WEAR IT FOREVER (AND EVER)
Bay Garnett on closing the loop in fashion
Words
BAY GARNETT
Photography
SARAH PANNELL
If you look in my wardrobe, so many of the items inside are clothes I have had for years and years, and they are almost always the things I wear and love the most.
There are lots of ways I look after my clothes; first and foremost, I keep going back to them so they are kept alive! I do believe this. If you keep clothes moving, being worn and loved, they become more worn but feel just as good – if not better. Another reason they last is because I don’t like or buy cheap clothes, I never have. I don’t like the way they look and feel, and the reason I always go back to my old clothes is because the quality is GOOD. There is a reason why the term ‘investment pieces' was coined! I love an investment piece, and I love caring for them too.
SWEATERS
I also LOVE sweater weather! In particular, I’m a fan of cashmere and merino wool. Which, of course, makes me super paranoid about moths. I once vacuum packed some of my beloved sweaters in bags to protect them, only to open the bags at the end of summer to find my favourite jumpers were in shreds with one dead moth still lying there on the top. Obviously, I won’t be doing that again and don’t recommend that to anyone else who loves nice knits. Instead, I’ve found it’s better to go through all my sweaters from time to time and shake them out really hard, then lay them in the light. Moths love the dark and dislike light, airy places. It seems to work. And a few lavender balls thrown in the cupboards with them doesn’t hurt. Great, good-quality sweaters are something I invest in, as I know I will wear them a lot.
DENIM
One of the coolest things about denim is how self-sufficient and hard-wearing it is. My husband literally washes his jeans just a few times a year – he swears by it, and I have to say his jeans look so beautifully soft and worn. So now I follow suit and wash mine as little as possible – and always on a cold wash.
SHOES
Day to day, like most practical people, I keep my go-to trainers and running-around slides by the front door. But my other shoes are kept in boxes with tissue paper or stored neatly in a cupboard and polished once or twice a year. Growing up, my dad always used to polish my shoes, and it makes me think of him and that quite old-fashioned way of looking after things. It seems to me like a gentle act of self-respect.
COTTON
For anything cotton, I am careful to wash at 30 degrees on an eco-wash cycle. In this way, good cotton can last for years. Think of vintage t-shirts from thirty or forty years ago, a bit rough around the edges perhaps, but beautiful, loveworn and soft. I almost always try to iron cottons. Especially something classically tough like a denim shirt – the fabric responds well to that love and care and smartens up. It makes such a difference; I feel like more of a grown-up in an ironed shirt or t-shirts. And I like feeling like a grown-up.
GENERALLY
Try and look at your wardrobe with fresh eyes regularly. Take those things you haven’t worn for ages and see if they can be restyled. Have them tailored, layer them, add a belt (it’s amazing how a belt can lend a whole new spirit to a simple sweater or shirt). And if none of the above apply, pass them on to a person who will love and look after them as much as you did.
Bay Garnett is a stylist, author and contributing editor to British Vogue, as well as a long-time advocate for sustainability in fashion.