This weeks Key Look for Spring Summer 2010 comes with a short history lesson. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin.

'Make Do & Mend' was a slogan used by the British government during World War Two, an accompanying pamphlet was published in 1943 filled with tips for frugal living during wartime. The pamphlet had tips for cooking, cleaning but most importantly taught people how to preserve your clothes, from methods of washing clothes to increase their lifetime to mending older clothes. People literally were making do and mending, to preserve resources doing their part to help the home front.

How does this apply in terms of a trend I hear you cry? Whilst I appreciate the irony of entitling a trend, which intrinsically means further consumption, 'Make Do and Mend', my intention is to evoke the style and feel of this period in fashion and if in turn this encourages you to look at your consumption of this trend for an eco fashion perspective, whether that be buying vintage or making your own clothes then that's even better.

As a side note, part of the look and feel of this trend also evokes American Depression Era fashion (feedsack dresses and the like) but being British I did choose to focus on the British side of this trend, but feel free to look at the depression as a historical reference to this look.

The look itself is both feminine and practical and is a trend that I have embraced ever since first thinking of clothes as fashion rather than a cloth that covered my backside.

Simple tea dresses, in feminine ditsy, floral prints, shirt style and/or bias cut, anchor the trend and practical accessories such as satchels, low heeled shoes (such as brogues, loafers and mary-janes) pull it together. Combined with the long socks that are filtering over to summer from Fall/Winter, gives the look a quirky vintage feel. Top off the look with a pretty cardigan and you have your key pieces for the Kelsi Smith uniform…umm…I mean the 'Make Do and Mend' trend.

To re-iterate whilst the pieces I have picked to demonstrate this look are new, it's a great opportunity to go vintage and handmade to achieve this look. I fully encourage you to delve deep! It's far more rewarding that way!

On the Catwalk:

Main Picture (top)

1) Tea Dress – ASOS – $53.25, 2) Cardigan – Forever 21 – $32.90, 3) Satchel – Cambridge Satchel Company – £64, 4) Socks – Sock Dreams – $9, 5) Brogues – Topshop – $125

By Kelsi Smith