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My Purchases the Past Three Seasons - How Did It Go?

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

I've been on the forum for almost two years now, and one of the many ideas I picked up early was to register my purchases. Since the beginning of spring/summer season 2013 I've kept a register of snapshots of practically everything I've added, organized by season, from clothing to shoes and accessories, big and small. Today I had a look at the pictures and tried to evaluate my progress.

Progress is not the word. I'm not proud to admit that almost half of my purchases should be classified as bad investments, as I've purged a lot of it already, or they have become benchwarmers mostly.

#1-3: Spring 2013. 43 pieces brought into my wardrobe

20 pieces are workhorses, or essential today (yellow squares)

12 pieces are already purged (red cross)

11 pieces are still in my wardrobe, but not on heavy rotation at all

This is not good at all.

#4-6: Fall 2013. 40 pieces

27 are workhorses or at least essentials today

9 pieces are purged

4 are not in heavy rotation, but important for my style

Better, but still alarming that I purge that much so quickly.

#7-9: Spring 2014. 42 pieces. When will I learn?

21 pieces are in heavy rotation or essentials in my wardrobe

7 are purged already

12 pieces are not yet categorized. Some will probably not stay long, others have more longevity. The result s practically identical with spring 2013.

This is clearly not how I want it. I think part of my embarrassing numbers is my newfound love for thrifting. A lot of the pieces I've bought and then purged again quickly came from the thrift shop. In my defense I will add that I'm shopping a lot more in general now than I used to, due to more experimentation with my style lately and a great deal of inspiration from YLF, among other things. Not that I blame anyone but me, of course!

I'm looking for a pattern here to better understand my behavior, but it's not quite clear to me what it is. I want to be that woman with a small selection of exsquisite clothes, but instead I seem to be the one with a messy mismatch of bits and bobs. Where did I go wrong?

If you have any thoughts on this, or/and any suggestions that can help me purchase significantly fewer, but better pieces, I'm grateful. This is now officially my goal.

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44 replies

Latest reply was from Laura (rhubarbgirl)

Kari

Veteran

I know my problem tends to be eye candy. I get sucked in by something shiny and pretty on the rack (or online), and then it doesn't 100% work when it's on but it's good ENOUGH. Or maybe it's good on me, but it doesn't really add anything new to my wardrobe; it's not a basic but isn't something very different from what I already have.
I kept repeating this to myself during the Anniversary Sale this year, as I didn't want to bring home a bunch of pieces that were like what I already owned unless they were replacing a needed but worn-out basic.
Prior to the anniversary sale, I'd hardly bought any new clothes since November 2013.

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

AHHHH. This is a really intresting way to look at clothes and I'd be afraid to keep such track like this.

Also; your navy dotted skirt!!! IT HAS AN X. WHERE DID IT GO. O_O.

amiable

Veteran

What a fabulous exercise! I don't think my numbers would look nearly as good as yours. I, too, love thrift store shopping, and tend to buy much more than I can use. I should put the effort in to track what I purchase. I find tracking what I wear easy, but not much else.

avicennia

Veteran

Oh Ingunn, what a useful exercise for all of us to learn from! Being rather new to YLF, I won't hazard an opinion, but I do look forward to everybody's collective wisdom. Thanks for doing this!

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

Kari, that is a good strategy. I've spent a lot of time, energy and money on revamping my entire wardrobe, but now I need to wear what I have. I completely understand the eye candy-problem, I have it, too.

Ah, yes, the skirt, lyn*. It's black, not navy, and the hem is wobbly. It pinches my waist, and I think DD wants it. So - out it went

Amy, it is too easy to jump when the "investment" is small! I've had a couple of great scores, too, but compared to how much I've spent on thrifting, they didn't come cheap at all. I clearly have to change my habit here. In fact, some of my best buys the past two years have been the priciest ones. I obviously can't buy whatever I want, but there is a lesson in this for me: Buy less, but better. A great theory, but so hard to achieve! I suppose 70-ish tops from the thrift store could have bought you something really nice, too? What do you think?

Caro in Oz

Veteran

"If you have any thought on this, and any suggestions that can help me purchase significantly fewer, but better pieces, I'm grateful. This is now officially my goal."

It's difficult if your style is in transition but if the above is your goal then the first thing I would do is to stop thrifting. I'd spend some time thinking about what it is I want to wear to take my style to the next level. It's really hard to resist a "bargain" particularly one at the thrift shop imo, even if the piece isn't one you actually want in your wardrobe. I'd also be noting why I am purging items so I don't keep making the same mistakes.

