Episode 3

full
Published on:

20th Feb 2024

Wardrobe Wisdom: The REAL Secret to a Sustainable Capsule Wardrobe

Hazel Law shares her personal journey of challenging herself to buy no new clothes, pushing her creativity and outfit-building skills to new heights while embracing the concept of capsule wardrobes.

From debunking common capsule wardrobe myths, to the secret of building diverse outfits from existing pieces, she provides invaluable insights and practical tips for making your wardrobe more sustainable and stylish.

Guest bio:

I am a sustainable fashion expert based in Perth, specialising in curating wearable wardrobes using the clothes you already have. I offer online and in home styling services, workshops, and pre-loved fashion tours. ​ I am on a personal journey to buy no new (or secondhand) clothes to push my creativity and outfit building skills to the limit and I want to share this lived experience with you to give you the knowledge and skills to build effortless outfits ever day from what you already own. ​ I have a decade of experience shopping pre-loved fashion and I want to use my in depth knowledge of how to successfully shop second hand to help you buy beautiful, high quality garments that blend seamlessly with your existing wardrobe that you will wear again and again.

Connect with Hazel:

Hazel's Website

@curatedwardrobe.au on Instagram

Mentioned in this episode:

About the show:

This is Reloved Radio: Sustainable Fashion Stories, the fortnightly show that brings you inspiring stories from guests who are making a positive impact in the sustainable fashion space.

Want to know the BEST places to shop secondhand online in Australia? Download this EPIC list for free!

Join the Reloved conversation on Instagram.

Credits:

Music: 'Old Leather Sneakers' by PineAppleMusic

Transcript
Hazel:

The average Australian wears, we wear our clothes seven times on

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average before we get rid of them.

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We're buying as a country of people we're

buying 52 items each new per year, wearing

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them seven times and getting rid of it.

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Whereas like what you're going to

do by building a capsule wardrobe

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or building, outfits out of what

you own is saving yourself thousands

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and thousands of dollars on things

that you are not going to buy.

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Chryssius: Hey, Relovers.

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Welcome to Reloved Radio.

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Today's guest is a sustainable

fashion expert based in Perth, Western

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Australia, who specialises in curating

wearable wardrobes by harnessing

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the power of what you already have.

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Whether it's through her online and

in-home styling services, engaging

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workshops, or immersive preloved

fashion tours, she's redefining

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our relationship with clothing.

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But here's where it gets

even more fascinating...

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our guest is currently on a personal

journey; a challenge of sorts.

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She's committed to buying no new or

secondhand clothes, pushing her creativity

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and outfit building skills to the limit.

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And today she's here to share

that experience with us.

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With a decade of experience in the

world of preloved fashion, our guest

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is armed with an in-depth knowledge

on how to successfully navigate

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the secondhand shopping scene.

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And she's here to guide us on selecting

beautiful high quality garments that

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seamlessly blend with our existing

wardrobe, ensuring they're not just

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pieces we wear once, but again and again.

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Let's welcome our sustainable

fashion guru and advocate for

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mindful wardrobe curation, Hazel

Law of the Curated Wardrobe.

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Welcome, Hazel.

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Hazel: Hello.

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Thank you so much.

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It was so lovely hearing, all of

those words come out of your mouth.

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It was so great hearing that back.

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I was like, oh, yes, that is me.

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So yeah, thanks for having me.

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Chryssius: My pleasure.

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And I am really excited to have you here.

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I have a lot of questions,

especially about this whole not

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buying any new clothes thing.

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So I'm going to start with that...

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Hazel: Yes.

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Amazing.

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Chryssius: What actually inspired

you to start your journey

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of buying no new clothes?

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And also, I guess, how has this

impacted your personal style and

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your complete outlook on fashion?

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Hazel: Yes.

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Okay.

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Big question.

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So I actually started doing

the, uh, Remake "30 Days of

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Buying No New Clothes" challenge.

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And they do allow secondhand

clothes, back in July last year.

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And that was just for me, a bit

of a reset and I was like, this is

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interesting because, I consider myself,

you know, in the slow fashion movement,

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I consider myself someone who is very

sustainable with their fashion choices.

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And yet this reset really showed me

that I was using secondhand clothing

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as basically as fast fashion.

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And I was getting through it in

that same way that we associate with

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the consumption of fast fashion.

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So, you know, I'd go to the op

shops every few, um, weekends.

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It was a recreational thing that

I love to do with my friends.

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I'm always looking for, new textures, new

prints, all of that stuff, which I love

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and it kind of fills me with so much joy.

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But when I really stopped doing that for

those 30 days, I realised that I was maybe

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wearing those pieces once or twice, and

then donating them back to the op shop.

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So, you know, that was a really a big

wake up call for me, in terms of my actual

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consumption around secondhand clothing.

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And then it led to, you know, I just

wanted to see how far I could push it.

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So then in August I was

like, right, that's it.

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I'm just going to do 365 days.

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I am really dedicated

to see how this goes.

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I'm really interested to see what

the journey shows me about, not

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only about myself and my consumption

habits, but also about my styling,

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about my ability to look great.

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Be someone who people can look to.

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And say, yeah, she looks

great, she looks cool.

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And then I can tell them, "Hey,

I've never, I haven't bought

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any new clothes in the last, I

think today it's like 148 days."

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Which I believe is kind of like a

really good option for my clients.

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Like I've got that lived experience

now when I say, "Hey, we're going

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to build outfits that you love from

what you have," and they go, "Oh,

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but how do you know that works?"

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Like, 'cause I've done it.

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And yeah, I've got more to

say, but I kind of, could just

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repeat the end of your question?

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Chryssius: How has it impacted your

personal style and your outlook?

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Hazel: Yes.

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So I I guess anyone who knows me well

will attest to the fact that I love

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a challenge and, I felt like it was a

really great opportunity to stop buying

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clothes the same month that I launched

my own styling business because like I

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said, it gives me that lived experience

to go to my clients and say, we're going

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to build these great outfits for you,

and I've got the key, I've got the

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skills to show you how to do that so

that you've got those skills yourself.

