In the past few years I have struggled with the size of my wardrobe and the amount that I spend on clothing. It seems like I was constantly going through a reinvention of my look - purging the pieces that were "no longer me" only to replace them with more that I would never end up wearing. My jobs have changed, the location I call home has changed, and my life has changed. I've gotten swept up in the craze of collecting items from designers who are shuttering their doors, only to rid myself of these hasty purchases for less than I paid. I went through a phase where I believed that I had to buy everything I tried on that looked good on me and fit well - that was quite a costly period. Frankly, a lot of things fit me well and look good on my body type, but that doesn't mean that I need to purchase them. And yet dressing everyday was a struggle. I never seem to have anything to wear.
At the same time as all of this, it became trendy to suddenly define your personal style and complete revamp your wardrobe to meet that vision. Thanks domino magazine and others for leaving me even more confused.
At least in pregnancy I stopped purchasing so much (save for a couple pairs of shoes) and now am realizing how much of what I have isn't suited to my lifestyle. I have a row of frocks that I adore, but I never wear! I work at home, have an infant who likes to spit up, I walk or bike everywhere and we really prefer to spend a lot of time at home. I cultivated an ideal of what I wanted my life to look like that then bought clothes to fit that image, only to realize that it was totally impractical.
So now I sit in front of my closet (the contents of which has thankfully been slowly dwindling) and wonder why I own 8 suits. Yes - 8. Three of them black and almost exact replicas of each other. So I am going to purge again. This time, I hope for good.
This fall I am going to make a list of the items I would like to round out my wardrobe. Pieces that fit my lifestyle and personality. I don't care that they are trendy, but would rather they are items that are made to last. I loathe the overconsumption tied to fashion and the driving need to constantly spend more, yet I don't think that I will ever be able to pull totally away from the feel of a garment or the intricacies of a seam, so I am going to attempt to define my style and fashion values. This will take time.
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I definitely know what you mean. I have tons of clothes, but not a complete wardrobe or even complete outfits. Recently, I organized my closet and basically pulled out any pieces that didn't go with my wardrobe. I'm slowly making my way towards a more cohesive collection of clothes.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it an all-consuming project when you think about it? The time, effort and money that we put into clothing ourselves every day. I'm sure that could be much more well-spent! Good luck with winnowing down your closet.
ReplyDeletei TOTALLY agree. i have a million mini dresses that i never wear. so good to stand back and really revise what you need and will wear. i love this post!
ReplyDeleteJoanna - isn't is so sad when you think about it? Then I start to wonder about the whole point of fashion anyway, but that never lasts too long. I will say, however, that all of this seems minuscule when I stare into Noah's eyes. Don't you feel the same when you look at Toby?
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