Hey, hey y’all girl it’s your girl Rozie here! And today we’re going to talk about five shopping habits we need to let go!
We’ve all been there: we’ve got an event coming up and all of a sudden there’s nothing to wear in our closet. Or a new trend comes and we’re just dying to try it (and the five other micro trends we’ve seen our fav influencers don 🙃🙃🙃) or “it’s only ten bucks how could I pass it up!” And the best “it’s on sale for 10% off!” (a tip: that’s basically taxes, boo boo). But these are the things that are keeping our closet from really representing us: a bunch of incoherent pieces, trends that have gone by, a top you thought you’d wear but now you need to buy something else cuz nothing in your closet goes with it. These impulse pieces are actually causing us mental clothing anguish, and not to mention making our bank accounts cry. Just because you can afford it doesn’t mean you need to buy it!
I’m going to share with you 5 habits I know we are all guilty of doing but need to break, or, at the very least, calm down a bit!
1: Shopping outside your closet every time you have an event to go to!
There are some exceptions to this rule but I know for a long time every time I needed to be somewhere—anywhere!— you could find me at the fast-fashion meccas hitting up the racks to get something… anything that I didn’t already own. Just for “drinks with the girls”, or a new top for brunch, or I’ve got a baby shower to go to so I def need something new! This was fun and rewarding at the time, but it was becoming a habit and it was not necessary! Part of the actual issue was that my wardrobe was so not put together and was full of mismatched styles. But aside from that, in all honesty, I didn’t want to be a Lizzie McGuire outfit repeater,
so when shopping I’d always hit up the shops and find cheap, cute, and possibly on-trend things that I could wear one maybe two times max. This was great until I had a closet full of items that didn’t match or go together. Or I’d have a wardrobe full of items I literally could only wear a few times because after the first wash that item was D O N E! It took some real introspection and an actual deep dive into my closet to realize I could not keep going on that way. I had items I thought were cute but I couldn’t take time to figure out how to style them a different way. So I’d just simply be like “can’t wear that again” and that was that. It took me a bit but once I realized this was a reoccurring theme, I vowed to do better! I wanted to feel good about the stuff I was buying and keeping in my closet so I begin to slowly shop my own closet.
I first got the notion that I can’t be seen in the same thing twice out of my head, and I realized I had some great stuff waiting to be shown off again and I just needed a bit of style imagination to figure a new way to wear it or a new outfit combination for it. Once I discovered that I had some things I maybe hadn’t worn in a few months in the back of my closet, I did a rotation of how things were stored in my closet and dresser. Hello to an old favorite sweater! They were out of sight and out of mind, but rotating helped me remember them and made me excited to “shop” my closet! I also took the time to learn that you can change the aesthetic of your piece by your mood. I’d decide if I was feeling classy, romantic, or sexy and that would determine how I work that piece.
2. Not going through your closet seasonally, to get rid of revisit or resale items you no longer want.
I’m so guilty of holding on to things! I got to a point where I wasn’t even justifying holding on to items anymore. That was just something I did point blank period. After all, it’s pretty hard to justify why you have Abercombie Kids jeans that you wore in MS/HS in your college wardrobe. I wasn’t even thinking like one day I’ll fit them again. They were just my things and I wanted to hold on to them. I had a thing… with things. Accumulating stuff having a lot of clothes, and at one time over 68 pairs of jeans!!! Let’s not get started on the shoes 🙃. I literally couldn’t properly fit all of them but, I HAD TO HAVE STUFF! This was a big thing I had to unlearn. Quality over quantity and stuff does not have to equal happiness. The things I bought filled a void. It took time a long time and a panic of having to move out all of my stuff from a tiny two-bedroom NYC apt crisis with minimal help to realize I don’t need all this stuff! It was weighing me down! Take it from me LET IT GO! You will feel so light after.
Once you’ve culled down your closet, you’re left with all the good stuff. And if you sold some of your old stuff you’ll have some extra cash to go thrifting with! Win-win if you ask me. You will have a great base to add new exciting intentional pieces to your wardrobe. I also do have so much fun when the new season rolls around, it’s like a new closet every season!