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For my own styling it, I've never

felt more like excited and, um,

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satisfied with my own wardrobe.

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Like it's such, now getting

dressed is really a delight

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and I was so skeptical of it.

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I have, you know, X amount of clothing.

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I think when I did my audit.

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I've got 120 pieces of clothing,

including accessories and

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shoes in my wardrobe there.

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I haven't gotten rid of anything in

the last, um, since I started this

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challenge and I haven't added anything.

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So really what I've got to work with

within that constraint has absolutely

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pushed my boundaries on how I'm going

to look appropriate for different

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occasions, how I'm going to really get the

versatility out of my own wardrobe and how

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yeah, how I'm going to look like present

myself, to people who have never met me

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in the way introducing myself as a stylist

and you know, in mainly just secondhand

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clothes that are really just fast fashion.

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Chryssius: I think that probably a

lot of people can relate to that too.

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Especially when you first start out

thrifting or op-shopping, when you see

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all the clothes and they're so cheap.

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And it is a real mindset thing where

we're stuck in that rut of, um,

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you know, we just want to consume.

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I know that that happened to

me in the beginning as well.

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So definitely have been making an

effort to be more mindful about what I'm

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purchasing, you know, making a list and

sticking to it and that sort of thing.

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The other thing I was going to say is I

imagine that the concept of going without

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buying any new clothes is probably

quite foreign to a lot of people.

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And quite challenging.

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Do you have any tips, or what have

you learned so far in terms of

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building diverse outfits or new

outfits from what you already have?

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Hazel: What's been really surprising

is that I've absolutely embraced

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the concept of capsule wardrobes.

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And before I started not buying anything,

I was a kind of longtime admirer of the

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concept, but also highly skeptical of

it because I think there's a belief or

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that's kind of like pushed out by the

women, um, the stylists of Pinterest,

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let's say, that a capsule wardrobe has

to be a new wardrobe that it has to

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be, it has all of these rules and these

stipulations where it's like, you know,

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it has to be two different colours or

three different colours, choose them.

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And if you don't already have

those colours that you want in your

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capsule wardrobe, you then have to

go out and buy all these new pieces

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that are then going to go together.

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And what I've discovered is that,

through the capsule wardrobe, it

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really just ignites your creativity.

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So yes, absolutely.

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Those rules are very interesting and

very kind of, you know, when you're just

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starting out, they're very important

to choose your colour scheme and choose

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things that are a bit more neutral

and maybe don't have as much pattern.

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But if you just use the clothes that

you have and choose 30 pieces, then

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that is what's going to give you the

creative output that you're maybe

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looking for if you fall into a style

rut when you're not buying anything new.

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And it also has given me the, the same

dopamine as buying something new, the

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same hit as buying something new in

putting together a new outfit from stuff

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that I already own and stuff that I

have never worn necessarily together.

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Or really put together or

like, thought about it.

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And now I'm obsessed.

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Like I go to, I go to bed thinking

about, okay, I've got these, like six

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pieces that I haven't worn so much

in my capsule in the last two weeks.

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Like, how can I incorporate them into

my outfits in the next week or so?

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Chryssius: On the topic then

of, you know, rules, although I

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say rules in inverted commas...

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Hazel: Yes.

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Chryssius: Those Pinterest rules, when

you're helping your clients curate

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their wardrobes using their own existing

pieces, how are you approaching it then?

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I mean, are you going down the

route of, you know, maybe a certain

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number of base colours, or are you

restricting the number of items and

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the total capsule, that sort of thing?

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How are you doing it?

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Hazel: So, I guess I'm going

to answer this in two ways.

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So my first answer is that I

believe that the rules are there to

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help, but then they can be broken.

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So, for example, the biggest question

I get around capsule wardrobes is,

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"What if I want to swap something in?

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What if I am, I've got an

event that I need to go to and

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I want to wear X, Y, and Z?"

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And.

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What I say to them is, it's your capsule.

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Like it needs to work for you.

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It's not, you know, no one on the outside

is looking in saying, oh, you're not

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allowed to do this, that, and the other.

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Like, I think if you want to swap one

item in and out every few weeks to keep

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it fresh for you, absolutely do that.

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And that will give you, you know,

even more outfit building capacity

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within that capsule wardrobe.

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The first time I did a capsule,

I, was very restrictive in terms

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of my shoes and my accessories.

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But actually now giving myself free

reign over what shoes I wear and what

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accessories I wear can really give, you

know, different, layers and different

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interests to pieces that I can then

wear in a more versatile way that I

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can wear for work, that I can then

wear for my every day, my, you know,

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if I'm going out or whatever it is.

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It just, having say the 30 pieces and

being able to use that as a base, but

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then, you know, just do whatever you

actually want to do and make it work for

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you is what's really important, I think.

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And then with my clients, often, my

clients will say, "Oh, I've got nothing in

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my wardrobe that I want to wear like this.

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I'm, you know, I really

just want to go shopping.

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Nothing suits me or, this is not

the style that I'm really, want

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to portray at the moment."

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And what I found time after time

is that when we actually go through

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their wardrobes, find the pieces that

they love, but they're not wearing

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that often, and use those to build

their outfits, it's such a kind of

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eye-opener and a game-changer for them.

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Because normally these pieces

would be occasion pieces.

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You know, they would wear them

to a wedding or to a, fancy

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function at work or whatever it is.

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And then by actually choosing those

items to build your wardrobe around,

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you're not only getting more wears out

of those amazing clothes, but you are

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ensuring that every single outfit you

put together makes you feel great because

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that garment makes you feel great.

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And the way that we do that is just

by, either layering that garment with

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something that's going to make it more

casual or more formal, and just giving

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it the versatility that it deserves.

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It's just a new set of eyes.

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My clients are just

like, "Oh my goodness!"

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Like, I never knew I could wear

something like in that way.

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And I think especially in Perth,

I'm not sure about Australia-wide,

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but in Perth for sure, I've noticed

that people wear something one way.

