'ENOUGH IS ENOUGH' - clothes acquisition, hysteria and the perfect wardrobe

[fash ho']

At the change of seasons, like most people, I do a few rounds of the shops and internet and pick up some new bits and pieces to augment my wardrobe and make the weather transition.

Sounds sensible, but the truth is that sometimes I get on a shopping roll and can't seem stop. I keep seeing more and more nice stuff and although my wardrobe is crammed, too much is not enough . . .

That's when shopping and clothes acquisition has become about other things; boredom or some desire to reinvent myself or something. These purchases (often repeats of things I already have) can make me feel more nauseous. I look at all my stuff and think "Do I really need more" and I look at my credit card bill and feel anxious.

Now I know how to reign myself in, and for months can live vicariously through others purchases (Secret Shopoholics - thanks! although everything is way out of my financial league).

In there, SoftGrey made a comment recently:

" I think I'm done for a while - I need to look at what I have and understand how it all works together."

which made me think about purchasing hysteria versus acquiring the perfect wardrobe.


Anybody else wonder about these issues?


apologies if the title sounds like a Sixth form english essay . . .

and mods, should this go somewhere else?

[Hanne]

Originally Posted by fash ho'

In there, SoftGrey made a comment recently:

" I think I'm done for a while - I need to look at what I have and understand how it all works together."

..and then you try.. having the styled images from fashion editorials in the back of your head (atleast that's how it often happens with me).. and you notice that the new sweater, the new pants and the new tee..just doesn't cut it with your old shoes.. any scarf in your collection or any of your bags that worked perfectly well with what you were try to do last winter...or your belts, your stockings, your hair, your jewelry.. because of the texture, the fabric, the shade, the length the overall picture is not how you envisioned you'd look... it's done, boring and unsatisfying..
Hopefully at some point while you stare hopelessly at the pile of clothes that you have just discarded in your effort to make your new wardrobe acquisitions work... you realize that to closely an interpretation of that style fashion editorial you have in your head is a creative prison that will only render you frustrated...sometimes I move on.. somtimes I stay frustrated.. and regardless of whether its the one or the other.. I keep scanning the stores..

[voodoo_mary]

thats how i am every morning when i'm dressing for work - frustrated, late for work and totally defeated by the piles of clothes and accessories that jus dont make any sense to me. on bad days i can get mired by indecision, lack of creativity and a half-baked understanding of my own personal style. everything i have ever cobbled together is inspired by editorial spreads. (cough cough marie claire and lucky are my faves..) so my search is based on outfits that i've seen in editorials. BUT wat actually ends up in my closet is v different from the "target" must-haves. e.g. the illusive, "perfect vest", the elusive " perfect white t-shirt"- the right length, the right tightness and the right neckline and sleeves!!, also, i've been hunting for the perfect shade of brown for my peeptoes. still havent found it.

[fash ho']

I just feel like i have been in a shopping frenzy recently and i haven't even brought my autumn winter clothes down from the attic yet.

its like some kind of insatiable urge . . .

and then when i do realise how much i have, i feel a bit sickened and want to throw away all the half-loved stuff and just buy things that i really really love.

[Hanne]

I think that urge sometimes makes it so hard to tell if the item your wanting to buy is going to be a 'half-loved' closet hanger or an item that hardly leaves your body..

[MissWednesday]

This is how I feel every day! When I look at the piles of clothes/shoes I have, I can never find anything to wear. It's either too tight or sits funny or wrong colour or whatever it is that day. It's a disease really - a shopping addiction. Buying something to make up for something lacking elsewhere

[SpookyGirl]

Originally Posted by MissWednesday

This is how I feel every day! When I look at the piles of clothes/shoes I have, I can never find anything to wear. It's either too tight or sits funny or wrong colour or whatever it is that day.

Exactly what I feel!
And the worse is, I'm still taking advantage from summer sales (who can resist 5 ou 10 € bargains?) and denying that autumn and winter are coming and I won't be able to wear these little shorts or t-shrirts that I keep buying...

But I have to admit that there are days when a simple thing as new necklace or shoes seem to instantly revive my wardrobe!

[july21]

Originally Posted by SpookyGirl

Exactly what I feel!
And the worse is, I'm still taking advantage from summer sales (who can resist 5 ou 10 € bargains?) and denying that autumn and winter are coming and I won't be able to wear these little shorts or t-shrirts that I keep buying...

