Don’t Buy It Unless You Need It

I’ve told a few clients that they are not allowed to buy any more clothes for the rest of their lives. They always laugh when I say this, but I’m kind of serious.

One tip-off that you might already have too many clothes is when some of them still have the tags on. If you buy something and don’t immediately put it into the wearing rotation, you apparently didn’t need it.

I myself fell into that trap earlier this year. A client alerted me that my favorite shoe manufacturer, Munro American, was going out of business. I immediately got on their website and ordered two pairs of shoes. One of them was the same model as the pair I was currently wearing, and the other was made from the same last. When they arrived, I tried them on to make sure they fit, then stuck them in the top of my closet.

I got very busy with the musical I directed earlier this year and did give any further attention to these shoes until after the show was over. In April, I pulled them down from the closet and started the process of breaking them in before I could wear them outside. I was a little embarrassed that I had fallen into the trap of buying something and then ignoring it, but I made up for it by devoting attention to it once time allowed.

It took me several weeks to break them in, but now I am very comfortable in both pairs and wear them on most days. In keeping with my policy of “One in, one out”, I donated the pair of shoes I had been previously wearing, since I now had an identical (but new) replacement. (I know that I brought two in and only sent one out, but my shoe collection is so lean that there isn’t a second pair that I can spare!)

When you buy new clothes or shoes, are they filling a wardrobe void — that is, something you need but don’t already have? If so, then you should be using it immediately (or at least very soon). If not, then you are probably just impulse shopping.

When those new items arrive at your home, look for similar items that might be past their prime, that might be getting a little faded or worn out. Make room in your closet or drawer by donating or recycling the older items and putting the new items into your rotation. Let’s face it, those new items are never going to fit you any better or be more stylish than they are right now when they are new.

And maybe you should consider not buying any more clothes for the rest of your life.