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They have one or two outfit options for

each garment that they own, and that's

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the way they feel comfortable wearing it.

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And then that's where they stop.

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But actually to get the 30-plus wears

out of our garments, which is what, you

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know, the number of times we have to wear

an item to make it sustainable, we have

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to look for new ways to wear our items.

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Chryssius: And do you track

your items or your, " per wear"?

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Hazel: Um, so I probably should, and I

definitely advise my clients to do it.

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So I would say, take wardrobe notes.

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So I would say to my clients,

literally put a notebook into your

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wardrobe or next to your wardrobe.

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And every time you remember, just

write down what you're wearing, write

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down what you're wearing, what you, if

you add anything new, and if you then

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purge any of your items, just so that

you've got a kind of record of what

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you have and what you actually wear.

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Because that's going to really give

you, you know, before you start editing

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anything out that's going to give you

a really good breakdown, a really good

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run through of what you actually like

to wear and what you don't like to wear.

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And so often at the moment,

there is a, I think there's this

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culture of getting rid of stuff.

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So it's the wardrobe edits that we

want to go through and we just want to

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get rid of stuff you're not wearing,

which you know, in it, it can be a

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good way of, evolving your style,

but also, you know, I like to ask the

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question, why are you not wearing it?

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Is it because you feel like it's too,

you know, usually the answer is people

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feel like it's too nice to wear.

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And then we look at the ways

that they can actually get

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the wears out of those pieces.

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For myself, I don't track my, outfits

in that way just because I'm such

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like a, a visual, creative person.

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I would never read it.

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And so I just, I just take photographs.

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I take a photograph every

day of what I'm wearing.

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And it's, you know, it helps to create

content for Instagram, but it also is

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a really good visual reminder for me of

what I am wearing and again, those pieces

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that I'm not necessarily wearing, so that

I'm then focused on those ones that I'm

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not wearing so much and seeing how I can

make them work for my everyday wardrobe.

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Chryssius: Yeah, taking

photos is a great idea.

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I have never thought to do that,

but I feel like I'd be able to

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do that more easily than using

a notebook and writing it down.

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Hazel: Yeah, absolutely.

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And it's like it's, you

are already dressed.

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It's not like you're doing

it specifically, you know,

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with the notebook idea.

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I think that does definitely work for some

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people in the way that their brains work

and they want to have that tracking.

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And there's also apps, you know, if you

use like the Stylebook app, to create

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your, um, actually create your outfits,

then that tracks it automatically.

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So I think it really depends on how, you

know, how deep you want to go with it.

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But for me, taking a photo is absolutely

the easiest and the most consistent

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way that I, that I found to do it.

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Chryssius: Yeah, and then you could

just make a little album on your camera

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roll, make a little album for outfits

or whatever, and that'd be great.

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Then when you're not feeling

very inspired, I would do this.

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I would go back and then have a

look and go, oh, I might just pick

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that outfit and just go from there.

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Hazel: Absolutely.

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and that's exactly what I do for my

clients when we're building these outfits.

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I'll take photo after photo after photo

of each outfit that we build and then put

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that into a style guide for them so that

they've got that on their phone, whenever

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they're getting dressed, whenever they

are out shopping, whether that's retail

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on their own or preloved shopping with me.

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Then they've got a guide of what they do

have, what they are wearing and what they

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can, you know, it allows them to visually

see, oh, this piece is actually going to

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go with these other pieces that I have.

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Which takes all the

guessing out of shopping.

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And that's, you know, to me

that is the key to buying less

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is knowing what looks good.

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And once you have that key, and

once you've got the tools to kind

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of know what looks good, then.

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It's no longer a guessing game and you

can reduce your consumption tenfold.

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Chryssius: When we're talking about

capsule wardrobes, lots of people

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will actually associate the term

"capsule wardrobe" with saving money.

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How do you guide your clients in

building sustainable cost effective

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capsules without compromising on style?

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Hazel: So that's where, that's

where the outfit building part of

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my, services really come into play.

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And it is really just having the expertise

of how to layer things, how to put things

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together in new ways and how to, I guess,

give my clients a new eye and a new

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perspective on what they already have.

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So I was working with a client last week.

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She said, I've got about six

things in my wardrobe that I wear.

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It's going to take us no

time at all to do this.

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And then four hours later we had built,

I think 56 outfits that she absolutely

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loved, that were giving her, you know,

making her feel bold, making her feel

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confident, making her feel this way

that she hadn't felt since her twenties,

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completely appropriate for work and all of

those things from what she already owned.

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So that really is, you know, that's where

I'm working with my clients to get their,

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the maximum like return on investment of

the things that they've bought, because.

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I just want them to wear their clothes.

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That's all I want.

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And that's all they want.

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Really.

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Like what we, you know, the

average Australian wears, we

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wear our clothes seven times on

average before we get rid of them.

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We're buying as a country of people

we're buying 52 items each new per

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year, wearing them seven times.

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So basically one a week, wearing it

for a week and getting rid of it.

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Whereas like what you're going to

do by building a capsule wardrobe

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or building, outfits out of what

you own is saving yourself thousands

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and thousands of dollars on things

that you are not going to buy.

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Chryssius: And I even would, would go

as far as to say that seven is generous.

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There are plenty of outfits that I have

found over the last, you know, couple

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of years of trying to be more mindful

where I may have only worn them once.

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Some things I've bought, I

haven't worn them at all.

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And I'm sure there are plenty

of other people like that.

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They're sitting in the wardrobe with

their, with the tags still on them.

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Hazel: Yes, exactly.

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And I think for me, like what I

would say to that is that's kind of

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the easiest way to tell if something

was an emotional purchase is that

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you've never worn it because it

wasn't something that was necessary.

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And it, it's not necessarily like

lifestyle appropriate for your real life.

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And I think so often we buy things

that are lifestyle appropriate for a

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fantasy version of ourselves and not

who we really are because it's all,

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you know, that subconscious stuff that

ties into all of the illusions that

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the fashion industry is selling us.

