How often should you shop? Generally, my suggestion is to shop frequently, adding to your wardrobe incrementally as you stay within the confines of your budget. By regularly browsing both brick and mortar and online stores you will become familiar with the available merchandise. You will know which styles are current and trending, and when items go on sale. The process will also help you to hone your style and pinpoint silhouettes and outfit combinations that you do and don’t fancy.
Shopping frequently does not mean buying frequently or buying more than you otherwise would. In fact, shopping more frequently can lead to less overall shopping time and fewer purchases. For example, I spend a lot of time in stores and browsing online because I’m a fashion stylist. You might think that I’m perpetually tempted and purchasing items at the drop of a hat. But if anything, being constantly exposed to an overwhelming amount of merchandise makes me even more discerning about what I commit to purchasing for my wardrobe. As a result I purchase fewer items.
You don’t need to be a fashion stylist for this strategy to make sense. Everyone can be more efficient and effective in their shopping if they stay in touch with what’s in store. But it does help if you can easily access stores as part of your routine. For example, if you can wander through a department store while on your work commute. Of course, these days we can browse online stores 24/7, so everyone can take a regular peek at their favourite stores.
Many of my clients embrace this philosophy. They shop many, many times a season, and are continuously adding new items to their wardrobe. They love fashion, incorporating trends, wearing new items, and expressing themselves through their style. Shopping and putting together daily outfits is a fun hobby and occupies a large chunk of their time.
On the other hand, there are situations where shopping frequently is not a viable option. Some of my clients ask for my help because they have time constraints, or they find shopping overwhelming and unenjoyable. They aren’t interested in adding on trend seasonal refreshers to their wardrobe, but they do want to feel great about their style. So we do a mega shop together once a year, or in some cases, once every two years. We cover all the bases in that one outing. Apart from adding in the the odd emergency wardrobe item, these clients feel that they don’t need to think about shopping until we meet again.
And although I’m talking about shopping frequently, not purchasing frequently, there are situations where your ability or need to make purchases will impact your shopping frequency, and rightly so. For example, you may go through a period where the budget is extremely tight and you don’t want to tempt or frustrate yourself by spending time looking at merchandise. Or perhaps your wardrobe is completely sorted for the moment and you feel you’d like to take a break from shopping.
Lastly, although I’m a big proponent of adding to your wardrobe incrementally, there are instances when adding a large number of wardrobe items in one go works really well. For example, when the size of your body has changed and nothing fits. Or, when your lifestyle has changed, and you literally have nothing to wear to your new business casual job because you’ve been living in jeans and knit tops for years. Situations like these often require a large injection of purchases that lay the foundation for an updated style and wardrobe.
How frequently do you shop? Do you add to your wardrobe incrementally, or do you have more of a “feast or famine” approach?
