots or jeans with busted knees for example. I find it so cool and admirable when you radiate this sense of “hey, this is me and my favourite boots – they are worn out and I don’t care, because I happen to feel quite badass when I wear ’em.” To me it shows character and it shows that you are comfortable with who you are. It shows that you care more about feeling good, rather than letting yourself be dictated by what your surroundings might suggest to be more “flattering” or appropriate. A kind of liberation from the norm if you like. I also happen to think that it’s quite amazing when an item reach that point where it’s starting to show obvious signs of wear, because in the end it’s simply a sign that you love this item and feel amazing in it.
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Nu handler fĆølgende selvfĆølgelig meget om, hvilken stil du har – men selv hvis din stil for eksempel er mere feminin end min, sĆ„ hĆ„ber jeg alligevel, at du vil kunne bygge videre pĆ„ idĆ©en sĆ„ det giver mening for dig. Nu ved I mĆ„ske at jeg er storforbruger af Pinterest, hvor jeg har dedikeret et helt inpirationsboard til alle de seje kvinder (stil ikoner, som jeg kalder dem), hvis stil jeg pĆ„ Ć©n eller anden mĆ„de kan relatere til. Det er ikke blot sammensƦtningen af outfits som jeg let kan lade mig inspirere af, men ofte handler det ogsĆ„ meget om en attitude og en mĆ„de at se livet pĆ„. Det er ogsĆ„ det simple faktum, at mange af disse kvinder ofte ses i de samme outfits og det elsker jeg.
Der er nogle fƦllesnƦvnere som gĆør, at jeg gang pĆ„ gang drages af denne stil. Vigtigst af alt er mĆ„ske min forkƦrlighed for det uperfekte og rĆ„; rodet hĆ„r, slidte stĆøvler eller et par jeans med hul pĆ„ knƦet. Jeg synes det er sĆ„ mega sejt og beundringsvƦrdigt, at udstrĆ„le “hey, det her er mig og mine yndlingsstĆøvler – de er mega slidte men jeg er ret ligeglad, for jeg fĆøler mig sĆ„dan set rimelig badass i dem.” For mig er det et udtryk for, at man hviler i sig selv og man ved hvad man har det godt i. Mere end hvad omverdenen mĆ„ske synes man burde ifĆøre sig eller definerer som “flatterende”. En form for frigĆørelse fra normen. Og sĆ„ synes jeg det er fantastisk nĆ„r et item nĆ„r dĆ©rtil, hvor det begynder at se lidt slidt ud, for det er jo ganske enkelt udtryk for, at du holder umĆ„deligt meget af det og fĆøler dig godt tilpas i det.
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The right balance
I’m in no way saying that I don’t care about how I look. Of course I do; I love both makeup, skincare and fashion. It’s more about playing around with the contrasts and finding the right balance. I’m a huge fan of a pair of frayed light blue jeans, a pair of worn out boots and a classic shirt or t-shirt, maybe with a sharp blazer on top. I simply try to put these more worn out items together with something a bit more “nice” if that makes sense. If your favourite tee has a hole in it you could either try mending the hole or simply embracing it, by adding even more holes throughout it. The “authentic” t-shirt is a super modern take on the classic tee (seriously, it’s a thing!), and it would look like it was totally bought like that. It looks so cool underneath a biker jacket or a blazer. Just look as this tee from Anine Bing. Spice up the whole thing with some lovely jewelry and what other nice accessories you might have laying around, and you’re there.
This way of embracing the imperfect has not only taught me to love my worn out clothes. It might sound a bit dramatic, but it’s actually taught my to accept the fact that life in general doesn’t have to be perfect either. I’ve gotten so much more confidence and I feel more comfortable with who I am. I think I’ve mentioned this example before, but you may look at it like spontaneous events versus those which are maybe a tad too over-arranged. Haven’t you ever thought about how much more fun an event sometimes turns out to be, when it’s more spontaneous and when you’re a little less in control? When you haven’t necessarily planned out every single detail but let things happen more in their own pace? You feel more relaxed because you don’t have the same level of expectations, which makes the whole thing a bit more, well – fun. That’s one of the reasons why I’ve gradually cut down on the steps of my beauty routines. I feel more relaxed and comfortable, when I don’t build up my life with routines or products that imposes high maintenance in order for me to keep up with a “perfect” and youthful look. Simply in order to live a life with a higher level of acceptance toward myself and the changes I might go through. I’d rather let things happen as they do, so that the “party” (aka life) becomes a bit more fun and carefree. You know what I mean?