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Chryssius: It is a dream.

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They're selling us the dream.

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Hazel: Yes.

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A, a pretend dream, which leads to

nowhere except the breakdown of, you

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know, the environment that we live in.

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And basically making very

rich white men much richer.

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So, yeah, from a cost, I just,

I just want to empower women

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to wear their own clothes.

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I want to empower women to save their

money and to spend their time and

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energy and, you know, all of those

resources that are not necessarily

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like, abundant in our lives.

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To save them for something that

really matters and that's going

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to really make them feel good.

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And that's really going to give them

that intrinsic feeling of connection

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and depth and all of those things,

because they already know they look good.

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Like they look good.

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They've got their clothes, they

look, they look good, they're fine.

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Chryssius: And but the thing

is, it's so tough to resist

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the allure of fast fashion.

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We're constantly bombarded with

advertising, whether it be on TV,

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:

in the magazines that we read.

347

:

I mean, and don't even get

me started on social media.

348

:

We have that in our face all the time.

349

:

And then you combine that with, you

know feeling a little bit emotional.

350

:

You, you combine those two

together and it's, dangerous.

351

:

So do you have any strategies that

you can recommend for avoiding fast

352

:

fashion, and staying committed to a

more sustainable clothing approach?

353

:

Hazel: Yeah, absolutely.

354

:

I started this journey because when

I was pregnant with my first child,

355

:

it was the summer of 2019, 2020.

356

:

And there was, was just, just

pre-Covid, but it was the Black Summer.

357

:

There were fires everywhere.

358

:

This huge, like, had this huge

overwhelming climate anxiety.

359

:

And that kind of led me to exploring

a bit deeper about the impact of

360

:

certain things, in our everyday lives.

361

:

So, the fashion industry, I'm sure

you, you know this, but just in case

362

:

your listeners didn't, it's actually

the third biggest polluter in the

363

:

world behind burning of fossil fuels

and farming and the kind of like

364

:

deforestation associated with farming.

365

:

So, fossil fuels, we're getting there,

we're getting to a place where they

366

:

hopefully eventually will be you know,

put on the back burner, so to speak.

367

:

But what I was really interested in is

in that third biggest polluter, the thing

368

:

that I can have the direct action on is

what I wear, what I buy and what I wear.

369

:

And that is like such an easy thing for

me as a, a human who's not necessarily

370

:

in the climate activism world, who's not

necessarily got the time, to like do X,

371

:

Y and Z to, to change the politicians,

you know, what they, what they're doing.

372

:

Just a normal person living my life, busy,

got two kids trying to do everything.

373

:

But what I can do is I can control what I

buy, what I wear, and my relationship to

374

:

that, and it's the easiest thing I can do.

375

:

So I just, I now think about it

like, oh, I'm just, if I, I, I'm not

376

:

buying retail and I haven't bought

retail for a long time, but if I

377

:

was going to go and buy something

retail, I have two voices in my head.

378

:

So the first voice is the one

that says, "You're not worthy.

379

:

You need to buy new things to be worthy,

to fit in, to present yourself in the

380

:

way that you want people to see you.

381

:

You need to consume and you

need to buy new things 'cause

382

:

you are not good enough."

383

:

And what I've done is I've learned

to teach myself that that voice

384

:

doesn't actually belong to me.

385

:

That voice is nothing

really to do with me.

386

:

That's the voice of, you know,

the ad execs and the, the

387

:

people behind, the marketing of

fashion that have infiltrated...

388

:

Chryssius: The ones that are

selling us the false dream.

389

:

Hazel: Exactly!

390

:

The ones that are like selling us

the false dream, and I was listening

391

:

to, the Clotheshorse podcast, and

she is a woman who used to work

392

:

in the fast fashion industry.

393

:

And she talks about like her experience

and she's just like, it's all an illusion.

394

:

And that, and we are telling ourselves the

illusion even when we work in that space.

395

:

And we know it's not the truth, but we're

still telling ourselves the illusion.

396

:

She says, you know, they're not sitting

around thinking, oh, we're going to fool

397

:

these women into buying these things.

398

:

They are sitting around saying,

this is going to be great.

399

:

This next season is going to be excellent.

400

:

The illusion is everywhere.

401

:

But anyway, so I've taught myself

to try and catch myself and be

402

:

like, that's not me talking.

403

:

That is someone else.

404

:

That is the illusion.

405

:

Uh, sellers.

406

:

Nothing to do with me as a human.

407

:

And then the other thing I've taught

myself to do is to just not want to

408

:

put my money, my hard-earned money

into the pockets of billionaires.

409

:

I don't need to do that.

410

:

I've got better things

I can spend my money on.

411

:

Chryssius: We all do.

412

:

Hazel: Exactly, we all do.

413

:

Those two things combined have really

helped keep me on the straight and

414

:

narrow, but also it's a creativity thing.

415

:

Like I think it's so for all the

people out there who really love to

416

:

love clothes, like I love clothes.

417

:

When I lived in England, I, worked at

London Fashion Week and I interned

418

:

for a big fashion photographer.

419

:

And I absolutely, you know, I fell

in love with all of those things.

420

:

And you can still have them

with what you already have.

421

:

It's not like it's, I believe you

can have sustainability and style.

422

:

It's not one or the other.

423

:

I feel like I went on a

bit of a tangent there.

424

:

Some things were said.

425

:

Chryssius: Yes, they were.

426

:

We are not editing them out.

427

:

What are some of the more unique

capsules that you have been asked

428

:

to create for your clients?

429

:

Hazel: At the moment, I am just in the

process of working with a new client who

430

:

has asked me to do a capsule wardrobe

for her menstrual cycle, which I am

431

:

absolutely obsessed with the idea of, I

was so excited when she told me what she

432

:

wanted and she's actually a finance coach.

433

:

And she works with women to explore

their emotional relationship with money,

434

:

pleasure, and what it means to be a woman.

435

:

And so this is like so perfect for her

and such an interesting project for me.

