Thanks for taking on that thought and really expanding on it, Gillian!
I’m definitely gearing up to join you and I’ve bought nothing for a couple of weeks now. but I’m back home again and the temptation is there. My family is absolutely goading me as they don’t believe for one second I’ll be successful - which, in a way, is actually motivating. just to prove them wrong.
I may be being ambitious but there a few other things I want to sort out like my diet, exercise and reading vs scrolling habits too.
I’ve started by unsubscribing from favourite shop emails and hiding resale apps on my phone. I need to retain the apps as I hope to sell a few items but I’ve made a rule that I’ll only open the app when I receive an email with a need to reply to a question or sale. I’d got into a bad habit of scrolling my favourite brands on resale sites and invariably buying things I didn’t really need but they were from a brand I wanted to own - which sounds absurd when I write it down but I actually have a physical response to seeing a Margaret Howell utility jacket going for a song.
I’m also aiming for no buy because I think low buy will still see me entering shops and I just don’t think I’d have the self-control to resist things I love. I also think I’d feel so pious after one month that I’d start contemplating much more expensive things as a reward for buying less. I know myself too well!
So, I’m aiming for clearing out my (multiple) wardrobes over the year and starting to develop from being a ‘hunter’ towards ‘curator’.
I might set a challenge to remove one item per week. What I’d really like to do is be able to let out my house and travel, so this is the motivator for me as I’d need to have empty wardrobes to do that. I think the new and different reward will motivate me.
Finally, I’m so pleased for you that you didn’t buy the pink sweater. I think the blue cream one is so much nicer for you and the fabric composition also looks much more similar to your usual choices and colours. Sometimes I think ‘fate’ is really a helping hand - unless it’s whispering ‘buy it; or you’ll never see it again’. (Which my fate does, often 😏)
I'm sad to hear that your family aren't being supportive but YES girl, use that as motivation. I had someone comment on a video I did about my no buy year that she doubted I could do it and I pulled from that when I needed to - prove them wrong! And also, I love the motivation to clean out your house to let it out and make room to travel. I'm really excited to hear how that goes over the year! I totally believe that you can do it!
"I also think I’d feel so pious after one month that I’d start contemplating much more expensive things as a reward for buying less" - I don't know how you get into my head every time, but when I read this I though "ooo, I can definitely see this happening to me" so I'll be on the lookout for that!
Thanks for such an insightful comment and for sharing your plan.
I love the coat that you bought with the flowers on it, Gillian. Is it Marimekko? It looks like it, sort of. I have done no buy, one in and one out buys, only secondhand for a year, and 1 billion different capsule challenges, and I have concluded that I will forever be a hunter, always finding and always looking for those treasures. It’s so fun to find that unique item, that amazing piece that you could never have planned for. So… Good luck.💕😁
I think one of the things people have forgotten is that the perfect wardrobe is not achievable. Something is always wearing out, or your size changes, or your style itself changes. I’m 57 years old and my style has changed multiple times over the last 20+ years. I can’t imagine still wearing the clothes I loved 20 years ago… They are just not me anymore.
These exercises are good to help us understand our consumption habits, and to break them if we want to, or to become more minimalist, but we also need to be flexible and understand a nature of change, and how things wear out and move through our lives .
An excellent article as always, thank you so much .
Thanks Sheila! It's from a brand called Pepaloves, but it really does give Marimekko vibes, doesn't it? And thank you for this perspective - I definitely see where you're coming from. I need to let go of the control I want to feel over my wardrobe and accept the flux that you have written about.
I identified so much when you described the idea of being a hunter vs a curator! I’m exactly like this when I’m in physical stores and I find it so hard to leave behind things I know I won’t wear that much but are just so nice. Something I’ll be working on as I embark on another low-buy year!
Yes! I know this feeling well. Hopefully we can both overcome that this year. I'm also hoping to remove those items from my wardrobe because they just take up mental and physical space.
Really enjoyed reading your wardrobe intentions! This year I feel like I’ve made huge strides towards being generally content with my wardrobe—in all its messiness and unoptimizedness. It may not be glossy and perfect, but I do feel a personal connection with most of its contents!
I also like your low-buy approach of balancing planned, calculated purchases with the potential for more spontaneous ones. Sometimes it seems like we turn wardrobe-building into this onerous, joyless process by being overly controlling about it. It’s good to be strategic and restrained, but being overly rigid takes away a lot of the creativity and magic for me.
