November goal: not buy any clothes/earrings/ skin potions/ hair accessories/ brooches BECAUSE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD I DON'T NEED ANY MORE

there’s no point keeping this goal up seeing as I’ve already failed!
But it has made me think twice about my buying habits, and I am seriously considering taking up a “no new clothes for a year” challenge come 2008.

until I discovered was attending a murder jystery party next week as…..QUEEN FREAKING VICTORIA!

I don’t know about you but I don’t have a great stash of Queen vic clothing in my wardrobe.

So of course I had to buy a dress.

In my defense let in be noted that it was
a) second hand
b) absolutely stunning
and
c) the perfect floor skimming length for me. How this occured while shopping in JAPAN, land of vertically challenged people, I’ll never know, but there you are. For whatever reason, one of the dresses was 6 inches longer than all the others, and that is the one for me!

Of course, the buying didn’t stop there.
I also need a queenly tiara (hairclip with a big silver crown attatched), some lace head dressy stuff (a bathroom curtain from the 100yen shop), long gloves (back and lacy because, who would have thought it, it turns out to be completely impossible to buy long white evening-dressy ones without spending 200 pounds), a blue sash (length of wide ribbon from fabric shop), something to cover my shoulders in a queenly fashion (length of black almost satin from fabric shop), assorted silver and white jewellery (happily, Christmas tree decorations are so versitile), an orb and sceptre (another raid on the jhs craft cupboard tomorrow), and a big feathery fan for another guest who has commisioned the use of my artistic hands in the making of her costume (100 yen shop paper fan, craft feathers, a lacy ribbon trim and a new bottle of craft glue. And some Christmas tinsle just in case).

In my second defense, this was all very thrifty.

Apart from the dress. Which really is very lovely indeed, I assure you.

In my third defense, the murder mystery is a charity fund raiser and I thought it only fair for the Queen of England to really look the part, all be it in a chronologically inconsistent, anachronism-ridden way.

In the prosecution’s corner, I also bought a new handbag that will not be featuring in the costume, and a pair of earrings that will be featuring but only in post-facto justification of their purchase.

Ah, the free market economy. I had missed you, my old friend. But let’s not meet again for a little while yet, eh?

This crazy woman vowed to go for an entire year without buying any new clothes! I do love the idea of packing things away and getting them back out again once spring-time comes…like discovering a whole new wardrobe in one fell swoop!

Not buying anything for the past two weeks (but oh, it seems so much longer!) has made me think about what it is I really really really do need.

For instance, I really really really need a pair of dark-coloured smartish trousers for work.
I really really really need some new underwear and tights.
A swimming costume.

And that’s about it.

So, once November’s up, I plan to buy those things and then, surely not, I am sorely tempted to challenge myself to go without buying new stuff for an entire year!

I have plenty of underworn stuff that I can alter and jazz up a little, and of course, if in doubt, I can knit something!

This isn’t a definite signing up to the goal of year-long abstinence..but I do sense the winds of change are heading in that direction!

so good. Went into Asahikawa yesterday to meet a friend for brunch (focaccia salmon sandwich) and knitting (bag, on circular needles, which it turns out is all COMPLETELY wrong and I’m going to have to rip it ALL out and start AGAIN), and didn’t buy ANYTHING!
I did however notice that the hairdresser had affixed this rather lovely photo of yours truly to his shop window display. Fame and fortune to follow shortly, I presume.

I went back in again today with Daichi for Indian lunch (aubergine curry, turmeic rice, vegetables samosas, heaven) and did buy things BUT these were strictly limited to glittery paper and gold ink pens and other Christmas card making supplies.

Four days down, 26 to go.