Last weekend, I went to a ball.
The Whale Fundraising Gala, to be precise. A proper event. The sort of occasion that requires you to put on a posh frock, make an effort with your hair and pretend you know what you're doing with a clutch bag.
And naturally, the question arose.
What on earth am I going to wear?
Now, there was a time when going to a big event seemed to involve spending a small fortune on an outfit you'd probably wear once, hang in the wardrobe and rediscover three years later when you're looking for something else.
The dress. The shoes. The bag. The jewellery. Possibly a new pair of tights.
It all adds up.
But here's the thing. It doesn't have to.
My entire outfit cost €67
Yes, you read that correctly. Sixty-seven euro. For the whole lot.
And before you ask, no, I haven't forgotten a zero.
Here's the breakdown.
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Second-hand Goddiva dress: €15
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Second-hand Karen Millen clutch bag: €17
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Second-hand Red or Dead sparkly silver shoes: €15
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Damaged vintage rhinestone necklace: €14
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2 diamanté brooches: €6
Total: €67.
A second-hand dress, designer accessories, shoes and all the bits I needed to make my own jewellery, for €67.
And every single thing came from Vinted.
I wasn't aiming for that'll do. I wanted an outfit I was excited to wear.
And I didn't have to compromise on that to get it.
There was one small complication, though. The dress was black.
Now, there's nothing wrong with a black dress. It's classic, it's elegant, it's slimming, and it's practically the official uniform of going somewhere posh. But I'm not exactly known for being understated.
I have bright red hair. Or, as one particularly delightful hairdresser on the set of Vikings once described it, “fake hair”. We're not friends.
So I decided that if the dress itself was going to be sensible, the rest of me didn't have to be.
A bit of oversized, sparkly jewellery. Some dramatic accessories. A little bit of RainbowRegalia madness.
The idea was to take that perfectly respectable black dress and make it feel like me.
Because that's the thing about a simple outfit. It doesn't have to be boring. Sometimes it's the perfect excuse to go completely over the top with everything else.
And if there's one thing I know how to do, it's overdo the accessories.
A little bit of jewellery surgery
Of course, I couldn't simply buy a necklace and leave it alone. That would be far too sensible.
The vintage rhinestone necklace was damaged, which is probably why it was available for €14. But it had lovely sparkly stones, and I could see the possibilities.
I also picked up some inexpensive square diamanté brooches.
A bit of dismantling, a bit of rearranging, a bit of playing around with the pieces, and I made my own earrings and necklace.
Which meant that the jewellery I wore to the ball wasn't identical to everybody else's.
It also meant that something that might otherwise have been discarded was given another life.
And, as far as I'm concerned, that's a win on several fronts.
I love the idea that something doesn't have to be perfect, brand new or expensive to be worth having. Sometimes it simply needs somebody to look at it and see what it could become.
That's rather how RainbowRegalia started. Though I suspect my husband would argue that I've taken the whole seeing potential in things business a little too far.
Particularly when he looks at the spare bedroom.
But what about wearing it again?
This is where I think we put far too much pressure on ourselves.
There's an unspoken expectation that if you're going to a big event, you need a new outfit. And if you've worn something to one occasion, heaven forbid you should wear it to another.
As though somebody is going to stand at the door with a clipboard checking your previous appearances.
“Excuse me, madam. Didn't you wear that dress to a wedding in 2023?”
I'd much rather buy something second-hand that I love, wear it to death, and pass it on when I'm finished with it than spend a fortune on something purely because it's new.
And buying second-hand doesn't mean settling for something dull or boring. There are gorgeous dresses, bags and shoes out there if you're prepared to have a look.
You might need a little patience. You might need to scroll past a few things or suffer through the secondhand clothes/charity shops signature scent for longer than anticipated but it's fun and there is absolute treasure to be found out there.
And if you can find something that fits beautifully, makes you feel fabulous and costs a fraction of the original price, why wouldn't you?
Fashionable doesn't always mean flattering
There's another advantage to shopping second-hand, particularly when you're approaching 50 and have finally figured out a few things about yourself.
I know what shapes suit me. I know what I feel comfortable in, what makes me feel good, and what looks lovely on the hanger but makes me look as though I've borrowed somebody else's clothes.
And here's the thing: what's fashionable doesn't necessarily suit my figure.
I could spend a fortune on whatever happens to be all over Instagram this season, but if the cut is wrong for me, what's the point? I don't care how fashionable something is if I put it on and spend the entire evening tugging at it, adjusting it or wishing I'd worn something else.
The beauty of shopping secondhand is that I'm not restricted to what's hanging in the shops right now. I can search for styles and brands I already know work for me, find older pieces I might never come across on the high street, and buy something because I actually like it — not because somebody has declared it the must-have look of the season.
I've never been much of a follower of fashion, to be honest. I'm a bit of an oddball, and I've always had my own style. I've never been particularly interested in wearing something simply because everyone else is wearing it. If I like it, I'll wear it. If I don't, I won't. It's not a particularly complicated system.
At almost 50, I also know what shapes suit me. I know what makes me feel good, and I'm not about to spend a fortune on something that doesn't work for me just because it's fashionable.
Looking fabulous isn't about the price tag
I should probably point out that I'm not judging anyone who wants to spend more on an outfit. If buying a beautiful new dress is your idea of heaven and you have the budget for it, go for it.
This isn't about telling anyone how they should spend their money.
It's about remembering that you don't need to spend a fortune to enjoy getting dressed up.
You can buy second-hand. You can borrow something. You can wear something you already own. You can make your own jewellery (yes you can. I didn't think I could and look at me now!). You can mix expensive-looking pieces with bargains and nobody needs to know how much anything cost.
Or, if you’re like me and physically incapable of keeping your mouth shut when you’re proud of yourself, you can blurt out the exact price immediately.
I may have done a little of that at the ball.
Because there's something rather satisfying about knowing that your entire outfit cost €67, especially when you've managed to create something that feels like you.
A bit of sparkle. A bit of vintage glamour. A bit of ingenuity.
And absolutely no need to explain yourself to anyone. Unless you're me of course...
So, how did the ball go?
I had my outfit sorted without spending a fortune, and I got to wear jewellery I'd made myself from pieces I'd found on Vinted.
Which, for me, is half the fun.
I'll admit there's a particular satisfaction in finding something second-hand, spotting its potential and turning it into something you love. It's a bit like treasure hunting, except the treasure doesn't require you to sell a kidney.
And if somebody asks where I got my outfit, I'll happily tell them.
Vinted. A bit of imagination. And a spare bedroom full of jewellery-making supplies.
Because looking a million quid and spending a million quid are two entirely different things.
And frankly, I'd rather have the money left over for something else.
More beads, perhaps.
Send help.
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