3. Always Buying the cheap option.
If you’re anything like me and I’m very sure you are if you’re reading this blog post, then you love a good deal! If it is on sale, I am all over it like white on rice. That habit of buying everything on sale led me to have a closet full of stuff, just a bunch of stuff that I didn’t need, but I bought because it was only 5 bucks or because it was buying one get one for a penny (yes, I actually got something for a penny before!) While there is a great thrill in getting an amazing deal or an awesome find, it’s a trap! Sometimes. Lol. Not all the time. We always think we’re saving money when we’re getting something on sale but you’re still spending money. And oftentimes, with marketing ploys and false advertisements, you’re not really getting a sale at all. The companies are marking up the prices and then “putting them on sale” so you think you’re getting a deal. I think an excellent way to get an extra bang for your buck when it comes to your clothes is shopping second-hand. I love having a piece that I get complimented on and I can say “thanks it’s Madewell or J.Crew but I got it from a thrift store for 5 bucks!” Sometimes you can find things that are new with tags at the thrift store and you’re not paying that tag price! Don’t get got the way I used to when I thought that just because something was on sale meant I needed to buy it.
I broke that habit and I also got very intentional with my purchasing. Because of the global “panini,” online shopping became an even bigger thing for me, and because it was online, it was really easy for me to find pieces that I love at different retailers and kind of hold off on the purchase. Say there’s a beautiful sweater from free people that I love. I’d bookmark it and I would wait before I purchased it. How long you decide to wait is up to you. Some people will wait 24 hours, some people will wait a week, some people will wait a full month. If after my wait time I forgot about it then I don’t need it. If I remembered and I went back and I had the money to purchase it then it was all mine, and sometimes it would even be on sale! This way I’m not just impulse purchasing stuff, I’m actually thinking about if I really need this item and how it will fit in my wardrobe. Take time before actually purchasing the item to make sure you’re getting this item because you love it and will wear it, not just because it’s on sale.
4. Buying for the sake of the price.
So let me set the scene. There is a gorgeous pair of Italian leather boots on sale for $150. That sounds like an opportunity that no one could pass up: great quality and a great price. The only problem is you don’t need another pair of Italian leather boots because you already have three other pairs. But this is such a great price! Raise your hand if you’ve been there. Like seriously, I want you to raise your hand while reading this, ’cause I’m raising mine right now. 🙆🏾♀️🙋🏾♀️🤷🏾♀️ How could you pass up a deal like this? The answer is easy because we’re here to save money and consume less! This one is another trap to get you to spend money. Sure, if you need a pair of boots because the season is changing, and your old boots are done. Then by all means go for it sis. Buy them boots. Do you Boo Boo! But if you have a closet full of boots and you don’t really need any more? Let it go. It’s easy to get caught up in the price of an item, especially when it’s quality. But we don’t need to just buy things because they are a good price. It’s not worth it. It’ll just accumulate dust and take up space. This is where being very intentional in your wardrobe comes into play. Not being enticed by the deals and the steals so you can carefully curate your ideal style. This one kinda sort of goes in hand with not just buying stuff because it’s on sale. But it’s a little bit different. Because sometimes things are just a darn good price. And you feel like you need to buy it. And I’m here to tell you, yeah, don’t listen to the little voice. Don’t listen to the flutters that you get when looking at the item and looking at the price. It’s not worth having things for the sake of having them. You wanna have items that bring you joy and make you feel good when you’re wearing them. ’cause that’s what self-expression through fashion is all about.
5. Opting into any and every trend
Trends are so much fun to follow! Watching what all your fave models, actress, or insta influencers are wearing! The it-bag you spotted in vogue, allure, and style magazine. It’s so enticing to just want to be a part of the pack and have that coveted item. While I’ll never straight up be like ” don’t follow trends,” I will say don’t follow all trends. There are trends that come back around always so it probably wouldn’t hurt to jump on that bandwagon. There are micro trends and sub-trends galore! And if we’re following them all and buying them all you’ll end up out of money and with a mish-mash of what everyone else is wearing. And while I don’t think it’s a problem at all to wear what everyone else is wearing (if that’s your style), it takes away the creativity in outfit-making and lessens your own personal style. In the interest of keeping things true to who you are as a style individual, I’d say the trick is to opt-in on the tried and true trends. There are some things that literally trend every season. It may be different versions of the said trend but best believe florals will always be for spring. The trends come around all the time for a reason they are timeless and these are def trends you can participate in should you choose. Scope em’ out find the ones that best fit your style aesthetic.