Is this crazy? I am thinking about -- thinking about, mind you -- not buying anything for 30 days.
Would it kill me? Quite possibly. But then there's the whole "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger" thing, so.... I look in my closet and see more tops than I can possibly wear often enough this summer to cost-justify them. (I like my clothes hard-working -- I like to wear the things I love, wear them into the ground, and then move on. A too-full closet with not enough that I am excited to wear just depresses me.)
And then I think about my friend A. She is almost universally known to have a great sense of style. And she does. But what I admire almost as much are two things I've learned about her recently. First, she has an extremely clear sense of what works for her (and what doesn't). Second, she's told me that she rarely buys things without walking away and thinking about them first.
The result: She tells me she doesn't make a lot of mistakes. And that's worth a lot! I would love to avoid the waste that ensues when you buy something impulsively, without carefully considering whether it works for your body type, your personal style, and your lifestyle. I hate seeing my mistakes a few days or weeks later when that first blush has worn off and you just see the garment and have to ask yourself, "What in God's name was I thinking!?"
Here are some other reasons for my buying freeze. First, toward the middle or end of a season (and, yes, we are at that moment this summer, clothing-wise), I like to test all my clothes. Those aforementioned mistakes? I force myself to find the best possible outfit for them and put them on in the morning. If I can't get myself to wear them through a single day, then I'm done trying. They're history -- into the bag destined for my local charity. I gave them one last chance and it didn't work. No need to keep beating myself up about it.
The other reason is to give myself mental energy (and, let's face it, some room in the old budget) to gear up for fall! It's just around the corner, at least in the world of fashion merchandising. In a few weeks, your favorite department store will have put those bathing suits into moth balls and brought out its Fall '08 coats.
I want to be ready for that moment when it happens. And now that I'm thinking about it, I could use a new coat this fall.....
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