Did it happen to you that - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Shopping

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Did it happen to you that

olga

You bought a new piece, for example a dress that you love; and you bring it home, put it in your closet and just want to donate all you other dresses as they are just not up to the standard anymore, this new dress puts a higher standard and you just "hate" all the others....
This happens to me from time to time and is bothering me as this never ends and I somehow don't feel good about my wardrobe quite often
Like my new black dress from Vince which is great and now I am reluctant to ware my other dresses, I guess I need to keep buying these great pieces only but not sure it's even possible
Sorry for the rumbling ...

Shopping

18 replies

Latest reply was from gryffin

Anonymous

Goes to show that building a wardrobe takes time. Be patient and gradually replace those other dresses with some you love.

Anonymous

It does happen to me. It happens as my style evolves and the things that "used" to be my style aren't anymore. I want desperately to purge them as a reminder of the past. I am forcing myself to put them in storage for one full year before making any decisions. I clean them, fold them, and then box them. I date the box and come back to it 12 months later. If I haven't missed anything in the box, out it goes.

I think as you get to know yourself and your style, this will happen to you less and less frequently. It is the beginning stages of wardrobe building that are hardest. As Joy pointed out, it really does get easier.

always trying

Veteran

Happens infrequently with clothes, but is happening now with almost all my footwear. Have to keep the heels that stay on my feet, and the last spring summer purchases that I still love, but want to out all my boots and booties except my grey Toms desert wedgies.

TraceyLiz65

(website)

Veteran

Yes! For me in creating an entirely new wardrobe I bought a few motto jackets from F21 that pale in comparison to some better faux ones like the red one I wore earlier this week or even real leather leather, not motto style. I am contemplating a one in one out purge as I get better quality ones since I know these are here to stay as a big part of my style. A side effect to my not buying had made this come into full focus!

Anonymous

Yes, this does happen to me all the time. Jeans, tunics, sweaters...the new ones are all a little better and it does make me want to start over with the lot of them.
However, I'm learning to be ok with things that are just alright.
I'm about two years into really making an effort with my clothes, and I do find I'm liking my old things more and more. As well, my weight has stayed consistent for the past 3 years or so so older things still fit week, which goes a long way to feeling good about them.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Yes, definitely, but often about wear rather than style. For functional things like PJs, I'll buy a new pair and then realize how grungy my other sets are. But of course I don't want to spend the $ to replace them all at once...

shedev

Veteran

Happens with footwear. I'm feeling that way about a lot of my sweaters, the issue there is that they are too classic for me.

Vicki

(website)

Veteran

Yes, this happens and Joy is right that it takes patience. I've made a lot of mistakes in my rush to buy what I thought was my fashion direction. In some cases, I simply let the piece (dress, blouse, pants, etc.) relax in the closet and some stayed and others were sold on eBay, so I didn't feel so badly about it or given away. I now take more time in my purchases, so I'm learning patience. Hope this helps and please don't be too hard on yourself. Maybe adding accessories to some of your other pieces will give them new energy.

Kaelyn

Veteran

Oh, yes. Last year I bought a black lace dress that I ADORE, and after that, the others just seemed "eh." It's definitely my favorite one, but I'm trying to wear the others, too. But I'm also accepting that the other ones, which I've had for a few years, don't fit the direction my style is going as well as the new one does, and at some point I will feel ready to pass them on. It's not time yet, but soon it will be, and that's okay.

Aquamarine

Veteran

Oh yes, but I've learned that the demoted item might eventually become a favorite again. So I hang onto it for a while. You may eventually tire of the new item.

LaPed

Veteran

I definitely have thing I've fallen out of love with when I find a better, newer version. Like others, I do sit on them for a while, to decide whether it's better to sell, donate, or demote to chore/beater clothes.

I actually rather like having "beater" versions of everything -- it's nice to have a few "second-best" dresses to wear when you have to go to toddler birthday parties, or when someone decides to have their wedding on a dairy farm, etc.

unfrumped

Veteran

I like your description. I think it's good for this to happen because it means you've made a really good purchase, but it does mean you have to channel the "disenchantment" and not over-react.
I think for me it involves being patient and trying to resist getting things that don't feel any better than what's there.
I love La Pedestrienne's positive spin on it, too. Sure you can cull things if you just have lots of meh things, but can also appreciate some of the "second-stringers" for what they can do for you.

MsMary

Veteran

Oh, yes! This has happened to me!

I think there are two kinds of falling-out-of-love. Sometimes it's just the novelty of the new piece that is the allure. In that case I just wear the heck out of the new thing and then over time the novelty starts to wear off and I am happy to put my older pieces back into more frequent rotation.

If the new piece is really a big step up and it reveals that the older pieces were really not quite right to begin with, that's a different and more difficult issue. In that case I try to figure out what, exactly, is unsatisfactory about the older pieces and maybe I can figure out new ways to style them to compensate, or maybe I can try to find replacements that are more satisfactory. The worst-case scenario is to fall in hate with existing pieces and rush out and buy a whole bunch of new things that are newer but not necessarily better, which I have done and lived to regret.

Aziraphale

Veteran

I find this happens to me with shoes. The problem is, the higher I raise my standards, the more expensive the shoes get!

chirico (Chiara)

(website)

Veteran

It used to happen to me a lot, but luckily it's happening less and less.
When it happens, I try to take a rational approach and understand if the piece being questioned is really at a "lower level" compared to the new one, or the problem is I am just tired of seeing it. I sometimes take a couple of days to figure out which case it is.
If the thing is really lower quality or tired, and I don't need it right now, away it goes. If I am just tired, I hang on it because I know since I loved it, I'll love it again.

sienna

(website)

Yeah that's happened to me before, but I've been trying to focus on like basic pieces that I can match with anything, so it's been happening less frequently now. I guess that if there's like something wrong with it or if the quality of the piece is wrong then you should get rid of it, but if it's perfectly fine then keep it and see if it'll come back in to style when the seasons change!

olga

Thank you all for the wise comments - i am going to be more patient and reasonable and keep "not wanted" aside, see what will happen in a while
MsMary - you are right!

gryffin

Veteran

Olga - when I started buying pieces of excellent quality, I found that I had no tolerance for anything less. Until I tried on my first HL jacket, I did not understand what tailoring could do for fit and comfort. Until I wore my first EF silk cami, I had no idea how good washable silk would feel against my skin. Not that you can't find great pieces for less - the Gibson Riding jacket - was an amazing piece but the quality of the fabric was not there. So now I am committed to buying less but the best quality. Not necessarily always the most expensive, but the best iteration of something I can afford. That takes a lot of time. Careful planning, watching sales, finding brands that work for you is very important and then add a ton of patience. I always try and ask myself if a new piece is "worthy" of being in my closet. It's a tough go at the start but if you still with it you will end up with a closet of pieces you love that will last a long time!!