The sustainability conversation needs to be translated into action more than ever. There are plenty of clothes and accessories in the world to really take stock and use what we as fashion consumers already have. I’ve always thrifted. Or if you are British, go to charity shops. Even when it was super ‘uncool’ and I used to get bullied by the popular girls for doing it, but now they do it, so!!!! I’ve always loved the thrill of shopping, and will never stop. But I will make efforts to buy second hand, thrifted or vintage. There are more stories to clothes then sitting in a shopping centre and being worn once.

This whole look I’m wearing is thrifted, to some degree. The shoes are vintage Gucci from Florence that I bought on a university trip, a fraction of the price if they were new and they have sentimentality to them that wouldn’t have been the same had I bought them new. I had been looking at the Gucci slides for months and wanted them so much and it felt like fate to find them in my size in an aesthetic vintage store. The trousers are from a Dorset charity shop called Julia’s House. The shirt is from a vintage store in Southampton and is a men’s Ralph Lauren shirt. The bag is also from Julia’s House and costs only £2. Again a purchase I’ve been wanting to make. Straw bag season is my favourite. My mum and auntie have huge straw bags and I have the little blue one handed down to me. But I needed something big enough to fit my phone, purse, camera, chargers and wires, games and anything else in. I might customise it with some appliqued flowers.

It’s so easy to pull looks together with thrifted items. This look new would have cost roughly £835 but what I paid came to £136.99. It’s incredible to see how much things can cost and also how much you can save buying thrifted or vintage. p.s. Earrings are new.

Earrings – H&M | Trousers & Bag – Julia’s House | Shirt – Harper & Lewis | Shoes – vintage Gucci | Sunglasses – Oscar De La Renta