As I sit here at my multi-coloured market stall, watching my wardrobe slowly part ways with me, I feel a sense of both release and sorrow.
They’re clothes that I have held onto for over a decade, each piece bringing with them a story and a smile.
A story of self-discovery and adventure.
For years I have been storing these items – not because I wear them, but because I was holding onto the story that they told. Storing stories.
Most of them are vintage, meaning mine wasn’t the first life that they had had.
You might say, I wasn’t their only mother.
I had this dream that one day, I would own a museum full of my pieces that once told a story.
I say ‘once told a story’ because many of them had a new story now – to sit in my closet, gather dust and feel forgotten.
I love vintage because, to me, it feels like a déjà vu. You go into a cycle of imagination, picturing what story it told before it ended up in the palm of your hands.
I found each one in exactly the right place, at the right time – my perfect size, style and jam. But the beauty of vintage clothing is that as it moves from one life to the next, it begins a new journey.
By storing these pieces away in my closet, I was being a vintage villain; simply pausing the journey of these pieces because I couldn’t move on.
It’s not a problem. I swear. Even though I’m sure the word hoarder has popped into your mind more than once in the last minute.
Now, back to me and my multi-coloured market stall. Watching other people’s eyes light up as they found the perfect piece to take home, I realised that it was time for them to begin a new story far better than the one I was holding on to.
I have finished my memory with them, so it is only fair to move them on to another person. Just as someone did for me.
I don’t want my clothes to be held captive. I don’t want my clothes to end up in landfill. I want them to be worn, cherished and have memories made in them.
Buying vintage has brought me more than joy and gratitude – it’s taught me that sometimes, if you really love something, you have to let it go.