436

:

The way that I work with my clients

is I'll do a style consult first.

437

:

We'll go through all of the different

things, you know, their wardrobe

438

:

woes, what their real issues

are when they're getting dressed

439

:

and all those kind of things.

440

:

And then we'll come up with a bit of a

roadmap, on how to navigate that and how

441

:

to get them to where they want to be.

442

:

And so I haven't actually started building

these capsules with my client yet, but

443

:

I'm, I'm like, yeah, so excited to start.

444

:

And that really means, you know, for

all the women, I don't need to explain

445

:

this, but the times where in week

two of your menstrual cycle, you put

446

:

something on, you look amazing and

week four of your menstrual cycle,

447

:

you put it on and it does not fit you.

448

:

And

449

:

Chryssius: I can relate to that.

450

:

Hazel: Yeah.

451

:

And it's just, it is, again, it's that

other, you know, it's an opportunity

452

:

for those voices that aren't necessarily

ours to come into our head and say,

453

:

oh, like, "You are not worthy this

week because this thing that fit you

454

:

two weeks ago no longer fits you."

455

:

Like, no, it's natural.

456

:

It's perfectly normal, and it's something

that we all, you know, women of a

457

:

menstruating age have to deal with.

458

:

It's not something that we should feel

ashamed and feel less worthy and less,

459

:

you know, I think so often women want

to hide in that week four of their

460

:

menstrual cycle, week four and week

one, they want to hide their bodies.

461

:

They don't want to wear nice clothes.

462

:

It's like you still deserve

to feel good about yourself.

463

:

You still deserve to feel, to

feel worthy and to feel good.

464

:

So why not find those clothes that are a

little bit more forgiving and that are a

465

:

little bit more, you know, they're going

to flatter you in the way that you want.

466

:

And I hate that word "flatter", but...

467

:

they're going to make you feel the

most confident, and comfortable with,

468

:

and not like compromise on style, but

also not make you feel bad because

469

:

your breasts are slightly larger

or your belly's slightly larger.

470

:

Like, that is just what

it is to be a woman.

471

:

Chryssius: Yes.

472

:

I would love to know what kind of

things you are focusing on for this

473

:

particular capsule in terms of making

your client comfortable during, those

474

:

different weeks within the cycle.

475

:

Hazel: Yeah.

476

:

So I think it's, uh, probably what

we'll do is, we'll go, like I was

477

:

saying, back to those hero pieces.

478

:

So those pieces that she absolutely

loves, I should start calling

479

:

them heroine pieces really.

480

:

Maybe I'll do that.

481

:

'cause

482

:

Chryssius: Yes!

483

:

Do it.

484

:

Hazel: "Hero" is way too male.

485

:

The "heroine" pieces in your wardrobe

that she really, really loves, that

486

:

she can wear that make her feel great.

487

:

But then also using - okay, so

I'll just digress a little bit.

488

:

So, when you're preloved shopping,

it's a process like, because of the

489

:

sizing aspect, you're not always going

to find something that you love in

490

:

an op shop, in a consignment shop,

in a vintage shop that fits you.

491

:

And so my number one, um, kind of tip

for that is to work with my clients.

492

:

I say to them, it's about the vibe.

493

:

Like what you're getting

from that piece is a vibe.

494

:

It's not necessarily that exact piece.

495

:

Take a photograph of

it, save it for later.

496

:

And when we're looking in other shops,

if it's on the same day or whenever

497

:

they're in those scenarios, they can

look for a piece that has that vibe.

498

:

So then, for the capsule, it's about

finding the pieces that have the vibe

499

:

for her, of those hero pieces that

she loves, or those pieces that she

500

:

wants to wear when she's ovulating

and feeling amazing and her body

501

:

and brain are like, yes, yes, yes.

502

:

But...

503

:

a bit more forgiving in terms of stretch

or in terms of the way that they fit.

504

:

You know, you can use colour,

you can use pattern, you can use

505

:

silhouette to really like still

give the vibes of what you want, but

506

:

that can also give you the comfort.

507

:

Like for me, if I'm in week four of my

menstrual cycle, like I just want to wear

508

:

pants and I wear dresses all the time.

509

:

And so about, it's about finding

those pants that give me the feeling

510

:

of wearing my favourite dresses.

511

:

Chryssius: It absolutely makes

sense, and I think that is such

512

:

a fabulous tip about the vibe.

513

:

The vibe is a thing.

514

:

I've never really been able to, I

guess, put it into words as nicely as

515

:

you have, but you have explained it

really, really well, and I'm going

516

:

shopping now looking for the vibe.

517

:

Hazel: The vibe.

518

:

The vibe, and just take a photo.

519

:

Like, because then you've got a,

again, as a reference, like our phones

520

:

are such great tools in our styling

evolution, because you can just keep it.

521

:

And also if you look on Depop or

whatever later, you might be able to

522

:

find that exact thing in your size.

523

:

Chryssius: Yeah - when we're on

the couch watching TV and scrolling

524

:

and we move on to the online

shopping, Depop is where it's at.

525

:

Yeah.

526

:

We're going into it intentionally.

527

:

Hazel: Depop is!

528

:

Exactly, and you know, Salvos now

have a really great online store,

529

:

and so do Good Sammy, actually.

530

:

But just about, um, you know, searching

what you exactly want and if you

531

:

found it and you've tried it on

already, that's half the battle and

532

:

you know, you just need one size up

or one size down, like, easy peasy.

533

:

Done.

534

:

Chryssius: I want to ask a specific

question, around a particular

535

:

style and that is athleisure.

536

:

So athleisure is such a

big thing at the moment.

537

:

Especially if you are, and I am not

picking on anyone here, but as a

538

:

stay-at-home mum, having been there

myself, I know that that is generally

539

:

what I would gravitate towards.

540

:

But at the same time, I don't feel

like it is the most stylish of outfits.

541

:

So my question around this is, how do

you approach creating capsules that will

542

:

blend comfort and style for clients that

maybe have either a very active lifestyle?