It's so refreshing to hear that you've learned to be content with your wardrobe. It gives me hope. I do feel like I'm on the verge of feeling the same way...at least I hope that's what this feeling is!
I’m following! I made the plan to buy 25 items this year and then come across your Substack. So that feels like a win 😁 I do have a wardrobe app and love to use it. I use Indyx. Besides Notion I have bought a worksheet / page for notion where I track my cost per wear. Yes at two places 😅 haha I love the data it gives me. And if Indyx for some reason will stop, I have my own database. If you like I could search where I bought the Notion page. Let me know! It was around €30,- I thought so.
Great minds think alike?? 😆 I've been hearing about Indyx a lot and I'm definitely curious about it. And what do you use for your own database - excel? Also, how do you use notion for this? The few times I've seen someone use it, it seemed more of an online planner. Sorry for all the questions but I also like data and I'm genuinely curious ☺️
I bought a page for Notion. I looked it up, it’s called the ultimate wardrobe manager (made by nika from the seeker society) https://www.notion.com/templates/ultimate-wardrobe-manager (the link so you can get an idea). If you click on the Etsy link there are more pictures! Here you have an online wardrobe where you can add chlothes yourself with pictures etc. Besides that it has a outfit log where you can track your wears. You can check how much you wear, when you wear, cost per wear and lots more. If your handy you can build extra features yourself also. It has a function you can see if a chlothing item keeps unworn for example 6 months.
Indyx sort of does have the same functions. But I had this Notion page before Indyx came out. I just use them both now 😆
Thanks for this info, Suzanne! That sounds really interesting. I've been curious about notion for a while so maybe this year will be the year I add it/figure it out. If you could only pick one, would you choose notion or indyx?
Definitely Indyx! Because you can easily create new outfit combinations. On Notion it’s is not possible to put al your different items visual togheter. Indyx is a lot more visual pleasing. Notion is more for the data, but does not give the creativity like Indyx.
I'm kinda glad you said Indyx. I was looking at both today and Notion looks like...a lot lol.I think I might babystep into Indyx and add Notion later. Thanks for your input!
I'm very interested in pursuing a good wardrobe. I reject the idea of a perfect wardrobe because it harshes my life slogan: le mieux chest l'ennemi du bien. The better is the enemy of the good. I only shop from Thredup.com because I'm old and live in a wonderful city where the retail and the thrift are an aesthetic I reject, which is tasteful Southern lady. I'm also a rectangular apple, which is tough to fit. Size 10 pants, 14 top, waist slightly wider than hip.
But i like the idea of the focused low buy year as well!
Decisions, decisions...this year is going to be fun!
That's such a great life slogan! I'm coming more and more to terms with the rejection of the perfect wardrobe and this helps. We're fortunate to have online sources for secondhand shopping - have you always purchased secondhand?
Only since moving to my present city ten years ago, but I’ve always been obsessed with clothes. I can remember being six and wanting to learn to sew so I could make my own. That was seventy years ago.
I’m excited to follow along! I’m going to also set a 2 item a month limit, which will be a tough goal for me. I get so little time to shop alone without my two young kids and super long hours at work. Because of that when I get to go it’s mostly about relaxing and having some “me time”. I’ve never created a thrift wish list but maybe that’s what I need to do. I find myself just “hunting” for amazing finds without thinking an about how they fit in my current wardrobe. It’s mostly just a treat to me. I also live in a 1960’s ranch with TINY closets. So I need to be even more selective. This will be a good exercise for me. I want a wardrobe that feels like a reflection of who I am, and I’m excited to work towards that!
Thanks for sharing your goal and purpose, Trisha! Maybe creating a thrift list and being really selective about what items you buy - it being something that you love, that fits into your wardrobe well and is a reflection of you, and doesn't leave you wondering where to put everything - could be the new treat to yourself this year.
So looking forward to following along your low buy year! Will be joining you. Regarding your question about the perfect wardrobe - I really don't think it exists! We are constantly evolving, our body, needs and taste change, so we will never reach the "perfect" wardrobe. What we can strive for is a wardrobe that serves as best as possible and is a continuous process .
I'm so happy that you'll be joining me, Sigrid! You make some really great points here - being content with what we have now should be the goal with the flexibility to change as we need to - I like it!
Thanks for taking on that thought and really expanding on it, Gillian!