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

Thank you, avicennia, I need that wisdom, too!

Caro, you are right. I have been spending too much time thrifting, and with meager results. Besides, my style is shifting towards more modern, minimal pieces, which is not what I find in the thrift store. I will definitely be looking at what I've purged and try to understand what it is that doesn't appeal to me, or why I've decided to let them go. We are after all talking about purging things I've recently bought. Frankly, I was shocked to learn how many items it was.

missvee

Veteran

What an interesting exercise. I don't think you should be too hard on yourself with regard to your spring/summer purchases, because the usefulness of these garments is influenced much more by weather than your autumn/ winter items are. Case in point - I had a white denim jacket hanging almost unworn for 2 years, but a cool spring in my part of the world meant that I reached for it a lot in April and May. Next year, it may languish in the closet if we have a short spring.
Also, the fact that you have thrifted a lot of these items has meant that you've tried new trends or silhouettes without much risk or financial investment, and you can re-donate them easily too. That seems like a win-win situation to me. Going forward I suspect you'll thrift less and less as you hone your style.
Thanks for posting this - it's very inspiring!

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

Thank you, missvee. It's true that I've been experimenting a lot without spending much, which is good. I'm donating the surplus back where it came from, and I hope my support of the shop had benefited someone who needs it. You are also partly right about seasonal variation, but I don't think that explains the amount of new stuff I bought

Sal

Veteran

I have really enjoyed your recent posts Ingunn on your wardrobe.
I also am less cautious when buying thrifted garments because

They are cheaper.
If you wait you often/normally do miss out.
I feel like it is environmentally neutral - I am not sure this is completely logical. Someone else has already bought the item new and so I am sharing the environmental cost with them.

I have turned over a couple of thrifted garments quickly - a parka that I wore last winter but it was not perfect and I decided to get a new one this year which I am wearing as a real workhorse. Also giving something a whirl style-wise and finding it is a not really me.

I admire you keeping track of the garments and photographing them all, quite inspirational, and food for thought.

Susie

Veteran

Here are a couple of things that I noticed:

You didn't wear many of the gray items
You did wear navy items
You like more modern/sophisticated patterns?
You do well with selecting more casual footwear and accessories like belts and bags....I think you've already mentioned that you don't wear dressier pieces, like the sandals

Do those things ring true to you?

Anonymous

You are too hard on yourself. When experimenting, mistakes should be expected. And how else will you learn and define your style? And at least thrifting makes it easier on the budget,but those items can add up. I plan to submit this article to Inge's Link Love, but you may relate to it's message. I did. A pop up will probably cover part of the article but you can scroll the article behind it, I hope.
http://online.wsj.com/articles.....1405112085
It was reassuring to know that even the most careful make mistakes. I am finding that I do best going with those first instincts when looking in the mirror. If I have to think too much about it, it should probably stay in the store.

Gigi

Veteran

Ingunn, as usual, you approach everything thoughtfully. I do enjoy your posts.

First of all, I wouldn't be too hard on yourself. I don't think that your purge numbers are all that bad, considering that you were just starting out and that as we start out, our style can change along the way.

In my case, I end up purging things because

1. my style changed;

2. the garment didn't fit right in the first place, but I thought it was close enough (the fit became more annoying to me over time, as I got pickier);

3. I bought too many duplicates of something and didn't wear all of them (I have discovered that two versions of the same item, a light and a dark, are all I should buy, and I should duplicate only very basic items);

4. I settled because I am hard to fit and was worried that I wouldn't ever find something to fill a particular wardrobe hole (this sometimes became true but sometimes not); and

5. my taste in clothing matured, so I was no longer content with items from very low-end stores and wanted something better made.

I just went through a spreadsheet of my closet, and the lion's share of stuff that I took to consignment a month ago was purged because of fit issues. The rest of them items were probably equally divided among the other four reasons.

E

Veteran

I think the key to successful but minimal secondhand shopping is to make a list of criteria and items beforehand, then stick very closely to it. When I'm restricting my thrifting but still want to check for my 'dream' pieces, I literally only look in the sections that could hold said pieces, and don't even allow myself to pull of the rack anything else. Because there's almost always something to fall in love with, it's never terribly expensive, and I can always come up with reasons why it will be essential in my wardrobe.

