This is something I found a while ago, it's an original Laura Ashley shift dress, I think it probably dates from the late 1960s or early 1970s.

I got it for a steal from the Salvation Army charity shop up the road. It was slightly too big, but I finally got round to taking it in today, and now I'm really looking forward to wearing it.

I love the bold graphic fabric in muted autumnal colours - the style is so different from Ashley's favoured pink tea roses and frills, and so I wonder if it might be a more rare piece. Not bad for £4.

It's been a while...

It's been over a year since my last blog - having graduated from university, I worked in a job I hated, then managed to find, and even better, GET a busy job I love, then we got a cat, had parties, saw friends... So life sort of got in the way of writing, that and pure laziness, I can't deny it. However, even though I haven't been writing, I've still very much been doing the 'How to look good skint' fashion thing.

thefrockery.co.uk is an online vintage and retro clothing retailer, and they recently ran an online eco-fashion event, where people documented everything they wore during February that was second-hand, vintage or handmade. Taking part in the challenge was a great exercise in creativity, and re-ignited the urge I had to communicate my love of second hand fashion to the world!

And so, freshly inspired by my fashionable February I am taking a slightly new direction in my writing. From now on I will use this blog to document all my lovely findings, not just clothes, but homewares, accessories and whatever else I happen to come across. Because that's the beauty of thrift-shop-shopping, you never know what you'll find!

OVERSIZE is my fashion word of the week.

It's been banded about quite frequently of late, but for the frugal fashionista this can only be a good thing. My charity shop adventurings this week have paid dividends, resulting in two lovely new wardrobe additions; a boxy black and white pinstriped blazer, made in England, and a fabulous, electric blue, Gerry Weber collarless jacket. All the shops had a massive range of men's and women's jackets, and the rectangular shoulder pads that are massively 'in' for the Autumn, graced the rails in abundance. The heritage fabrics hailed as this season's style staples were also to be found snuggled amongst the teal green polyester, and a quick rummage revealed some real heritage pieces, original Northern tweed and good solid stitching. The oversize trend gives us a great opportunity to just go with the flow of whatever we discover. A big open jacket with the sleeves rolled up, teamed with a minidress or skinny fit jeans looks awesome.

I am enjoying the mini-trend that seems to be appearing for neatly buttoned up shirts with no tie; a look which has been widespread through men's fashion over the last year, but which is increasingly being rocked by girls with small skirts. This nod to the 80s punk generation seems startlingly relevant in today's economic situation, as I'm sure we share the same uneasiness about what is to come.

Over the next few weeks I'm going to start trying out a 'Fruits' type project, documenting fashion trends around my local area. If you've never seen "Fruits", photographed by Shoichi Aoki, do keep an eye out for it. The book documents the diversity of the Harajuku street fashion movement in Japan, and is full of the most wonderfully outlandish clothing creations, influenced by anything from samurais to "Sailor Moon waitresses", and I'm hoping to create something similar for the North. Look out for uploads!

I'm starting this blog with the aim of sharing my musings on fashion, making, clothing, and creativity, and then whatever else crops up! Perhaps I should start with who I am, what I do, what I like, and what I feel are the most important elements of a true love of fashion...

I am Chloe. I do all kinds of things, bit of photography here, bit of face painting there, I never have any money, but most of the time I'm happy, I'm starting out and seeing where I go, and this is all part of it. I'd love people to read this, add their comments, start discussions...

I love fashion, but in the less conventional sense of the term. What excites me more than obsessively following seasonal trends is getting a feel for what real people are wearing. I look at everybody. I think the greatest inspirations in life are people, and I constantly people-watch, picking up on the details that get missed in the rush. What we wear is not the be all and end all, a well dressed idiot is still an idiot, but it's an enjoyable way to demonstrate your independence and creativity. Getting dressed in the morning can be a pleasure, it's your first chance of the day to create something beautiful, interesting, intricate, something that hints at who you are and what you like. And looking good makes you feel good, there's no doubt about it.

An important factor in the way I view fashion is money, or rather, lack of money. Like many, I love to soak up Vogue, but I live on a tiny tiny income, and there's simply no way I could own anything featured. I don't feel too bad about it though, having enough dollar to sustain that kind of wardrobe seems to me a surefire way to let your fashion imagination get lazy. There are so many wonderful ways of being creative with clothes that require the smallest amount of cash. But please, I implore you, don't let this include dangerously cheap high street shops. You need to ask yourself how such places can offer new clothes at these prices. You can be certain they're not reducing their profit margins, so they must be cutting corners somewhere else, and the first corners to be cut are those that we in this country don't see and are happy to ignore. Our everyday pleasures should not impact negatively on the lives and futures of others, and the way these companies work is neither ethical nor sustainable.

You don't need to be an eco-warrior-hippie-type, (although they do have fabulous style darling). Just be imaginative! Finding a gem in a charity shop really feels good, and you'll be surprised just how many gems there are. Treasure hunting is much more satisfying than sifting through hundreds and hundreds of identikit outfits, I promise.

The skill that aids me the most in my fashion quests is sewing. I don't believe anyone who says they can't sew, all it takes is practice and decent thread. Start off on scraps of old fabric, make dolly clothes, do anything you like, just sew! It's magic. A sewing machine is a worthwhile investment once you've got the basics down, since it's much speedier and gives a stronger finish, but I sewed for a few years before I had one.

I've been getting into knitting in a fairly big way over the last year or so, but I can still only get my head round rectangles, so I've only made items that are variations on the rectangle...headbands, snoods, scarves... It's very therapeutic, and simple, hand knitted items make great presents, as long as they're made with love! My boy adores his ocean blue, chunky knit headband, and my friend says the snuggly case I made for his mp3 player is probably the reason it's still in one piece!

I suppose the point I want to demonstrate is that fashion and creativity is anything and everything you want. It's fun to follow trends, and I like incorporating them into things I'm already wearing or doing, but the most important thing is to feel comfortable and happy. Don't let yourself be ruled by faddy "what's hot, what's not" columns. If you read them often enough you'll notice they contradict themselves on a regular basis, and I can't help thinking that an item's position often depends on what freebies got sent to the editor's office...

So, in celebration of beauty and creativity, every week I am going to share things I've seen around, in the street, out and about, everywhere. Anything that caught my eye, made me smile or turned my head. I'll share what I'm loving, and I invite anyone who reads to do the same.

leggings a love I've had for a good few years now, and I'm happy they're so much easier to find now! Any colour, any pattern, I love them all. They're comfortable, they're flattering, they go with EVERYTHING. Just be careful with shiny metallic fabric, they're a little less flattering on curvy bums like mine!

farmer chique a developing style for me, well suited to Autumn I think, oversize checked shirts, widely available in the men's section of your local charity shop, fitted with safety pins or a soft, worn, waist belt, chunky knitted socks and wellington boots (I've got the cheapest kind from the army surplus store. I wear them with the tops rolled down and socks pulled over).

It's practically effortless, easy to personalise and puddle-proof!

found object art jewels look out for interesting discarded objects, give them a clean, attach them to a long chain, a ring, whatever you like, and you've got a piece of eco-couture costume jewellery. Uber cheap, uber special.