I’m definitely gearing up to join you and I’ve bought nothing for a couple of weeks now. but I’m back home again and the temptation is there. My family is absolutely goading me as they don’t believe for one second I’ll be successful - which, in a way, is actually motivating. just to prove them wrong.
I may be being ambitious but there a few other things I want to sort out like my diet, exercise and reading vs scrolling habits too.
I’ve started by unsubscribing from favourite shop emails and hiding resale apps on my phone. I need to retain the apps as I hope to sell a few items but I’ve made a rule that I’ll only open the app when I receive an email with a need to reply to a question or sale. I’d got into a bad habit of scrolling my favourite brands on resale sites and invariably buying things I didn’t really need but they were from a brand I wanted to own - which sounds absurd when I write it down but I actually have a physical response to seeing a Margaret Howell utility jacket going for a song.
I’m also aiming for no buy because I think low buy will still see me entering shops and I just don’t think I’d have the self-control to resist things I love. I also think I’d feel so pious after one month that I’d start contemplating much more expensive things as a reward for buying less. I know myself too well!
So, I’m aiming for clearing out my (multiple) wardrobes over the year and starting to develop from being a ‘hunter’ towards ‘curator’.
I might set a challenge to remove one item per week. What I’d really like to do is be able to let out my house and travel, so this is the motivator for me as I’d need to have empty wardrobes to do that. I think the new and different reward will motivate me.
Finally, I’m so pleased for you that you didn’t buy the pink sweater. I think the blue cream one is so much nicer for you and the fabric composition also looks much more similar to your usual choices and colours. Sometimes I think ‘fate’ is really a helping hand - unless it’s whispering ‘buy it; or you’ll never see it again’. (Which my fate does, often 😏)
I'm sad to hear that your family aren't being supportive but YES girl, use that as motivation. I had someone comment on a video I did about my no buy year that she doubted I could do it and I pulled from that when I needed to - prove them wrong! And also, I love the motivation to clean out your house to let it out and make room to travel. I'm really excited to hear how that goes over the year! I totally believe that you can do it!
"I also think I’d feel so pious after one month that I’d start contemplating much more expensive things as a reward for buying less" - I don't know how you get into my head every time, but when I read this I though "ooo, I can definitely see this happening to me" so I'll be on the lookout for that!
Thanks for such an insightful comment and for sharing your plan.
Thanks for your support! We can do this! 💪
I love the coat that you bought with the flowers on it, Gillian. Is it Marimekko? It looks like it, sort of. I have done no buy, one in and one out buys, only secondhand for a year, and 1 billion different capsule challenges, and I have concluded that I will forever be a hunter, always finding and always looking for those treasures. It’s so fun to find that unique item, that amazing piece that you could never have planned for. So… Good luck.💕😁
I think one of the things people have forgotten is that the perfect wardrobe is not achievable. Something is always wearing out, or your size changes, or your style itself changes. I’m 57 years old and my style has changed multiple times over the last 20+ years. I can’t imagine still wearing the clothes I loved 20 years ago… They are just not me anymore.
These exercises are good to help us understand our consumption habits, and to break them if we want to, or to become more minimalist, but we also need to be flexible and understand a nature of change, and how things wear out and move through our lives .
An excellent article as always, thank you so much .
Thanks Sheila! It's from a brand called Pepaloves, but it really does give Marimekko vibes, doesn't it? And thank you for this perspective - I definitely see where you're coming from. I need to let go of the control I want to feel over my wardrobe and accept the flux that you have written about.
I identified so much when you described the idea of being a hunter vs a curator! I’m exactly like this when I’m in physical stores and I find it so hard to leave behind things I know I won’t wear that much but are just so nice. Something I’ll be working on as I embark on another low-buy year!
Yes! I know this feeling well. Hopefully we can both overcome that this year. I'm also hoping to remove those items from my wardrobe because they just take up mental and physical space.
Really enjoyed reading your wardrobe intentions! This year I feel like I’ve made huge strides towards being generally content with my wardrobe—in all its messiness and unoptimizedness. It may not be glossy and perfect, but I do feel a personal connection with most of its contents!
I also like your low-buy approach of balancing planned, calculated purchases with the potential for more spontaneous ones. Sometimes it seems like we turn wardrobe-building into this onerous, joyless process by being overly controlling about it. It’s good to be strategic and restrained, but being overly rigid takes away a lot of the creativity and magic for me.
Love this approach! I think general contentment is underrated - our lives are not perfect, why do we think our wardrobes can be?
