Questionable Shopping Habit: Buy Two, One in Black

Hello! I am terribly behind on WIWs and mean to post a No-repeat-vember summary, but a long work week involving weird middle-of-the-night hours has gotten in the way. In spite of all the craziness, I have fit in some time with friends and completed most of my holiday shopping online. I also ordered a couple of things for myself, because I do that...

I started to wonder about this particular quirk after I hit "submit" on a Rw&Co order yesterday. When I am eyeing a top or sweater, I usually take two sizes into the dressing room with me. One in black, which is often what I went in for, and one in whatever colour catches my eye. If the top is a winner for fit, hurray! Then I have to decide which colour to take home. And sometimes, often enough that it has become a pattern, if the price is right, and the fit is good... I get both.

Arguments in Favour:
If I like both, and if the price is ~$30, why not?
Sometimes it is hard to find flattering tops that fit my bust
Feels like a safe way to incorporate some colour

Arguments Against:
What if one or the other gets much more wear?
Feels like I am missing out on a chance to add some style variety
Maybe I should have spent those wardrobe dollars elsewhere
Could result in wardrobe bloat

The facts:
#1/2: Gap Eversoft V-Neck Sweaters, Purchased Sept 1 for $30 each
Plum Wears: 7
Black Wears: 4

#3/4: Old Navy High-Low Tees, Purchased April 2012 for $7.50 each
Black Wears: 15
Green Wears: 10

#5/6: Reitmans Zip Front Cardigans, Purchased October 28 for $28.50 (Pink) and $46.00 (Black)
Black Wears: 7
Pink Wears: 1

#7/8: The two tops I ordered this weekend from RW&Co, for $23 each

These pieces are all components of fast fall-back outfits, and from a numbers perspective, it turns out they are mostly practical:

The Gap Sweaters have gotten a fair bit of wear and there is lots of winter to go
The Old Navy tees are starting to look tired, but I'd say they've earned their keep; they have seen more action than is accounted for in Stylitics and are comfortable enough to demote to loungewear
The black zippered cardigan was an obvious win - worn once a week since it was purchased
Then there's the Pink Cardigan - one measly wear! This was an impulse purchase, and likely a mistake, but I will wait until Spring to pass judgement.

Now, for the RW&Co tops, which prompted this analysis:
I went in the store looking for this top in black, but only the blue was available in my size. It has a lovely fluid fit, zipper detail at the sleeve, and subtle sparkle. And the shade of blue is so pretty in person! When I ordered the black online I impulsively added the blue to my cart.

An amped-up basic top with a fluid fit in black is on my wishlist since my last one bit the dust. With the zipper detail and sparkle, is it too special a piece to duplicate? For $23 each, does it matter? I have found myself thinking of the two Old Navy tees as one top with a total cost of $15 and total wears of at least 25. Still not bad! So if the RW&Co top was available in one colour or the other for $46, would I still have bought it? I think so.

What do you think: practical strategy, or sketchy rationalizing?
What are your iffy shopping habits?

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12 years ago

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

Emily, I think the real question is: do you wear them and enjoy them in both colors? If the answer is "Yes" then it was the right thing to do. If you tend to prefer one color over the another most of the time then maybe it was not...:-)

Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

Well.... I don't quite have an answer for you! Because some of your items saw a lot of wear, and some did not. And your color-to-black ratio for wear seems pretty even.

For me, though, this was always a slippery slope, and a habit I finally let go of. Too many times in the past, I thought I loved something and that it was the be-all, end-all item, so I bought it in a color and in black. And then I found myself with multiple closet orphans. So I stopped doing this.

My one exception is basic black/white long-sleeve tissue tees, which is my at-home loungewear staple.

(edit): My iffy shopping habit, is a variant of yours: I tend to buy the same type of items over and over: black pencil skirts, little statement jackets, black pumps, and most recently, nude pumps. Not the same exact item in multiple colors - but multiple items in the same colors. LOL.

unfrumped

I have the same problem, whether it's black, or 2 of anything.
I recently bought a sweater in 3 colors and it's too soon to see if that's a mistake, and a top that's targeted for spring, in 2 colors.

My excuse was that these were in "my" colors, and also hmm,that black can be worn with more things and gives a more formal look; a color gives a different look.

