Yes. Down to buying something, or nearly buying something, without realizing I have a near duplicate already.

This is why I do a lot more "shopping" online to compare what's out there with what's in my wardrobe already, and only buy when I'm filling a hole, adding something new, or replacing a look-alike that's getting on in age and might wear out.

Ah, but the online browsing has its own downside for me and my obsessive nature. I'm always trying to upgrade to the more perfect version. This is how I ended up with three black denim jackets. My purchases are usually very deliberate, but that doesn't mean I actually need the thing. (Though honestly 3 black denim jackets isn't unreasonable for my particular wardrobe and life.)

I'm working on your "only buy when I'm filling a hole" rule and it has to be a real hole, not an upgrade. My clothing spreadsheet and shopping list have helped a lot with this though.

Ha! Yes. The upgrade thing. I find one thing and then think but this other thing is even closer...

Heh. This can be a danger zone when I get into the habit of wearing something easily available and worth repeating. The blazer/concert shirt/oxfords standard is responsible for a large portion of my wardrobe.

But. It can get really interesting when I hit on a less obvious formula made of things which are harder to find. Exhibits: three plisse skirts, two vintage kimono jackets (haori) and two pairs of George Cox creepers. It's always worth holding out for things like this, in my opinion.

And my friend Brown's crash pants. Don't think I'll ever have enough of those.

"online browsing has its own downside for me and my obsessive nature. I'm always trying to upgrade to the more perfect version." This goes back to the idea of Maximisers and Satisficers that was discussed here a long while back. Some people are able to find satisfaction by acquiring a good-enough version and then crossing it off the list for good; others won't be satisfied until they find the perfect version, and will continue searching til they've found it, even if it means acquiring several no-go's in the meantime.

Re: the Agoldes, that's what I figured. I may just have to order two or three sizes and see if any of them work.

Gah, yes, like Skylurker says. I find what I'm looking for, but somehow in the process forget that I found it and keep looking. To wit, I resumed my search for lace-up tall black boots to replace an old beloved pair from years ago. I ended up with a fab replacement, but also added tall burgundy boots (which are also replacing old burgundy boots with too-high heels). And then stumbled upon OTK taupe suede boots on sale that I could not resist.

The good news is that I've worn all three very happily already, and foresee lots more wear from them. But yeah, a search for one pair of boots yielded three.

I have to stop myself from duplicating a new item before I've really road-tested it, and sometimes even AFTER I've road tested it. I'm always afraid I won't be able to find anything better later on and feel like I need to hoard the good stuff that works for me when I find it, especially when it comes to difficult-to-find for me items. Truth is, even though I have a hard time finding good dresses, jeans, etc., I manage to find one or two a season that work for me, and that is plenty.

A friend asked me to help her organize her closet. I discovered, all hung neatly, one after another, no less than 12 white tee shirts, a few with the sale tags still attached. She had no idea she had picked up that many. She loves white t's and keeps searching for the perfect one and then she'll buy 3 of those.

I do a version of it. This Fall, for example, I bought 4 tops to wear with jeans and leggings when I could have done just fine with 2 of them. I will get a lot of wear out of them and did need them but prolly not 4 of them. At least they are all different styles and colors.

I am 'considering' those burgundy born boots if the Ugg black boots don't pan out. I will choose between the two, I hope!

White Ts are one of the few items I’d say it makes total sense to have multiples of. White gets dirty fast. T shirts can wear out fast. Add em together & what have you got?

No, I seldom do nowadays. Having a rather small shopping budget, and a priority list on my cell phone, help a lot. But of course, I do have my weaknesses/temptations: mainly inexpensive accessories. I am always a sucker for another scarf or another pair of ballet flats.

The Cat, I manage to justify new scarves and jewelry even though I DO NOT need any more of either.

But yes! It happens to me especially when shopping one particular brand online where I like some timeless classics which they keep in stock from year to year, or for the next season- and then I completely forget I've already ordered and sent back (for no fit or else:-)).
Embarrassing, I know, but I keep liking the same things- and they delete orders within changing seasons, so now I print my orders (including color picties) so I can look back, for more than a year:-).

lyn67 -- I've started saving pictures of my returned items along with the others in my wardrobe software for just this reason, along with notes on what size I ordered and why I didn't keep it. (The software allows me to "hide" these items so I'm not faced with them every morning.)

I love everything that you bought. Perfect for your style. I keep buying brown T-shirts, olive green T-shirts, jeans, brown cardigans and Chelsea boots. If it works why change it. I do occasionally branch out and buy something else. I am into uniform dressing these days.

My remedy for this is to focus on cost per wear. I like to keep a larger wardrobe over many years with low turnover. I aim to get everything down to less than $1 per wear over the course of about four years. If I can't do that, then I better have a very special reason for spending more, like for example the tall boots with narrow calves problem.
This method works better for me than a budget because there is too much effort into tracking carry forward otherwise.

I also duplicate at the same store if I find that something works especially well, because I don't want to spend time looking for that type of item in the immediate future. I love crossing items off my list because it is so difficult for me to do that in many other aspects of my life which involve complex ongoing projects.

Black boots an booties--different design details. Also black dresses--I don't need another black dress!

I’ve just remembered another way I’ve done this—black “backgrounds”. I like to wear bright colors, but not exclusively, like a parrot. Towards the beginning of my recent 2-year buying spurt, I realized that they go well with the black things I got while living in Berlin, and that many of those things are wearing out. So I got more. And more. Whenever I saw decent-quality black separates for a low price, I got them. Getting more was logical, but getting that many more was not!

at least your item are different from each other, says one who bought 7 black sleeveless summer dresses in one season.