!

the same with me! I'm still buying summer clothing because it's so much cheaper on sale! and I'm not sure if I will wear it next summer...maybe I won't like it then, but I keep buying it!

[laika]

Originally Posted by Hanne

..and then you try.. having the styled images from fashion editorials in the back of your head (atleast that's how it often happens with me).. and you notice that the new sweater, the new pants and the new tee..just doesn't cut it with your old shoes.. any scarf in your collection or any of your bags that worked perfectly well with what you were try to do last winter...or your belts, your stockings, your hair, your jewelry.. because of the texture, the fabric, the shade, the length the overall picture is not how you envisioned you'd look... it's done, boring and unsatisfying..
Hopefully at some point while you stare hopelessly at the pile of clothes that you have just discarded in your effort to make your new wardrobe acquisitions work... you realize that to closely an interpretation of that style fashion editorial you have in your head is a creative prison that will only render you frustrated...sometimes I move on.. somtimes I stay frustrated.. and regardless of whether its the one or the other.. I keep scanning the stores..

This is really well-decribed! Reminds me of something I read of Chanel's--the essence of fashion is to appear pretty and to become ugly.
True though.

What I find is that by the end of summer I am sick of my summer uniform and actually miss my fall clothes. This definitely doesn't stop me from shopping, and I am still prone to overspend (especially during the "pre-season" period).

Some of if it has to do with staying ahead of the fashion game, for sure.
But I also feel like I am perpetually, neverendingly working on myself and my own style. I try to think of it as a total picture that I have a long time to work on.

But it's still hard to determine when to say "that's enough" for one season, unless you are strictly driven by budget--or overwhelmed by your own guilt.

[tangerine]

What a great topic!

Most of this sounds very familiar to me, too.

Main difference is that I do not get my inspiration from editorials (no surprise to those of you who visit WAYWT ) and am instead working from a vague and only half-understood image that sometimes coalesces in my mind's eye, formed from half-remembered images of Marlon Brando, various rock stars, and my 10-year-old self, among others...

One thing I've noticed is that there does not seem to be any way to predict what will become an item I wear several times a week, and what will sink forgotten to the bottom of a pile of jeans or t-shirts. It definitely is not related to price or "what's hot", but some bond that I form with a piece of clothing because it makes me feel good. My favorite jeans are among my most inexpensive and nondescript-looking ones.

I have spent way too much lately on a mix of designer, "streetwear" and vintage-inspired items and there seem to be at least three people sharing my closet. Whenever I feel like I have found a unifying theme, I become bored with it and have to try to tweak it into something else. It is all about capturing some fleeting image that I don't fully understand... and that is constantly changing.

[BohoChick]

This is exactly how I feel! At the moment I am trying to sort out my wardrobe and decide what I really want. I have always been a impulse shopper, and I have always bought lots of things each month, instead of planning my wardrobe and saving up for better pieces.

However, I think I'm getting better at planning, and i'm better at seeing what will work with the rest of my clothes and what will not.
I still cant help the occasional impulse-shopping sprees at H&M though! And I have soooo much stuff that I've only worn once or twice.

[*Happiness*]

well at least you all have piles and piles of clothes to fuss over. i don't have that.....and I just cleaned out my closet (so half of it is gone and going into my stock). So my choices are even more slim. I buy things every now and then...but it's like I need so much, I don't really know where to start. it's just so frustrating at times.

[litchickuk]

i know how you feel too. i have a packed wardrobe as well as a chest of drawers and still enough clothes to fill another two wardrobes, and yet everyday when i get dressed i complain of having nothing to wear, so usually go out and buy something. Its not just clothes either. its shoes and bags too. If i keep on going this way ill have to move out so that i can accomodate all my swag!

[pucci_mama]

After last season, I finally was happy with my wardrobe, focusing more on quality ignoring the trends because I did not see anything new- not anything that spoke to me.

This season is different-- so the catwalks are full of black, I want to do soething differnt.. I urge for something different, it's about not boring myself, but I'm scared I'm going to go on a crazy spending spree, and come home with too "trendy" items, that will not get much wear.

[shimmer]

ahhh! i am so glad this thread exists! i can relate with so many of these! i too, am always searching and trying to interpret looks, only to be disappointed or unsatisfied.

haha.. its a paradox of sorts.
i'm beginning to think that i just should stop... and be more.. utilitarian. somethings fashion can be so draining! not that i would suddenly stop caring about clothes.. but obsession is bad!