If you scanned your life what would come out tops as your favourite all time outfit?  

Mine was a check grey and white mixed wool and cotton mixed style blouson jacket. It had a collar that stood up with two lapels that added an extra sense of style to the garment. It looked great over skinny jeans covering my long, slender, sixteen year old legs that went on forever. It even made it onto television when I was a guest on a children's show with children's presenter Elvis Payne and a very young Gordon Honeycomb. It showed it’s dexterity when teamed up with a grey and white checked borderline skirt with pleats all the way round.

The blouson jacket was a treat from my Mum from a posh boutique on our local high street in South London called In-Betweens.  At the time of purchasing little did I know that my choice of this particular item of clothing had more to do not with how I looked when wearing it but ultimately how it made me feel.

Clothes that not only look good but also allow you to also feel good are worth their weight in gold.

Sixteen can be an awkward age for most teenagers. You’ve not yet quite reached adulthood but have gone way past childhood. Wearing this top made me feel grown up but not too over the top. It had enough room in its design to be both comfortable and chic in yet still show off parts of the body I felt comfortable displaying.  I loved the softness of the fabric and how the weight of the fabric did not feel skimpy. And most of all I felt really attractive when I wore it as well as the added bonus of feeling comfortable in my own skin.

Clothes that not only look good but also allow you to also feel good are worth their weight in gold.

In her book the Life Changing Magic Of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo offers a fascinating perspective on our relationships with our clothes. In the chapter about sorting out your clothes clutter she suggests the following, "Put all your clothes in one pile, take them in your hand one by one, and ask yourself quietly, 'Does this spark joy?'

This tip really worked for me and recently I let go to my local Mary’s Give and Take charity shop a custom designed dress, hastily commissioned for my big 50, that just didn't cut it. As much as I wanted to keep it, the colours and style just weren’t right and I knew it was time to let it go.

Kondo goes even further and suggests you should have conversations with your clothes and state out loud as you remove your clothes from the days wear, 'Thank you for keeping me warm all day'. Or when removing accessories (I like this one), 'Thank you for making me beautiful'.

I really am all for this as, even though I hadn't bought it fully into my conscious awareness, it does seem to make perfect sense to express our appreciation to our clothes for all that they do. And it's an organic way of ensuring we are in the habit of wearing items of clothing we still enjoy.

Finally Kondo suggests when letting go of clothing you no longer want to keep to say out loud, 'Thank you for giving me joy when I bought you,' 'Thank you for teaching me what doesn't suit me'.  I have to admit that the last comment did bring a smile to my face as I can think of a few more items in my wardrobe that really do need to go.

Clothes - like the Bible scripture suggests - are with us for either, ' ... a time, a reason or a season.' It all points to creating space to cherish and only wear the clothes you really love.