543

:

When I say active, I don't just mean

they're at the gym all the time, but maybe

544

:

they are a stay-at-home parent and they're

running around after young children...

545

:

Hazel: Okay, so a few, a few different

ways that I want to answer this question.

546

:

Number one, if you love wearing your

athleisure and that's how you want to

547

:

dress, absolutely a hundred percent do it.

548

:

When I ask people the question, are

there any items in your wardrobe that

549

:

you think you've worn 30 or more times?

550

:

Usually it is...

551

:

only, your yoga pants or your

leggings that you went to the

552

:

gym or all of those things.

553

:

Those are the pieces that

people wear consistently.

554

:

And then my second question to them is

like, is this how you want to dress?

555

:

And it usually isn't.

556

:

And how, do you want to dress?

557

:

So what I love about what I do is

giving people a new perspective

558

:

on things that they already own.

559

:

I have worked with quite a few mums

and they do live in their, athleisure.

560

:

And it is just about finding items,

again, with the vibe of athleisure

561

:

in terms of the durability, the

comfort, all of those things.

562

:

Or usually they already own them, but

just putting 'em together in a new way.

563

:

So, you know, absolutely if they

are comfortable and that's how

564

:

they want to dress, then let's

put them in your capsule wardrobe.

565

:

Let's give you all the reign of wearing

those items again and again, and

566

:

get those 30-plus wears out of them.

567

:

But if it's not, I would suggest

like a more casual pants.

568

:

So like anything in a linen,

or like a, a light cotton, just

569

:

like easy to move around in,

easy to run after small children.

570

:

You know, I have, my kids are three and

one, so I'm definitely in that phase

571

:

of my life, but I'm not wearing anymore

my active wear every day, which I was,

572

:

before I kind of started this journey

into becoming a personal stylist because

573

:

that's, you know, the easiest thing to do.

574

:

Chryssius: Full disclosure, I am

currently wearing leggings and a jumper.

575

:

Hazel: Yeah, it's just about, it's

kind of like that vibe, like what

576

:

is going to give you the vibe of

that and the comfort of those items

577

:

without, and making it more elevated.

578

:

And that's kind of where the

versatility in your wardrobe comes from.

579

:

It's like you could make something

more casual or more formal very

580

:

easily by putting it with other items.

581

:

So if you're going to wear, like ballet

flats are get, are coming back in.

582

:

They're really like big on

the catwalks at the moment.

583

:

And if you're going to wear ballet flat.

584

:

It's just going to give you a slightly

more elevated look or if you're going

585

:

to wear, do you know what I mean?

586

:

It's layering things and

making them work for you.

587

:

So, but I've actually completely

gotten rid of the, not gotten rid of,

588

:

obviously I still wear them to the gym,

but I've just decided to wear my actual

589

:

clothes and to not keep them for best.

590

:

To just be like, okay, every day

I want to feel good about myself.

591

:

And it's made such a difference

in my mental health to

592

:

just get dressed every day.

593

:

And it comes back to that, taking

photographs of your outfits.

594

:

Like I look back at my outfits before

I kind of started this serious journey

595

:

and I was like, yeah, just wearing

like drop sleeve grey t-shirts with

596

:

a print, and my bicycle shorts.

597

:

Like that is what I lived in.

598

:

And I was, I was, you know, in that kind

of very freshly postpartum, time of my

599

:

life, and it was kind of appropriate.

600

:

But the minute I stopped doing that,

the feelings I had about myself

601

:

and my capabilities as a human

in the world changed completely.

602

:

And so I would never say to someone,

don't wear what you want to wear.

603

:

Like always wear what you

want to wear, but branch out.

604

:

Like, look in your wardrobe and maybe just

wear it, even if it's going to get dirty.

605

:

Or look for fabrics that are more

durable, like a drill cotton you know,

606

:

that can be washed and worn again.

607

:

Like I've got the most amazing pair

of vintage Levis that I got from Depop

608

:

before I stopped buying stuff that I've

washed maybe twice since I bought them.

609

:

And I've definitely worn them more

than 30 times, but like, they're just

610

:

so easy to wear and they just look

great, like effortless, easy to wear.

611

:

Just put anything with them.

612

:

Done.

613

:

Chryssius: For anyone listening, then,

who is inspired by everything that you

614

:

have talked about today in terms of

creating a capsule wardrobe and they

615

:

want to have a go at creating their own

capsule, what are your tips to guide them

616

:

through that process and empower them to

curate their own sustainable wardrobe?

617

:

Hazel: Okay, so I'd just like to

start my answer by saying what I

618

:

believe a sustainable wardrobe isn't.

619

:

To me, a sustainable wardrobe

isn't a brand new wardrobe full of

620

:

sustainably and ethically sourced

garments in linen, silk and cotton.

621

:

It's just what you already own.

622

:

The classic quote is, "the most

sustainable item is one you didn't buy."

623

:

And for me, in the slow fashion

movement, the most sustainable garment

624

:

is one you didn't buy again, which is

essentially what we do all the time.

625

:

And especially when people are thinking

about those capsules, those Instagram

626

:

or Pinterest capsules that we see, like,

you don't need to buy those clothes

627

:

again because you already have them.

628

:

It's just about taking them

out of your existing wardrobe.

629

:

So again, I feel like the overriding

belief within a capsule wardrobe is

630

:

that, that is then your wardrobe.

631

:

That's it.

632

:

There's no other clothes in your life.

633

:

You may only have these 30 pieces

that are all cream and beige.

634

:

Like, no...

635

:

create a capsule from what you own.

636

:

And like for me, I'm lucky I have,

my office is separate to my bedroom.

637

:

So I have my wardrobe in my bedroom,

and then I have a rail in my office

638

:

where I put my capsule wardrobe.

639

:

And so, I still have all the other

things and I look at them every

640

:

day and I think, oh, I can't wait

to wear you again once I'm done with

641

:

this phase of my 90 day capsule.

