It's absolutely good to be PPP. And it's also really good to return things if they are not right.
On the other hand, you can also get caught up in what Angie calls "analysis paralysis." This path leads to unhappiness, not to mention an empty closet with nothing to wear.
My hubs is a pretty high anxiety person. He has things much more under control now, but he used to obsess endlessly on his clothing purchases. And then end up wearing the same five things. The same five OLD things.
It is absolutely true -- you cannot build a happy wardrobe in a day, a week, a month, or even a year if you are starting from scratch. It takes time, practice, experience, and yes, even some mistakes to get a functional and happy closet. It is by making a few mistakes that we truly learn what works and does not work for us. Painful, but true -- at least in my experience.
I'm coming up to my 2 year anniversary on YLF and only now do I feel that things are finally starting to fall into place. I'm more confident in most of my purchases and have a stronger sense of how a new item will fit into my existing wardrobe. But as you can see, I still post some K/R threads to get feedback from others.
In the beginning, to minimize the expense of possible mistakes, I shopped a lot at thrift stores, consignment, and cheaper outlets like Winners, etc. As I have gained a better handle on my own style direction (oh, and got a better paying job!) I have begun to add in more expensive items (and in some cases to purge the older ones). I won't lie -- despite my efforts to keep costs down, I wouldn't really want to think about what I've spent in total. And yet...I had to wear something. And I did wear the things I bought. And even if I only wore them a few times and learned something, I then re-consigned or donated, and that is of benefit to someone else. So all was not lost.
Plus -- wardrobes are not set in stone. They are fluid. They're always fluid. You'll always be adding things in and taking things out. So if you buy a blue bag this year and it turns out that after using it for a few months you realize that you'd really rather have a red bag -- well, get one next year or the year after (whenever you can afford it.)
Maybe if you remind yourself that it will take some time to build your wardrobe, and that it is really okay to make a few mistakes, that will help?
Also, it can be really useful to have a clear sense of your style persona. Again, this can take some time to develop. Often you have to try things on for size before you know for sure.
Oh - and show us!! We want to help!!
And hang in there, Glory.
ETA: I also still try on a ton of stuff and either leave it in the store, or return it, by the way. This is part of shopping (where we have that luxury). Time consuming, but not bad in itself.
