My mending pile was getting a bit ridiculous (i.e. it was so huge I put it all into a bucket, which then overflowed) so I started to tackle the smaller, more noncommittal jobs. People sometimes comment on the number of clothes that I seem to possess in regards to how much I must spend; but to tell you the truth, I actually spend very little on clothing each month. I do make the occasional notable purchase (i.e. not just a pack of socks), and admittedly went through a materialistic phase regarding clothes over the winter (my excuse: I was feeling depressed) but it’s nothing like what a lot of women do. I never hit the shops and come back with a whole pile of stuff; actually, such activity generally leaves me feeling slightly nauseated. (Did I mention that I’m a bit of a cheapskate?) An awful lot of my wardrobe was either given to me for free, or else I literally found it lying around somewhere.

The latter possibility is made a regular occurrence by my grandmother’s extreme hoarding tendencies, which is probably worse than the majority of other people, whether of her generation or otherwise. Sometimes what I find is awful, sometimes great; and occasionally, simply in need of an alteration.

 Thankfully my boy-friend’s cat is as easy-going and laid back as my boy-friend. Neither seem to mind being used as aides. 

A prime example of the latter is this pair of culottes, which I found at the bottom of a bag in a room full of junk/mess and loved because:

1. They are leopard print
2. They are silk
3. They are high-waisted
4. They have an elasticated waistband
5. They have pockets
6. They have a beautiful coloured silk lining

However the 1980s cut meant that they looked bad on the leg (not flared enough to be more flattering), plus they were a weird length. I wore them only twice before giving up on them, once on New Year’s Eve (which was very thankfully an undocumented night) and once to style a shoot for Nelly, for which I have this photo:

As you can see, the length and cut gives a strange and unflattering silhouette to the legs. But all I had to do was shorten them to make them look better – an easy enough job. If only every alteration were this simple!

-Anushka, Boy-Friend & Cat.

 The real star of this post.