642

:

But just having the clothes separate

gives you a bit of distance and that's

643

:

what's going to keep you interested in

the clothes that you are not wearing

644

:

because, literally if you put something

away for like a week, two weeks, three

645

:

weeks, when you see it again, you get that

same rush of dopamine as buying something

646

:

new because it's like, oh, exciting.

647

:

Like it really feeds that pursuit

of the new without actually

648

:

buying or getting anything new.

649

:

Chryssius: It's almost like when you

go back to your, um, well, I will

650

:

go back to my parents' house and

I'll look in my wardrobe and I'll

651

:

go, oh my gosh, I remember this!

652

:

I'm taking it with me.

653

:

Hazel: Yeah, exactly.

654

:

And like the number one thing

that I do with my clients is I

655

:

just, if they don't want to build

a capsule wardrobe, that's fine.

656

:

But what we'll do is just work on

putting all the seasonal items away.

657

:

Because then when they get, I say

to them, we are writing a list.

658

:

This is your seasonal items.

659

:

Keep it on your phone.

660

:

Before you go out and that you

get that urge when the season

661

:

changes to go and like rush to the

shops and buy all these new things

662

:

because it's too hot or too cold.

663

:

Look at the list, remember the list.

664

:

I'll text you when the season changes

that you're going remember that you've

665

:

got this list and get those pieces out.

666

:

And getting them out will be not only

a beautiful, reminder of all the times

667

:

you wore those things, and all the

memories and the history of those items.

668

:

But also it feels like you've got

something new and you haven't.

669

:

And often people will find this as well

if they've put stuff away to take to

670

:

the op shop if they re-find that bag

and sometimes go through it, they're

671

:

like, oh no, I'm not getting rid of it.

672

:

It's like, this is a great piece.

673

:

And it is just 'cause we

haven't seen it for a while.

674

:

And then neutrals are great

if that's what you want.

675

:

If you want a very, basic colour scheme,

absolutely choose your colour scheme.

676

:

I would say with colours, like, what's

going to give you a better illusion of

677

:

cohesion in your outfit is if you choose

all warm-toned or cool-toned colours.

678

:

Sometimes a clash of a warm tone

and a cool tone can just give,

679

:

'cause our eyes and our brains

are kind of cleverer than we are.

680

:

So if you see something and

it looks a bit off, it's

681

:

sometimes to do with the colour.

682

:

For example, my 90 day summer

capsule that I'm doing at the moment

683

:

is all really, warm-toned items.

684

:

And so they go together much easier.

685

:

They're not necessarily in

the same colour schemes.

686

:

I haven't chosen them because they're all

analogous colours or anything like that.

687

:

But it just works because

they are all warm-toned.

688

:

So if you're a beginner, definitely choose

a few base colours like that is important.

689

:

But choose what colours you love to wear.

690

:

Don't choose something that you're

not going to wear, but choose colours

691

:

that you do love and then choose

those heroine pieces that you've got

692

:

in your wardrobe that you never wear.

693

:

Choose five of them and just add layers.

694

:

Like, add some t-shirts, you

can put over the top of dresses

695

:

to make them more casual.

696

:

Add your favourite accessories, and

then let your creativity run wild.

697

:

And like I said in the beginning, there

are no rules, if something's not working,

698

:

just swap it out for something else.

699

:

It's your capsule.

700

:

Make it work for you.

701

:

Chryssius: So when we are talking about

maybe filling in those gaps within

702

:

our wardrobe, what are your tips,

for successful secondhand shopping?

703

:

Like how, how are people going to go

in there and spot the quality items?

704

:

Because we all know what op shops

are like, especially, I feel like

705

:

especially after Covid, it's just insane.

706

:

So yeah, how are we going to

go in there and find the gems?

707

:

What are we looking for?

708

:

Hazel: So it really comes from having an

understanding of your existing wardrobe.

709

:

So going through and looking at

your wardrobe, and then when you are

710

:

out shopping, you want to be asking

yourselves the questions around, is

711

:

this going to go with what I have?

712

:

What are three items in my existing

wardrobe that I can pair this back with?

713

:

Or three different ways that I can

style this item so that you know

714

:

it's going to go seamlessly into your

existing wardrobe because you've already

715

:

considered what you can wear it with.

716

:

And it's such a game changer in terms of

thinking about something as an element in

717

:

an outfit as opposed to a standalone item.

718

:

And when that clicked for me, I was

like, oh, shopping has been unlocked.

719

:

Like, haha, people who are trying

to get me to buy all these things,

720

:

like, now I've got the secret.

721

:

And the secret is basically just

if it's not going to go within an

722

:

existing outfit or with something

that you have, then just don't buy it.

723

:

Or if you need to get a new bra

to wear it with, or a new pair of

724

:

shoes to wear it with or something

that you don't already have, then

725

:

ask yourself, do I have the budget?

726

:

Do I have the time?

727

:

Do I have the resources to get that thing?

728

:

If I don't, I'm not going to

buy this one piece because

729

:

it, takes more work to buy it.

730

:

And then also the guilt of not wearing it.

731

:

And then like that lifestyle thing that

we were talking about, is it lifestyle

732

:

appropriate for me or is it lifestyle

appropriate for the fantasy version of me?

733

:

These are all like these kind of

concepts of how to do the shopping,

734

:

but then when you're actually there,

don't be afraid to leave with nothing.

735

:

It's okay to go op-shopping

and leave with nothing.

736

:

That's fine because it's only

sustainable and it's only worth it

737

:

if you're actually going to wear it.

738

:

And also don't be afraid, like I did

my style tour - I had a style tour

739

:

last weekend and what I'm looking

at in my client's wardrobe is to have

740

:

around 70% wearable items that they

wear all the time that are really

741

:

easy to style with different pieces.

742

:

And then about 30% , you know, the fun

items that really give your, wardrobe

743

:

personality and let people see who you

are and what, for me, and this client,

744

:

one of these clients that was on the

tour, the problem for me was always,

745

:

I had these like amazing key pieces,

but nothing to actually wear them with.

746

:

And so that's what we

were looking at for her.

