April 2009

I will be moving in about 2 months and will be sharing closets that I am sure will be much smaller than what I’m used to. I have been blessed (and cursed) with an absurd amount of closet space for most of my life. A few times a year, usually coinciding with a seasonal closet switch, I cleanse and purge my wardrobe. I truly subscribe to the belief that if you haven’t worn something in four seasons, it needs to go – unless it’s timeless formal attire or a pair of pants that the loss of 5 vanity pounds would render wearable once again.  So, in this slow process of rediscovering my warm weather wear, I will also be reassessing the necessity of everything I own.

I think a lot of my past clothing/shoe purchases have been compulsive and unrealistic: a top that will only go with one skirt, a skirt that I will rarely ever wear, and the shoes that will only go with this one outfit, and the bag that only goes with those shoes… and it all sits in a closet, waiting for that perfect moment where this perfect outfit will be appropriate. Then when that moment comes, I forget about said outfit and always gravitate towards what I’m most comfortable in anyhow. Then, the outfit is no longer current after a while and I have these outdated pieces taking up closet space. A lot of these purchases were made to try out a new style, to fit in with a trend that I never felt truly comfortable in, to live in a fantasy world where I pretend I am the type of woman who likes frilly things. This has to stop.

Last week, I got rid of over 30 pairs of impractical shoes and donated them to Goodwill. I filled my trunk with shoes alone. This is ridiculous. All that money down the drain. Unfortunately eBay would’ve been an enormous waste of time. Prices for shoes have dropped significantly and shipping costs have risen so, If I sold one pair of used shoes at $5 + $6 shipping + the time involved in taking and uploading pictures and filling out the description + packing the shoes up + taking them to post office and waiting in line (if they even sold) + subtracting the eBay and PayPal fees - it all seemed utterly pointless to me. I still feel good in knowing that they are going to a good cause but I am more frustrated with my own bad habits of compulsive purchases of things that don’t stand the test of time or go with the majority of my current wardrobe or were simply on sale. If I could only have all that money back right now…

So, I now vow to make more careful purchases – classic items that reflect my personality but also don’t ride on the edge of short-lived trends – quality over quantity – rooted in the reality of my real life – and resisting the seduction of a sale when I don’t really need something.

I haven’t even begun to tackle my clothing. My god.

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