“I need a new tshirt” “I need a dress for the summer” “I need more jeans” “I need to invest in upgrading my wardrobe”
All of my internal dialogue about clothes last year, and the year before, and the year before that, has been based around the language of “need”. I convinced myself that new things were a necessity, that this latest item would fill the last chink in how I presented myself. There was a gap in my confidence that clothes could plug. But it wasn’t just a gap, it was a neverending vacuum.
That makes me sound like Rebecca Bloomwood from Confessions of a Shopaholic (a 2009 cinematic classic). I’m not. My wardrobe has never overflowed. My spending has always been within my means. My style isn’t exactly vogue-worthy. Yet still, at the end of 2018 I realised I always had that tickle in the back of my mind that made me want to shop.
The “need” I thought I had for new clothes had been manufactured, cheaply and recklessly (like almost all fast-fashion is) by brands who never really stopped to think about the effect of convincing everyone they are less than complete. I never really needed any new clothes, I’m not sure I have for years now – I’ve not grown since I was about 13. I have enough that I could put together an outfit for every occasion I may possibly need to put an outfit together for, unless someone wants to invite me to the Oscars.
And you know what I am enough no matter what I’m wearing. There is nothing that requires me, that truly requires me, to look a certain way. I would much rather focus on learning and having fun this year. Imagine the time I can claw back without the impulse to refresh ASOS.
So, this year I want to break the cycle. I’m not going to buy any clothes (exceptions will be made for socks) for the whole of 2019.
I know that stopping shopping isn’t going to cure years of being told that consuming more will help me be enough. But I am hoping that going cold turkey on one of the most conspicuous areas of my consumption will help me start to rewire my brain.
It’s a single clear goal with a time frame, so it should be doable.
In order to keep me even more accountable, I’ve undertaken another task that I’ve wanted to do for a long while now; I’ve drawn every item in my wardrobe. This doesn’t include pyjamas or gym wear, but these are all of my outside clothes. I want to review this giant poster of clothes again at the end of the year, to see what I wore, what still sparks joy (yes I’m embracing the KonMari method), and what, if anything, I want to add.
So this is it, everything you’ll see me wearing this year. Although, I hope if we ever meet I can prove more interesting than my clothes.
I’m almost doing this year, not completely stopping buying clothes but instead of seeing something and going “Oh I like this I’ll just buy it” and not feeling guilty because it’s still second hand I think “is there actually a gap in my wardrobe for this, will I wear it enough?”. I’m also trying to repair all the clothes I manage to break (a skill of mine) instead of giving up on them. I haven’t bought any clothes so far this year but we’ll see how it goes!
The Quirky Queer
That’s such a good approach! I need to get to mending a few of my jumpers, I always seem to acquire little holes – thanks for the reminder!!