Hunting For A Sale Is Destroying Your Closet
A common shopping habit among not only our clients but people everywhere is that they bought something because it was cheap or on sale. We’ve been trained as a society to believe we’re getting a deal when the price is dropped, that value is being added to our lives. But when it comes time to take that tag off and actually wear the discounted garment out, we are left disappointed, and that article of clothing either is worn only once or stays in the back of the closet unseen by the public. Pieces like these don’t lead us any closer to the wardrobe of our dreams. They hold us back by taking up space and making us feel bad about our purchase and, honestly, ourselves whenever we wear it.
Cheap clothing typically means cheap fabrication. We’ve all heard the story of the Amazon purchase leading to them being a victim of good lighting and false advertisement. These clothing items usually don’t hold up well. It’s see-through, made of cheap fabric, and falls apart after one wash. Pieces like these don’t help build a good closet because you have to do so much finagling to make it work. You have to put a tank under or make sure you wear the right type of underwear there, and by the third wash, the garment looks like it has been living 10 hard years in your closet. A good wardrobe has mostly pieces you do not have to do too much with. When the majority of things fit as they should and flatter the body no matter what is underneath, this allows for more versatility and interchangeability among items. Discounted clothing may cause more problems in your closet because it’s not well-made. To be clear, there are plenty of places like Marshalls and Nordstrom Rack that have high-quality, lower-priced clothing. No one is saying you have to get all your items from Neiman Marcus. But it’s important to invest a little bit more than you usually would in the items in your closet you wear most often and for special occasions.
Buying cheaper items is also usually a reaction to last-minute shopping. When we are going through clients’ closets, we hear all the time that something was bought because their niece was getting married and they didn’t have anything to wear to the wedding. So, they quickly picked something up from Ross and didn’t have to feel bad about it because it was inexpensive. They never really wanted the item, but it fulfilled a need at that moment. Shopping for specific occasions is one of the worst ways to shop because you’re under time constraints. This will cause you to not think clearly while searching through the stores for something to wear. Because that is one of the most stressful ways to shop, if we’re redoing an entire closet and the client is only looking for workwear and everyday clothes, we still might throw in a few fancier garments. If the client falls in love with it, which happens quite often, they now have the perfect dress to wear for an unexpected party a friend is throwing. Just like any other situation in life, you want your closet to be prepared for whatever events may come your way. And shopping on an event-by-event base is not going to cut it.
Another reason why buying something only because it’s on sale or inexpensive isn’t beneficial to your closet is that you’re shopping without intention. The most important thing to you is the price tag. And, yes, saving money may be on your agenda, but the goal of buying clothes is to wear and love as often as you can. When you don’t wear them, then you donate them to your nearest Goodwill after two years to then try and replace them with something else that is equally cheap. You’re now contributing to clothing overconsumption. But what is intentional shopping? Is it shopping only a certain amount? Is it being cautious about which stores you purchase from? Yes, and yes, these ideas are part of intentional shopping. But intentional shopping is also about buying an item because it fills a gap within your closet. Intentional shopping is about purchasing items that flatter your body shape. Intentional shopping is about purchasing items in your color season that flatter you. The spring color palette might be your color season, but it’s February and the majority of things on sale are from the season before. Why are you buying purple heels when you don’t even have a reliable pair of black ones that go with virtually anything? Why did you just spend your money on a sneaker haul when you don’t have a brown belt to go with your brown dress shoes? Make it make sense. Shopping fiscally smart is important, but you have to make your budget worth it. Because if you don’t, then you’re throwing your money away on things that do not serve you.
A good sale is always a good thing, but an item that’s on sale, fits you well, complements your skin tone, and makes sense in your closet is the real win. The durability and longevity of an item are important for the longevity of your wardrobe throughout the years. And instead of shopping for nice things when it’s the absolute last minute, treat yourself to a gorgeous dress that makes you feel good in that very moment you see it. It will save you stress in the long run.