The Art of Borrowing

One wardrobe can be so limiting, don’t you think? You can never fit everything in, it’s always got the same old stuff in it and budget always dictates its size. But why limit yourself? Open up your wardrobe and never spend a penny. How? Practise the art of borrowing.

Here at MSL we are big advocates of the art of borrowing clothes. Once you start opening your eyes to potential borrowing opportunities you can almost double the size of your wardrobe. Here’s who to borrow from and how to do it:

Mums

 If, like us Semple girls, you are lucky enough to have a stylish mum, then you have struck a gold mine. There are many benefits to borrowing from mum as her things are probably far more expensive than you can afford and as a mum she will have endless patience and will secretly love you borrowing her things. Mums are particularly great for jewellery, handbags and all other types of accessories. However, if you want to keep borrowing remember to always ask nicely, flatter her endlessly and never refer to her things as “vintage”.

Sisters

The ultimate borrowing opportunity and yet the most difficult technique to master. If you are the same size as your sister then everything is up for grabs, there are no rules when it comes to sibling rivalry. This one has potential to turn nasty so we recommend a stealth approach; take without asking, never crumble under questioning and always deny everything, even when caught red-handed.

Boyfriends/Partners/Spouses

Never has there been a better season to exploit this. The girl/boy trend is the perfect excuse to start dipping into your partner’s wardrobe. If your loved one is not fashion savvy then stick with the traditional borrowing items like shirts and jumpers. Why spend money on oversized items when there is a whole other side of the wardrobe to explore? There’s no need to ask permission, what’s theirs is yours, right?

Friends

A wise fashionista will always pick her friends according to height, weight and shoe size. Tread carefully with this one as bad borrowing etiquette can lead to unfriending on Facebook. Always ask first and return in a timely manner, give back in the same condition you borrowed it in and be open and generous with your own wardrobe if you want the borrowing to continue.

Finally, never borrow designer items. This is just tempting fate and asking for trouble. Unless it’s from your mum; mums will forgive anything.

By Samantha Vandersteen