So let’s celebrate the worn out boots rather than wishing them replaced by a pair fresh from the box. They’ll eventually wear out too anyway.
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Nu siger jeg jo pĆ„ ingen mĆ„de, at jeg er ligeglad med hvordan jeg ser ud. Det kan jeg ikke pĆ„stĆ„, for jeg elsker fx bĆ„de makeup, hudpleje og mode. Det handler om, at lege lidt med kontrasterne og finde den rette balance. Jeg er kƦmpe stor fan af et par slidte blĆ„ jeans og stĆøvler, sat sammen med fx en pƦn skjorte eller en t-shirt og en skarp blazer. SĆ„ jeg sĆørger for det meste for, at sƦtte noget slidt sammen med noget, der mĆ„ske er lidt mere “pƦnt”, hvis det giver mening. Hvis der er gĆ„et hul pĆ„ din yndlings t-shirt, hvorfor sĆ„ ikke prĆøve at give den endnu flere huller sĆ„ det ser ud som om det er meningen? Det ser jo sĆ„ cool ud under en blazer eller lƦderjakke. Se bare denne t-shirt og iĆøvrigt styling fra Anine Bing. Spice det hele op med lidt glimtende smykker og hvad du nu ellers har af lƦkre accessories og sĆ„ er den lige i skabet, ihvertfald hvis du spĆørger mig.
Denne mĆ„de at omfavne det uperfekte har ikke blot lƦrt mig, at elske mit slidte tĆøj. Selvom det lyder lidt dramatisk har det lƦrt mig, at acceptere at livet generelt ikke er perfekt og ikke behĆøver at vƦre det. Jeg har fĆ„et mere selvtillid, og hviler generelt mere i mig selv og dĆ©n jeg er. Jeg tror jeg har brugt eksemplet fĆør, men man kan sammenligne det lidt med spontane arrangementer sammenlignet med dem, som er over-arrangeret. Hvor tit synes man ikke, at det hele bliver lidt sjovere nĆ„r man ikke nĆødvendigvis er i 100% kontrol over situationen, men i stedet lader impulserne bestemme lidt? NĆ„r man ikke har for mange forventningerne om hvordan det hele bĆør vƦre sĆ„ slapper man ofte mere af (nogle mennesker gĆør ihvertfald), man har det bedre og man har det generelt sjovere. SĆ„dan har jeg det ihvertfald. Det er bl.a. Ć©n af grundene til jeg gradvist har skruet ned for mit forbrug af dullegrej. Jeg hviler mere i tilvƦrelsen, nĆ„r jeg ikke pĆ„lƦgger mig selv rutiner som krƦver en hel masse “vedligehold” og steps for, at jeg kan opretholde en perfekt og ungdommelig facade. Jeg vil hellere arbejde pĆ„, at acceptere mig selv som jeg er, og lade ting ske som de nu engang sker. Bare sĆ„ “festen” (aka livet) bliver lidt sjovere. Ikke?
SĆ„ lad os fejre de slidte stĆøvler i stedet for, at Ćønske dem erstattet med et par sprit-nye. De bliver slidte pĆ„ Ć©t eller andet tidspunkt alligevel.
I love and agree with your thoughts on this, it could not be more true! People may not necessarily understand why I wear the same shoes with different outfits/same clothes in different ways but it’s authentic and me. I only hope more people take up this kind of mentality!
Yes to all of this! I think it’s important to embrace the items you own; a garment with a few imperfections tells a much more interesting story than one that is pristine!
Couldn’t agree more! <3 x
Many shoes now can’t be repaired, other than heel lifts (if that). Quality of garments has decreased. Shopping for quality items is impossible if you are over a certain size. It’s a throwaway world. So treasure those quality items if you own them. They’re like a hug from a dear friend.
Completely agree, it’s starts with ourselves choosing better quality items! x
Yes! I get so excited extending the life of my clothes. The only things I struggle with are worn out shape in shirts (which I now know comes from lower quality items) and worn spots on calf hair shoes. If there is a way to repair that (besides sharpie) I would love to know!
Hi Signe, what size of the Everlane shirt are you wearing here? Thanks!
This shirt is not from Everlane <3 It's a very old cotton shirt from weekday, so I've just linked an alternative š x
Tak for inspirationen. Jeg har gode erfaringer med at komme en spsk natron i tromlen, sammen med vaskemidlet, nĆ„r jeg vasker hvidt tĆøj. Og jeg bruger citron i stedet for deodorant. Jeg smĆører simpelthen en skive citron i armhulen. Min bedste deo ever!