It's so refreshing to hear that you've learned to be content with your wardrobe. It gives me hope. I do feel like I'm on the verge of feeling the same way...at least I hope that's what this feeling is!
I’m following! I made the plan to buy 25 items this year and then come across your Substack. So that feels like a win 😁 I do have a wardrobe app and love to use it. I use Indyx. Besides Notion I have bought a worksheet / page for notion where I track my cost per wear. Yes at two places 😅 haha I love the data it gives me. And if Indyx for some reason will stop, I have my own database. If you like I could search where I bought the Notion page. Let me know! It was around €30,- I thought so.
Great minds think alike?? 😆 I've been hearing about Indyx a lot and I'm definitely curious about it. And what do you use for your own database - excel? Also, how do you use notion for this? The few times I've seen someone use it, it seemed more of an online planner. Sorry for all the questions but I also like data and I'm genuinely curious ☺️
Haha no problem. I use Notion for my own data.
I bought a page for Notion. I looked it up, it’s called the ultimate wardrobe manager (made by nika from the seeker society) https://www.notion.com/templates/ultimate-wardrobe-manager (the link so you can get an idea). If you click on the Etsy link there are more pictures! Here you have an online wardrobe where you can add chlothes yourself with pictures etc. Besides that it has a outfit log where you can track your wears. You can check how much you wear, when you wear, cost per wear and lots more. If your handy you can build extra features yourself also. It has a function you can see if a chlothing item keeps unworn for example 6 months.
Indyx sort of does have the same functions. But I had this Notion page before Indyx came out. I just use them both now 😆
Thanks for this info, Suzanne! That sounds really interesting. I've been curious about notion for a while so maybe this year will be the year I add it/figure it out. If you could only pick one, would you choose notion or indyx?
Definitely Indyx! Because you can easily create new outfit combinations. On Notion it’s is not possible to put al your different items visual togheter. Indyx is a lot more visual pleasing. Notion is more for the data, but does not give the creativity like Indyx.
I'm kinda glad you said Indyx. I was looking at both today and Notion looks like...a lot lol.I think I might babystep into Indyx and add Notion later. Thanks for your input!
I'm very interested in pursuing a good wardrobe. I reject the idea of a perfect wardrobe because it harshes my life slogan: le mieux chest l'ennemi du bien. The better is the enemy of the good. I only shop from Thredup.com because I'm old and live in a wonderful city where the retail and the thrift are an aesthetic I reject, which is tasteful Southern lady. I'm also a rectangular apple, which is tough to fit. Size 10 pants, 14 top, waist slightly wider than hip.
But i like the idea of the focused low buy year as well!
Decisions, decisions...this year is going to be fun!
That's such a great life slogan! I'm coming more and more to terms with the rejection of the perfect wardrobe and this helps. We're fortunate to have online sources for secondhand shopping - have you always purchased secondhand?
Only since moving to my present city ten years ago, but I’ve always been obsessed with clothes. I can remember being six and wanting to learn to sew so I could make my own. That was seventy years ago.
I’m excited to follow along! I’m going to also set a 2 item a month limit, which will be a tough goal for me. I get so little time to shop alone without my two young kids and super long hours at work. Because of that when I get to go it’s mostly about relaxing and having some “me time”. I’ve never created a thrift wish list but maybe that’s what I need to do. I find myself just “hunting” for amazing finds without thinking an about how they fit in my current wardrobe. It’s mostly just a treat to me. I also live in a 1960’s ranch with TINY closets. So I need to be even more selective. This will be a good exercise for me. I want a wardrobe that feels like a reflection of who I am, and I’m excited to work towards that!
Thanks for sharing your goal and purpose, Trisha! Maybe creating a thrift list and being really selective about what items you buy - it being something that you love, that fits into your wardrobe well and is a reflection of you, and doesn't leave you wondering where to put everything - could be the new treat to yourself this year.
I’m excited to see how this turns out! And I think it’s the enthusiasm that is key - you are refining, not restricting!
Thanks Louise! Me too! I do think the low buy year will be a better approach in the long run.
So looking forward to following along your low buy year! Will be joining you. Regarding your question about the perfect wardrobe - I really don't think it exists! We are constantly evolving, our body, needs and taste change, so we will never reach the "perfect" wardrobe. What we can strive for is a wardrobe that serves as best as possible and is a continuous process .
I'm so happy that you'll be joining me, Sigrid! You make some really great points here - being content with what we have now should be the goal with the flexibility to change as we need to - I like it!