Acquiring a new wardrobe item happens in so many different ways. Sometimes we need the item for a specific occasion and a lot of planning and forethought is involved. Other times we stumble across an item when we least expect to (I often like those impulsive purchases best). But just for the purposes of discussion I’m going describe the process in 7 simple steps.

  1. Scoping out looks and trends and picking the ones that tickle your fancy
  2. Planning the shopping list
  3. Searching for options
  4. Ordering a whole lot of goodies online, or physically purchasing them in brick and mortar stores
  5. Experimenting with the options at home
  6. Deciding which items to keep
  7. Tearing off the tags and putting the new item through its stylish paces

I enjoy all seven steps, but the last one is my favourite. I am wildly excited when a new item makes it into my wardrobe and wearing it as soon as possible is always the goal. I want to wear it NOW. In fact, I have been known to leave a store wearing the item I’ve just purchased. At the very least I want to wear it that night, or the following day. It kills me when I have to wait because it’s an occasion item or the weather isn’t cooperating.

I love, love, love step 1 and it’s the next best part of acquiring  a new wardrobe item. I also really enjoy step 3, searching for new wardrobe items, because I adore browsing through retail stores. However the search side of things can be frustrating when you have a very specific item in mind and can’t find it, or if it’s out of your price range. Experimentation, step 5, is also lots of fun because it pushes my fashion envelope and injects newness into my style.

Over to you. Do you enjoy the process of acquiring a new wardrobe item as much as actually wearing it? Is the excitement over once the search is complete? Do you enjoy the experimentation process best? Or would you gladly dodge the whole search process for a closet full of instantly perfect pieces?