Posted on January 03 2016
As fashion changes every season, new colors become popular and different prints dominate the runways, I honestly used to think to myself as I purchased something new and trendy..."I know this won't be in fashion next year and I'll probably regret buying this, buttttttttt, it really does look cute on and I just love it, so what the hell?". And the following season, I find it pushed to the back of my closet to make way for something more fun to wear.
This is how after working for a international retailer for 3+ years, I easily spent $200 a week on new clothes and had over 1000 items in my walk-in closet. How do I know this? I would buy a box of 25 black velvet hangers from Bed Bath & Beyond every month to keep up the demand of my clothes addiction (Oh... and I counted them when I sold my house and didn't have a walk-in closet anymore). Shoppers remorse? Kind of yes, because I always wondered how much money I was giving away to charity every year when I donated dated clothes.
As I got older though, I learned to buy more classic items in better quality fabrics and opt for only a couple of trend pieces every season. And that's why I dedicated myself to building a closet of wardrobe staples now instead. Now when you open a drawer, you'll find the same top in 8 colors. This top is so versatile, I can wear it to sleep in, to workout in the gym, or layer it under sweaters in the fall. Some of these tops have lasted over seven years and I've only ever had to replace the white and black ones once, because sometimes I wear that color twice a week!
Now the key to not having shoppers remorse is to not impulse buy. It's very hard, trust me, I know. Read a few fashion magazines and see what's trending, then pick only two of those trends to buy. Fringe was a big trend this fall and as I looked over every magazine, I felt that I wanted one of everything I saw. Fringe booties, fringe jacket, fringe dress, fringe earrings, fringe boho bag, fringe hem vest, but I handcuffed myself away from shopping for a couple of days and thought about the practicality of everything and the reality of this item.
1.) Where would I wear this item?
2.) Is it practical for my job?
3.) Is fringe really my style or do I feel like too much of an 1985 biker chick in a heavy metal video?
4.) Will my cat decide to play with it, if I leave it hanging on the bedroom door when I go out and will it be completely destroyed before I even wear it?
5.) How do fringe tassels wash and dry? Do they get all knotted up and frayed?
So today, I have a suede pair of kelly green fringe heels that I bought a couple of years ago, with the intent of pairing them with a little black dress to get into the christmas spirit (I had bought red velvet booties for my holiday shoes the year before). They're still sitting in the box, tags still on, wrapped in tissue with that new shoe smell (right next to my gold glitter booties I bought for New Years Eve the year before and never wore again). Shoppers remorse. What's worse, is I kept telling myself that I'll wear them out to a fun St. Patricks Day event, or a spring wedding. 6 months later, still in the box and un-returnable because its well past the 30 days on the receipt.
The mistake I made... impulse buying and combining two trends (the color green and fringe) together on an item that isn't wearable everyday. <Sigh> We live and we learn.