For the pieces I do try on, I ask myself if I can envision any possible item like it only better. If I can, I pass (because otherwise I'm settling). If I can't, then I'll buy it.

(Now, I'm not often that strict with myself, for the record! But since you asked for advice...)

deb

Veteran

Not reading what others said, I would say stop thrifting. I appears you are spending without getting the intended use. Those dollars could have gone to something you would keep.

shedev

Veteran

I would say stop thrifting for a while. Once you get a handle on what you need from your clothes, you can thrift with a better eye. Only thrift where you can try on the clothes.

Meow

Veteran

I'm new to YLF and you've inspire me to keep track of my purchases too! I don't think you should be too hard on yourself. Mistakes are part of learning!
I've been think a lot about how to improve my own boring t shirt and jeans wardrobe and maybe these ideas will help you too.
1) invest more in classic timeless pieces that could be paired with a variety of styles. When I say invest I mean something a little more quality and cost than what I have been spending on my boring t shirts and jeans uniform. My thinking is that these would be the work horses or foundation of my wardrobe.
2) Try new items but don't spend a lot on them. If they end up being something I love than replace with higher quality.
3) start to think in outfits and capsules instead of pieces. I just started playing around with polyvore with one outfit and already know what I have to look for on my next shopping trip.
4) stay educated in trends, styles, likes and dislikes by following fashion blogs, YLF, and pin to Pinterest.
Those are some ideas that I hope will help. I'm like you and aspire to a beautiful, functional, fashionable wardrobe. Maybe I should not think of it as a goal but rather an on going process.

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

I like this linked article you posted a lot, Joy. The author's point that if something doesn't make you feel amazing, you should leave it behind is a very good one.

Most of my wardrobe mistakes have been made not so much in the designer Final Sale situation as they have in a scenario like: Oh look, a high end yet affordable navy pencil skirt. Everyone needs a skirt like that. It will go with so many things. It fits well. I have 2 jackets that it would match. But in reality, said pencil skirt is still in the closet, because it's kind of boring. (It's DVF. It is nice. Tags still on since May. Is Nordstrom's exchange policy really that good?)

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

Brilliant Ingunn! I just commented on Amy's thread about her wardrobe numbers that I have cut way down on my thrifting. I can find great things (like the J Crew jacket) but then don't wear them. So I'm not going for a while until I know clearer what I've already got.

This catalogue system of yours is so impressive. Great way to keep track.

Susie

Veteran

I've learned that most of my mistakes are the lower priced things where I think "this is only $x and I could wear it with jeans or black pants" and I buy it just because rather than because I really love it. If I go to someplace like Old Navy where the prices are really low, I'll simply buy too many pieces and even duplicates. Like if I like this in white, why not get gray and blue too? Or I get in too much of a hurry to fill a need- this spring it was casual cotton tops- and I settle for things that are just ok.

One item that I've not made mistakes in is handbags. Maybe because it am willing to spend more on them when I start looking, even though I do like to find good deals on them.

Comparing my 2013 purchases to what I've bought so far this year, I have done much better. But still there have been a few mistakes so I know I can do better.

Joyce B

Veteran

Wow, you are very well organized with your new garments. I think I have to do the same to better look into my shopping.

rabbit

Veteran

Like Ummlila said, it's the kinda boring but practical clothes (when they don't fill an immediate hole and you need to wear them like, tomorrow) that end up being the items I'm returning the most. Or the Old Navy kind of 'I don't have any tops right now, these are fine as basics' thing Susie mentions where I really should have only bought one.

On the issue of thrift, have you numerically compared your returns and purges of thrifted items to those of retail items? I do know when there is a huge price difference it's very hard to avoid sale blinders (I spent a few hours at a 35 cent thrift sale this spring and of the around 20 things I brought home, I've kept and loved four. Luckily it still worked out financially though in this particular case).

Some things that helped me in general with more cautious thrifting after this experience were:

1) Like E says, only go looking for that one item you are in search of, and know exactly the fit, material and cut you want.

2) If you think you have found it have it held for an hour or two, and check at the mall (if they are close by) for similar items to check both the price and the design details/fit. For example I found white Kut from the Kloth knee length jean shorts at thrift, but at the mall discovered by trying on a size up that I actually preferred the larger fit of the same item.