747

:

We were looking at more basic

stuff because I think there is a

748

:

tendency when you're op-shopping

to buy these fun and frivolous,

749

:

like amazing pieces, but it's like.

750

:

You need the base pieces to make them pop.

751

:

And I'm not saying like the

basics in terms of like, "the five

752

:

'must-haves' everyone must have."

753

:

Like I don't believe in that it,

but it's what is going to make your

754

:

wardrobe more functional and your

wardrobe work for you, work harder for

755

:

you instead of the other way round.

756

:

Chryssius: The everyday pieces.

757

:

Hazel: Exactly, exactly.

758

:

If your wardrobe is full of those

statement pieces, which mine definitely

759

:

is, and now I just wear all my statement

pieces together and I don't care.

760

:

Exactly.

761

:

And it makes people take me more seriously

for some reason as a stylist, the more

762

:

outrageously dressed, the more they're

like, oh yes, she knows what she's doing.

763

:

Chryssius: So please, tell us

what is your best bargain brag.

764

:

Either the best or the most unusual,

most interesting, or just your favourite

765

:

piece that you've picked up secondhand.

766

:

Hazel: Oh yes, absolutely.

767

:

And it's always the piece that

I always tell everyone about.

768

:

So as an avid op-shopper, I've got

this like decade or more of pretty

769

:

much only buying secondhand clothes.

770

:

Naturally, when I go anywhere

new, I always go to the op shops.

771

:

Like that is like what I love.

772

:

And it's quite upsetting for

me now because I am not buying

773

:

anything, but I also get to go

op-shopping with my clients.

774

:

So it kind of fulfills that

for me a little bit too.

775

:

But I went to the States for my

best friend's 30th and we went to

776

:

LA and across America, there's this

consignment shop called Buffalo...

777

:

Oh, what's it called now that's

awkward, that I can't remember.

778

:

Oh, Buffalo Exchange!

779

:

Buffalo Exchange.

780

:

And so it is a consignment shop in the

sense that people bring their clothes

781

:

in and they sell them and they get a

percentage of the sale, but it has more

782

:

of a kind of op shop vibe than a lot of

the consignment shops here in Australia.

783

:

And I got this silk jacket from Guess

that says "Fantasy" across the back

784

:

in these like bold, beautiful, kind of

like maroon colour and all these amazing

785

:

hand-stitched embroidered beautiful bits,

like it's like a silk bomber jacket.

786

:

And I had no space left in

my suitcase at this point.

787

:

But I was like, I must have this

and it cost me 15 US dollars.

788

:

And it is the most, like, that's

probably the piece I've worn,

789

:

you know, 60, a hundred times

because it goes with everything.

790

:

And I absolutely love it.

791

:

And even to the point where when I

was working as event manager, I'd wear

792

:

it to pretty much every event that I

worked and I got, I got this nickname

793

:

as Fantasy Haze, which is what all the

people on the event site used to call

794

:

me, 'cause they'd be like, oh, there's

Fantasy Haze with a silk bomber jacket,

795

:

just walking around the event site.

796

:

Um, but yeah, so that's the

piece that I love the most.

797

:

And it's also the piece that kind

of makes me sound the most, um,

798

:

oh, I can't, wanky is probably

not, but that's what I feel like.

799

:

I'm like, this is the story and it's

a bit wanky, but also I just love it

800

:

so much that I can't not tell you.

801

:

Chryssius: It's perfect.

802

:

I can't wait to see it.

803

:

Please do send me a picture.

804

:

And for anyone listening that would

like to see this beautiful piece as

805

:

well, I will make sure that it is on the

Reloved Radio's Instagram highlights.

806

:

Hazel: Amazing.

807

:

Yes.

808

:

I'll send you one, I have many

pictures of me wearing it.

809

:

Chryssius: Oh, of course!

810

:

I have no doubt.

811

:

Thank you so much, Hazel.

812

:

This has been amazing.

813

:

I cannot tell you the number of

tips I have picked up just from

814

:

chatting with you today, and I'm

sure that our listeners have as well.

815

:

So, if anyone out there is keen

to find you online, where will

816

:

they be able to locate you?

817

:

Hazel: So I am a lover of Instagram.

818

:

I'm @curatedwardrobe.au.

819

:

And you can also check out my website,

which is thecuratedwardrobe.com.au.

820

:

I'm always here for

talking sustainable style.

821

:

If you've got a question, a burning

question about, op-shopping or

822

:

whatever it is, you could also email

me hazel@thecuratedwardrobe.com.au.

823

:

And yeah, like, this is my passion.

824

:

It's what I love, it's what I live for.

825

:

So I'm honestly always happy

to answer any, any question

826

:

about that kind of thing.

827

:

So yeah, thank you so much for having

me and letting me just talk to you

828

:

about all the things in my brain.

829

:

Chryssius: It's amazing.

830

:

I feel like our brains are aligned

because all the things you want to talk

831

:

about are all the questions I have.

832

:

Yes!

833

:

So good.

834

:

Thanks for listening to Reloved Radio.

835

:

You can find the show notes for

today's episode on the website,

836

:

www.relovedradio.com.au And that's

also where you can download all my

837

:

best sustainable shopping secrets.

838

:

There's 45 of them, they're free,

and they'll walk you through exactly

839

:

how to shop secondhand or like a pro.

Show artwork for Reloved Radio: Sustainable Fashion Stories

About the Podcast

Reloved Radio: Sustainable Fashion Stories
Be inspired by the individuals who are not only transforming wardrobes but also paving the way for a planet-friendly fashion revolution. Tune in every second Tuesday to discover how these incredible stories of secondhand style, sustainable fashion, upcycling, rewearing and reselling are reshaping the narrative of our closets... and, in turn, our world.

About your host

Profile picture for Chryssius Dunn

Chryssius Dunn

Wife. Mother. Op-shops. Re-wearing. Anti-fast fashion. Decaf coffee. Cat videos. Train surfing. Nude skydiving. What? Oh, I was just listing words.