What Going on a Shopping Ban Revealed About My Closet
PC: Florré
It’s difficult for a clothes-obsessed shopping editor to go on a shopping ban. When your job requires you to scroll through pages and pages of beautiful clothing, how do you find the willpower to hold back your spending?
Unfortunately, it is something that needs to be done. After my somewhat reckless shopping habits over the past few years, I’ve imposed a shopping ban on myself. The soft leather loafers from Lemaire? On hold. The raffia tote from A.L.C.? Gotta wait until next summer. Even when that too-good-to-be-true shoe pops up on The RealReal in my size, I avert my gaze. It officially became time for me to curb my spending and put my wallet away.
I’m going to be real with you. The burning desire for a Loewe pump didn’t go anywhere. I’m on month 3 of my shopping ban right now, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t slip here and there. In my defense, I only tapped my card twice when the item in my basket was under $100.
Why am I putting myself through all this torture? Well, I came to the realization that despite my continuous shopping over the years, I wasn’t particularly happy with what was hanging in my closet.
Left: A St. Agni dress I had to tear myself away from. Right: The most perfect Helmut Lang leather jacket, I bid adieu.
Every few weeks, I like to get in front of the mirror and piece together new looks. I started to notice that I own a lot of trendy pieces that don’t even suit me. No matter how I tried to puzzle them together, the reflection in the mirror didn’t inspire any confidence. I had been buying into viral tops and bottoms without thinking twice about how they represented me.
When you can buy anything you want, you stop daydreaming about the pieces in advance. I honestly believe that the only way to find your personal style is to envision yourself in certain aspirational scenarios and look at what you’re wearing. What fabric is gracing your body as you run across cobblestone streets in Milan, going from show to show? What shoes are hopping over each stone as you make it across the street? No amount of doom-scrolling on Instagram will reveal what clothes you need, trust me.
So there I am, looking at a blue and red striped polo and a polka-dotted high-waist skirt hanging in my closet, and I’m wondering what the hell they are doing there. I immediately texted a friend whom I thought would appreciate these more and asked if she’d take them off my hands. An immediate yes followed.
Going on a shopping ban forced me to look at my closet with a much more discerning glare. I want a highly functional wardrobe that truly represents me, so that I can pick up anything at any time and create a killer outfit.
Now, if you’ve been here for a while, then you may remember my “The Capsule Wardrobe Ruined My Style” story. When I say “functional wardrobe,” I don’t mean a pair of straight-leg jeans and a white T-shirt I can wear over and over again. I mean personal items that spark joy every time I wear them. Every single item should feel like an extension of my soul.
I was never really one to hold onto items that didn’t excite me, but boy, the way I Marie Kondo-ed the crap out of my closet should be studied. I brought suitcases full of clothes to my sister, asking if she wanted anything (photographic evidence below). The rest went straight to the donation center.
I feel the need to say that I didn’t actually stop going shopping, so don’t be surprised if you run into me in the fitting room at Bergdorf Goodman. I simply stopped buying things, even when my body screamed to bring something home. Popping into stores helps me stay inspired and learn what styles pull at my heartstrings.
I’ve kept tabs on things I hope to own one day. But I realized there are plenty of things I only liked in the spur of the moment. They don’t actually add to my style and are therefore better left at the store.
Oftentimes I’m looking for something very specific, say, a leather jacket, and I don’t want to buy the first somewhat good option that fits. I realized that the longer I spend looking for something, the better the options get, and the more confident I feel when I finally make my purchase.
I also realized that the more I pared down my closet, the clearer it became what’s missing. I’ve brought my wardrobe to a place where I don’t technically need anything else, which means everything I add to it now should feel extremely special and can make me smile every time I glance in the mirror.
How much longer is this shopping ban going to last? I’m not quite sure. I don’t feel that I’m at the end of my discovery phase, where I can confidently say “these are the five things I’m investing in after going on a shopping ban for TK months.”
But maybe that will be an interesting next post from me ;)
Love,
Bianca
