Let’s face it, we have all fallen victim at one point (or many!) to making regretful purchases. I am completely guilty of this too, despite my best intentions. Shopping can be quite psychological, so there is often a lot at play when we are making purchasing decisions whether we realise or not.
While some purchases are well thought out, many can be quite impulsive and emotionally driven and suddenly you find yourself in the scenario of a wardrobe full of clothes and nothing to wear. Sound familiar?
The key to creating a hard working wardrobe that will serve you for years to come, is to adopt the mindset of curation. Rather than endlessly shopping, you are curating a collection of pieces which are perfect for you and your lifestyle.
I have worked in fashion for well over a decade, most of which has been in trend led buying teams. Believe me when I say- I have been there! There was a time where due to the nature of my job, I just completely lost my personal style and its taken years of careful considered purchases to get to the point now where I am highly considered about what crosses the threshold into my wardrobe.
Over the years, I have developed a criteria list to help discern what is a worthy purchase and what isn’t. However, like everything this is still a work in progress. I am definitely not perfect by any stretch.
Having this mental checklist has helped me though adopt a long term view for my wardrobe and has really helped with purchasing decisions, and that difficult moment when that piece you have fallen head over heels in lust with, just hasn’t made the cut.
So without further ado, here are the five questions you should ask yourself before you buy anything.
1/ Can I Afford It?
Ahh the age old conundrum. I am no financial advisor and I am in no way here to tell you how to spend your money. However as tempting as it may seem, that handbag is not worth getting into debt over. Rather than being a positive experience, the long term psychological impact of debt is real, and not worth jumping into over your wardrobe no matter how much you love a particular piece.
2/ Can I Create Three Outfits (at Least) From This Piece?
This question speaks to the versatility of a piece. Is this item going to be able to work hard in my wardrobe and serve me more than one look. Ideally you are looking to create three new outfits from existing items you own with this potential new piece- you shouldn’t have to buy clothing in order to be able to make something work.
3/ Do I Own Something Similar?
Our Reticulated Activated System (RAS) is a part of your brain which tends to hone in on your immediate reality, and gives you tunnel vision. For example, if I was to tell you red skirts are trending, whether they are trending or not, I guarantee you that you will start seeing red skirts EVERYWHERE. Have you noticed that you have multiples of similar items in your wardrobe? The is the RAS at work, and left unchecked, it is an express ticket to losing our style. Before clicking add to cart, take a moment to check yourself and your wardrobe. Do you already own something similar?If so, step away from the laptop.
4/ Is This Trend Led?
It’s so easy to be swept up in a trend, especially with social media. At first that piece looks a little crazy to you, then it starts popping up on social media and in your favourite stores. Maybe you see it on the street, and suddenly without understanding how you got here, you too are buying into the trend, and you have convinced yourself you “have to have it”. Three months later the trend has fatigued and you are bore of that particular item. Probably because it was never your style to begin with.
It’s all too easy to be influenced without realising in todays world. I personally am not against dabbling in the occasional trend, but only if it legitimately fits my personal style, and I would wear it after the trend burned out.
Really challenge yourself here, and if it doesn’t fit your personal style, my recommendation is to walk away and spend your money on an addition to your wardrobe that has more longevity.
5/ What is the End Use?
This term is one that is used a lot in making product decisions in buying offices of fashion companies, and a principle that really resonated with me.
We have discussed the RAS and the risk of buying the same thing over and over without realising. This question is very aligned with that.
When you are wanting to purchase something new, and you check in your wardrobe for similar pieces, you need to be challenging the end use of the item. For example. You may have a love of white shirts, and thus have accumulated quite the collection. Now you have found a white silk shirt that you want to buy, but feel like you already own a lot of white shirts.
A silk white shirts end use is more dressy than a classic white poplin button down. Even when dressed down, it is unlikely you will be in the situation where you are deciding between the two shirts as they have a significantly different vibe from one another and therefore have different end uses.
Now on the flip side, you are looking to purchase a white poplin shirt, but you already own several. Challenge what makes this shirt different enough that its going to create new options for you in your wardrobe. If it just has a different cuffs, or a different collar, you are likely going to be wearing it in a similar way to other shirts you own. On days where you are faced with deciding which one to wear, you will always go for your favourite shirt, even if you have five others that are similar. They compete with each other are they all do the same job in your wardrobe. Adding another white poplin shirt is not going to move your wardrobe forward in any way.
Instead, direct your hard earned money to a new item which has a different end use to anything you already own.
In Summary
So there you have it, the five key questions you need to be asking yourself prior to bring new items home from a shopping trip.
Obviously everyone’s situation is vastly different, but these are the criteria points which have really helped me over the years with myself and clients to curate a streamlined and effective wardrobe, full of endless options.
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