About the basics, like I said up top, the beloved items help me to know which basics to get. It seems like less things get wasted when they go with something I love. Whereas, when I see that I don't have a crisp white button down and get it because it's a basic... I don't use it very often. Now this is just me. I didn't intend for my post to sound didactic. I was just curious how many of us might lean one way or another.

^ Exactly, and this is why I find the lists so many people write or subscribe to not to work for me. I would never wear a white button down shirt, and I have little use for a pencil skirt, yet they are always tops on the list of basics everyone should own. Basics are important; they just need to be the basics that work for you and your lifestyle.

I think I'm somehow Team Analytical Yet Unorganized, which seems like the worst of both worlds. I don't really have master lists or anything beyond a vague awareness of holes or things it would be nice to have, but I still shop more for items that check a bunch of boxes rather than starting with OMG-love, then working from there. What I tend to do is either realize there's something I could really use, then do an intense short-term search until I find the best option, or just randomly go shopping, but run everything through a bunch of filters before thinking about taking it home or even trying it on.

I'm discovering that some of my favorite purchases lately, though, have been things I love enough that I'll try and talk myself past my initial "Seriously?!? You think that makes sense?" reaction. I'm thinking of my drapy Anthro cardigan, for example.

For another example, I couldn't stop thinking about a cream bag for spring/summer despite knowing that it would be kind of risky for someone like me who doesn't have a great track record for keeping things pristine. So my logical side helpfully kicked in to tell me cream is the one shade that would go with all my clothes while also lightening things up enough to feel like I'm not just wearing the same fall/winter outfits all year long, which is kind of an issue with my default color palette. And then I happened to notice J. Crew had a really pretty cream bag that looks like a good size for me, with a nice, sensible cross body strap and enough inner pockets to keep track of keys/phone/etc. It also turns out it was on sale, plus there was a coupon code, meaning the price is just low enough that I won't feel too frustrated once it inevitably starts looking grungy. Long story short, that bag is now on its way to me!

I haven't read all the replies, but a lot of what you said I can relate to, Rae. I think that a person can go in two directions: start with the practical side first, or start with the emotional side first. I used to start with the practical side first, but if I was able to "check off" all my boxes related to what I wanted an item to do, I bought the item even if I didn't have great love for it. As a result, the item is just kind of "there" in my wardrobe. I will wear it, but it's not something I get excited about. But beginning this year, I have tried to start with the emotional piece and THEN move on to the practical piece. That seems to be working for me much better. I can still easily nix an item if I have too many of that style of item in my wardrobe, or if the price is more than I'm willing to pay. But I actually buy a lot less this way, because I find I don't have big emotional reactions most of the time. So I often don't get past the first step. I'm also learning a lot more about myself this way. What do I *really* want? So I guess I would say I am a combination shopper.

I like the way you think, and if you're an emotional shopper, you're really clear-headed about it. I think I go in spurts, getting focused and then stagnate and I'm not quite sure how to figure in the momentum of it all.

I love reading the list you assembled, Rae. That tells me you know what you're doing, logic or no logic.

I understand this completely Rae. For me the fun of shopping is to find a needle in the haystack. But if the haystack is made up of thrift store goods what are the chances the needle will be on my short list? Not big. So I sort of prime my mind with ideas of what to look for, what I want to try, what I am missing and so on and hope my subconscious will take over from there. Plus I have a well stocked closet with which to play mix and match.

I really relate to Shevia's approach, and my closet is fairly cohesive now, although not honed to a minimal capsule and definitely not all 10's (I'm at the beginning of the style journey/process), so when something calls to me I'm always immediately thinking about what in my closet I could wear it with.

I also agree with Rae that it doesn't work for me to buy a basic like a white button down - It would become an orphan even if in theory it could be worn. Instead I think about supporting pieces that are usually tights, or tanks, a color of belt, or a plain skirt of a certain length that work with the clothes I already have and love.

I think the other two things that partly hold me back from expensive mistakes or a closet of orphans are a) the fact that I'm temporarily immersing myself in shopping and clothes which makes less things 'shine' as Rae says. I get more choosey and I remember everything I have so I don't duplicate. I also have a sense of what is available out at the stores, so don't jump unless something really stands out, or is discounted below my baseline prices without a quality drop.

b) I have very, very low baseline prices which I'm willing to pay. Also I'm very unwilling to buy anything if it's not discounted significantly - i.e. it still has to be decent quality.

This is really interesting! I used to be a 100% emotional shopper and ended up with an overflowing closet of meh things (that were on SALE!). I've been working on changing that for over a year and got to a point where I only bought something if I absolutely LOVED IT. I didn't worry about need; it just had to be total love. That actually worked pretty well for me.

I need a new wardrobe for spring/summer (seasons nowhere in sight...). I have some tops but no bottoms other than two VC tube skirts. I haven't decided if I want crops, shorts, or skirts, or a mix and what kind of mix. I'm going to let emotional shopping lead me, with a purpose. Or as Vicki said above, I'm going to try to be clear-headed about it, knowing that I need some of those particular items. I think it will be fun because it's pretty open-ended, compared to needing new linen tees (not that there's anything wrong with that!). But I will only buy something that is OMG awesome, and that might make it more work and less fun.

Rae, I totally understand! I'm an emotional shopper, and considering my purchases of late, I would definitely say that my best buys were quite often impulse purchases that were not *needs." However, as Angie mentioned, I also have a good staple of basics at home -- plenty of jeans, layering tees and tops, etc., so new fun pieces have an anchor already in my closet.

I'm still trying to get better about limiting my impulse purchases because some are not the most brilliant moves. Sometimes it seems I just need to have an item in my closet before I know for sure whether I love it. Hence my dedication to stores with good return policies!

Although I'm pretty nerdy in how much I like keeping a spreadsheet of the number of wearings, tracking WIW and keeping a running list of purchases, when I actually use those tools for analysis, I see that my best purchases are buying the things that I LOVE.

I frequently wear black pants, jeans and white jeans. So almost any top I might fall for can probably be paired with one of those things. And most of my clothes are a similar level of dressiness. If I love a piece, it rarely becomes an orphan. When I get something that I think might be good to have but there's no wow factor, I don't reach for it.

So I guess I use logic to justify my emotional choices!

I am an emotional shopper in recovery. The kind of emotional shopper who bought clothes for someone else's life and body! Really .... Where the hell should I wear the 5 backless dresses that I bought because I loved them madly? I am in the middle east for god's sake! I still love them ... And I admire them languishing in my closet o_O. I crazy love knee high boots, the killer leather jackets in all the colors of the rainbow, the beautiful dramatic coats and all kinds of patterned hose. But ..... Its impractical and although I would wear the heck out of them during my 4 months of mild winter, there are only so many jackets and coats and boots I would need! (Killer yellow zara coat, I am talking to you.... I can't buy you. Boo)

I now plan what I want for my practical lifestyle .... Then go mad searching for it, buy it and enjoy :). I realize this is so much better than the reckless purchases I used to do. I am on team both! Practicality comes first now in my shopping agenda. :). Although I do understand how emotional shopping can benefit when you have your head on your shoulders!