Fashion and sight loss 

Let’s talk about fashion and sight loss. 

Fashion and vision impaired people; Two entities that aren’t often considered to go hand-in-hand, thanks to the stereotypes that so tightly surrounds the topic.

Well, let’s challenge this.

I’m teaming up with Holly today to bring you the next instalment of our Seeing Through Sight loss series – A selection of blog posts that we work in tandem on together to break down some of the most common misconceptions relating to vision impairment, and how we go about our lives as two young vision impaired women. 

Ultimately, the aim of today’s post is to give you a rundown of how we make fashion accessible to us, from shopping to picking an outfit, the hope here is to shine a little light on how fashion can be appreciated by everyone, even those of us who can’t see. 

I wrote a post similar to this one relating to beauty and makeup a little while ago which went down a treat – thank you for all of your lovely feedback. So it was only right that the spotlight was passed on to fashion next. 

So, without further ado, let’s get into it, shall we? 

Shopping

I love to shop as much as the next person and, shock horror, my vision impairment doesn’t taint the concept of buying new clothes for me. 

There are some elements that prove slightly tricky, but that’s not to say they can’t be eased with a little helping hand. 

Going shopping with someone can always bring an element of fun, and it’s the most accessible/enjoyable way for me to shop in person as a vision impaired person (VIP). 

in my opinion, it’s always good to go shopping with someone who knows you and your style really well, because they’re essentially your eyes.

I tend to pick and choose an item depending on the fabric, the texture and the colour (since I do have some remaining eyesight which affords me the opportunity to see some colours in good lighting), but I find that I need someone by my side to pick out my size and share their opinion when I try something on. A mini fashion show whilst putting the world to rights is never a bad idea, right? 

Some of my VI friends have used personal shoppers in the past  which is another option if you fancy browsing with someone completely new to you who might push you outside your comfort zone. There are always options my friends. 

I am privy to scrolling through online sites to see what’s new-in fashion too, but it can present some challenges courtesy of inaccessible websites and lack of item descriptions (that’s a topic for another day). 

There are a handful of websites that are taking small steps towards improvement, but there’s still a long way to go until we achieve a fully accessible online shopping space. 

Organising

If there’s one thing that people wonder the most when it comes to us VIP’s and fashion, it’s how we pull a presentable outfit together. Whilst it’s not so far removed to how a fully sighted person would go about the task, there are a few things that make it easier for us VIP’s, since we can’t fling the wardrobe doors open and find the pieces we want by peering inside. 

I can’t speak for every vision impaired person here, but there are certain ways that I go about organising my clothes.

My wardrobe

I try to keep my wardrobe as organised as possible by splitting it into sections, placing all my jumpers together, all my dresses together, etc – I’m sure you get the jist. This allows me to know where everything is. 

Sense of touch is my best friend when navigating my wardrobe; I’ve developed a knack for recognising my clothes by the way they feel. 

It’s also possible to label your clothing, there are special labels that come with the RNIB Penfriend which you can use to record voice notes onto labels, and whenever you go back over that label with the Penfriend, it will be read back to you. Clever, eh? This is especially handy if you want a reminder of the washing instructions, or what colour the item is if you have no remaining eyesight. 

Jewellery

My organisation doesn’t stop there since I have quite a lot of jewellery to get in order too.

 I keep all my bracelets in a jewellery box which has different compartments in it, therefore I can keep different bracelets in different sections. I tend to keep the dainty little bracelets together and then the bigger ones in another section. It’s simple but effective. 

Sense of touch comes into play here too since I’ve grown to recognise how every piece in my collection feels like which makes it easier when picking things out. 

When it comes to necklaces I tend to keep them in the boxes that they came in (if they came in a box that is) and label the box as and when I feel is needed. 

My rings are kept in a jewellery box designed for that purpose, they each have their specific place in the box but they’re also easily identifiable by touch. 

So, that’s it. A little overview into how I make fashion accessible to me as a vision impaired person. 

If anything I’ve mentioned has sparked any questions then please do get in touch. And if you’re a fellow VIP, I’d love to know if you have some tips and tricks of your own to share, you can never have too many when it comes to fashion. 

Elin x