August 9, 2012

Merciless Clothing Culling and New Clothes

Last Saturday I took 15 bags of (mostly) clothes to the Salvation Army. I was simultaneously thrilled and grossed out.

Thrilled to have consolidated two closets into one and gotten rid of clothes that weren't 100% and exactly what I wanted. Grossed out that I'm so wasteful and had so many clothes to give away.

My relationship with clothes is so many things: bargain shopping and cute random finds, a pick me up when I'm feeling blue, a bad habit I fall into when I need the feeling of something new. Its so cliched American, I want to scream. I'm okay with admitting I'm both a bit of a retail therapy junkie and an ardent, true and real fan of fashion. I LOVE shoes, dresses, jewelry,  and pretty, pretty colors.

My 2012 clothing goals have been:

  • Out with the cheap (Forever 21, Target, Old Navy)
  • Come up with a minimum of three things you can wear it with before buying
  • MUST TRY ON EVERYTHING
  • If I feel the urge to shop, I just put it in an online shopping cart and leave it there
  • If it fits great, get it now. Don't wait for it to go on sale. 
  • Spend more on less
  • Ignore sale emails unless there is something you've had your eye on
  • All purchases must be recorded
  • Make repeat purchases in styles you know flatter you and you constantly reach for
  • Get rid of anything you don't want to pack on a trip or wear on a constant basis (I just sent my 21-year old niece three great dresses I simply don't reach for any more. I think they'll look fantastic on her.)
The lesson I'm trying to teach myself is the pain of paying for things that don't work or I don't love. I don't know why this is my curse, but I'm passionately trying to break it.



This is my second Gap Pure purchase of the year, I also got a long, black maxi skirt that I've been living in. This dress has been a nice addition.


I can not have enough striped boatneck tops.


Finally found a great, lightweight crewneck sweater. I got it in kelly green.

1 comment:

Jillian Frances said...

I've been trying this same strategy this year. I bought very few clothes for summer, but I made sure I loved them, and I have worn every piece to death. I also took the Dressing Your Truth (www.dressingyourtruth.com) course after reading about it on a blog. It was fabulous and totally changed how I feel about fashion and shopping. High recommend it! If you're interested, I think I have a referral link I can send you.