I think, like you, I have to be careful not to just say, oh it's just $25 (or 30, or whatever). The point is whether I would rather have the one top in one color and re-mix it more often than wearing the 2 same but different-colored tops. That brings in things like necklaces or scarves or layering, or maybe not.

Here's where I think I may be going--more in line with color palette discipline.
For example, using a color (say, burgundy) as a neutral and just wearing it rather than having one in burgundy and one in black.

Then the duplicate-justification, to me, needs to have a higher bar--having this extra color will "make" a whole capsule (not just one more same outfit)or revive an important orphan, or perhaps belong to another occasion-capsule (such as, black may be the only color that works in a dressy capsule).

It's like dessert--do you get the benefit from the first bite or 2 and not much from the rest. So do I get the benefit from one item and not nearly as much from the dupe.

No matter what your price point, at some point having 2 of one thing means not having 1 of that and 1 of something else, or getting partway to something else. And as you pointed out, that something else can be a major item or just keeping moving forward with new silhouettes.

That's where I still have some trouble --making a plan and shopping list and staying on track.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

I used to buy more multiples and found that there was always one that I wore more than the other - sometimes it was the neutral, sometimes it was the bright color. So I stopped buying multiples, for the most part.

I do try on multiples a lot in the dressing room. Sometimes it helps you realize whether a color works for you, or whether the fit is consistent, etc.

Gigi

For me, it depends on the item. If it's a basic layering piece, like a cami or a T-shirt, I might do exactly as you have. I also occasionally buy a duplicate if the store has the item in a hard-to-find color that I've been wanting to add to my wardrobe. But if the piece is quite distinctive, I try to avoid buying dupes, because I know I will get tired of seeing the same stuff in my wardrobe.

Also, be careful of the reasoning that a low price point means it's OK to buy the dupe just in case. That can really lead to extraneous pieces in the wardrobe. I would really ask yourself if the dupe will add extra functionality to your wardrobe. If it doesn't, then I would not buy it.

Gracie

I've been swayed many times by the Buy One-Get One Half Off deals that I find hard to resist. I'm really going to keep in mind what unfrumped said: "... at some point having 2 of one thing means not having 1 of that and 1 of something else, or getting partway to something else." Specially since I'm trying to add variety to my silhouettes. I must be strong too!

Suz

I used to do this. But I find myself avoiding it now on the whole (except for items like bras or layering tees or tanks).

Mainly because even if the price is reasonable, I could have used those $$ towards something that I really truly want vs. something that just made itself available to me. So I usually think twice before I head to the cash.

I'm not saying that duplicating is always bad -- whether in different colours or in the same colour. If there's an item that is a core essential and you wear it (and want to wear it) multiple times a week, well, go for it! But if you want more variety than that, then finding alternatives is the way to go. Assuming you have energy for the added shopping that entails, that is. And there are certainly times in our lives when we do not.

anne

Yes, I second what Suz said

Freckles

Last fall when I went out to update my cashmere turtles I lived by the rule or no more black even though I needed a new black one. I ended up with bottle green, a much loved colour from way back, and a purple. Now this purple is not in my much loved purple category and has thus become much much less worn than the others. This fall when they came out I immediately went out to buy the black that I missed so much last winter and left it at that. None of the other colours spoke to me immediately.
Oftentimes the things I find that fit me only come in black and this is basically why I have so much of it in my wardrobe.

The rule for me is black is always okay and with colour be careful. It has to be a well loved colour or in the same scheme (muddy shades not bright jewel tones). If it is in the same scheme disect carefully, perhaps bring home to check with closet and then decide quickly if it is not one of the well loved colours of now or times past.

That is not to say I won't see something in a new to me shade, try it on and love it right off the bat. Those too come home...

Lisa

I am a fan of duplicating the same item in two colors, particularly for layering pieces. I often own 2 or 4 of the same knits in different colors to layer under my blazers in winter then I sport different scarves to mix them up when I don't use a blazer in the spring months. For items that I do not layer, I try to stay away from repeating. I have to heavy cable knit turtlenecks (purple and black) and certainly wear one more than the other. When I reach for the other one, I think how nice it would be if it was a different style and not just a different color.

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