The £10 challenge - classics

Welcome friends to the first £10 challenge in which we will look at the fashion 'classic'.
Classic is a much touted word at the moment - fashion editors are practically wetting themselves over it. Why? Well, they'll say that it's because, finally, designers are making clothes that real women actually want to wear again. Beautifully simple, well cut clothes in quality fabrics that make you sigh a little bit and don't have to be kept for special occasions. They'll cite Celine and Chloe at you til they're blue in the face. But don't be fooled, the fashion classic look is just as difficult to master as all the more outre looks that have pounded down the catwalk over the last ten years. The main problem being that it's very easy to just look really, really boring.
And yes, it is quite a lot like 90s minimalism, although the fabrics are a bit nicer and the cuts are a bit more forgiving.
However, there is one major advantage to the revival of classic style. You probably already have the foundations in your wardrobe. And if you don't it's not too difficult to find a classic buried under a mountain of old tat at the car boot sale or at the back of a rail in a charity shop.
Mostly, all this stuff about classic clothes means that I'm allowed to get stupidly excited over this skirt, which is essentially just a large, rectangular, black woolen tube that folds over on itself. That fold is quite important, because classics have to have something that stops them from being boring and makes them a bit, and I hate to use this word, 'edgy'.
It's also the perfect length for the new season - also known as a difficult, slightly below the knee and generally rather unflattering unless worn with quite high heels length - and is by Nicole Farhi.
It was missing a belt when I bought it, and the belt is what actually holds the whole thing together and makes it into a skirt that sits high on the waist with a paper bag top instead of a weird circle of fabric in a pool around your feet. From my point of view the missing belt was a very good thing because it meant I only paid £2.50 for it at a car boot sale this weekend. And I love it.
I'm going to wear it in future with my new camel coloured thick leather double length belt, which I had made only today and which will feature in a forthcoming post. But here it's tied together with a chiffon tie appropriated from a tea dress.

£10 challenge outfit;
Sunglasses - Anne Klein - car boot sale - £3
Top - Uniqlo - car boot sale - £1
Skirt - Nicole Farhi - car boot sale - £2.50
Watch - Lorus - car boot sale - £3
Necklace and ring - Alex Monroe - gifts from JFK (quite a while ago now. I think I'm due another.)

Total - £9.50

Shoes;
You can't see them here, but I'm also wearing a pair of exceedingly beautiful and exceedingly uncomfortable black Vivienne Westwood for Melissa plastic peep toes. If you remember, shoes are generally not included in the £10 challenge because it's hard to find second hand shoes in my size. These ones were reduced to £35 though, which merits a mention I feel.
This is the first time I have ever attempted to take a self portrait, so apologies for the rubbishness of the photo. Hopefully, I'll get better at this. I hate almost every photo of me which doesn't help either as it meant I ended up taking an awful lot of pictures where I just look intensely uncomfortable. I also noticed, looking back through them, that my legs are a completely different colour to the rest of me and have now gone out and bought some of that Johnson's gradual tan stuff for pale skin to try and correct this.