3) Go to a thrift shop with no or a very restrictive return policy, this makes me only buy what I'm absolutely committed to. I walk away if I'm not sure. I can check back later in the week if it's still haunting me, and if it's gone, c'est la vie.

ETA: the reason I'm still thrifting is because reuse when practical versus buying new is something important to me. If I can get the same item thrifted vs. new, even if there isn't a large price difference, I'll tend to go for the thrifted item if it's very lightly worn.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Ingunn, thank you for posting this! You are brave. I have gone through a similar process but did not keep as careful track as you have. But everything you say and show here rings true for me as well -- my first two years on YLF were years of experimentation and some over-buying -- followed by purging that rivalled the buying -- and then still MORE buying (and purging!).

You've heard it before, so I'm only echoing what others have said, but I agree with the suggestion to cut back or stop the thrifting. As soon as I stopped thrifting, I began to get more mindful of my buying in general. In buying higher end, higher priced items, I am much, much pickier; if they don't make me feel amazing, I don't let them into my closet. Which in turn means I won't push them out of my closet very quickly. Certainly not before they've seen a great deal of wear.

Having said that, I hope you'll be kind to yourself about the thrifting you have done so far -- it is actually a great (relatively safe) way to experiment -- less costly to you and the environment. It is no great loss if those items didn't work for you long term. But, since you are tending toward a more modern aesthetic now, and are aware of that, I think for the most part, going forward, you'll find the thrifted items less satisfying and long-lasting. Unless you go with a specific need in mind (e.g. "I am thrifting a red scarf or a brown belt," esp. a small item that would add the finishing touches to an outfit you are imagining). That sort of thrifting could work out better.

Looking back on my own purges from the spring/ summer 2013 season, some were "make do" items that never were right and should have been returned right away, but I held onto them because I feared I wouldn't find a suitable, usable replacement. This happens to me still. I'm not sure there is a way around it, especially when talking about needed items like footwear. And I say "need" on purpose. Like you, I sometimes buy the wrong kind of footwear and then realize that I actually need something much more practical. I know what I want, but it does not become available, yet I need something to wear in the meantime. There lies danger. Because when I DO find the thing I like more, I'll buy it for sure. And purge the first one.

Others, I purposely bought at a relatively low price point in order to try a trend (i.e. my Zara floral kimono) -- with the full knowledge that I would probably tire of them within a season. In that case, I wore the heck out of the item for a season and then passed it along to a Fabber in Oz so she could enjoy it in HER spring season. I quite like this idea for trying specific trends.

You and I can keep each other on the straight and narrow about shoes and booties, okay? I think our needs are very, very similar both in terms of climate and lifestyle.

Gaylene

Veteran

First of all, you are a brave woman to put this kind of information into the public realm, Ingunn! If it's any consolation, I think your stats would look pretty good if we were all systematic and brave enough to put our own numbers out there. But you've raised a good point: if most of us are experiencing only a 1 in 2 success rate with our purchases that means we are literally throwing away away 50% of our wardrobe budget. Not a pleasant thought, but one that I'm going to spend some time thinking about this evening. You've given me a lot to ponder.

rabbit

Veteran

Also I just had to say, the print on that butterfly skirt! love it. Did you try it on once with your Ted Baker floral tee just for fun?

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Wow, Gaylene, put that way, it is pretty sobering!! Yikes.

But to be fair, in Ingunn's case at least, the actual dollar amounts wouldn't have been 50% of her budget, I suspect -- since it was mostly thrifted items that got purged and mostly non-thrifted items that she has made into workhorses. So on the whole her pricier items are the ones she's still wearing a lot.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

I love the idea of modern & minimal pieces for you Ingunn I agree with the others too - we need to make mistakes, that's how we learn.

Kari

Veteran

You also say that you need to start wearing what you have vs. shopping for more. Can you think about the pieces you bought but haven't worn much, and assess why they haven't got much use? Are they too different/hard to pair with the rest of your wardrobe? Is there something slightly off about the fit or comfort factor that causes you to avoid them?

Meow

Veteran

Another thing I've recently learned is the power of "selfies". Take a photo of yourself and analyze. I think something looks good in the mirror but when I take a selfie, I immediately see the problem. Like the cream Linen BR blazer I've been hunting for and so proudly took a photo to show my sister. I could tell immediately that the length was wrong and hit at the widest part of my hips. Why did I not see that in the mirror? Experience I guess. Luckily I could return. Lesson learned, buy from stores with good return policy.

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