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Team wear = less orphans?

Mo

(website)

Veteran

As I was contemplating those things I just don't wear, it occurs to me that often they are the exact items I do not wear right away. This goes across all price points, as well. An item I wear within the first week or two of getting, weather permitting, is often then easily rotated into the mix in the closet. Conversely, if I don't find myself grabbing for it those first few weeks, odds are I'm never going to. Do you find this to be true? And if so, do you then act on it and return anything you haven't popped the tags off of in the return time window (say 30 days)? I could see how this would greatly cut down on the orphan issue for me.

Dressing

31 replies

Latest reply was from Mo

Anonymous

Yes. Now when I am thinking of buying something I ask myself if I can't wait to wear it or not. If I don't want to wear it out of the store (or house), I leave it. It also speaks to Angie's wisdom of buying things in season. I used to get the majority of my wardrobe at off season clearance sales and could not wear my purchases for months, resulting in lots of mistakes.

Thistle

Veteran

YES!! I totally find this to be true. Now, I am on team wear, and while I understand the concept of buying in the correct retail season versus actual season, I seldom do. Why? Because I want to wear what I just bought. I just can't get excited about spring dresses when it is -14F outside.

(Which is why I will have to force myself to buy a bathing suit in February this year).

If I am not super excited to wear it when I buy it, I almost never will be. And, in the excitement, I usually figure out two or three ways I want to wear it that will translate to the guly morning hours when I am getting ready.

I know some YLFers love playing in their closet. I don't. And in my free time, I would rather play with DD or hang out with DH. As such, if I don;t get great ideas when I first get a piece, I probably never will.

ramya

Veteran

Just as I was reading thid my brain went "AHA!!!!". It is true in my case. Items I start saving will always be saved.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I bat for Team Wear too. But waiting to wear certain items - sometimes months - does not result in orphans. It's a weather thing. And when I buy items that are STILL to flimsy and cold to wear in Seattle.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Yes, this is definitely the case for me. I'm getting better about leaving tags on and returning because of it. I'm learning...

Susie

Veteran

I mentioned on Angie's blog post today that I sometimes will sort of plan out the first few wearings of something new. So if I have some event coming up, I might 'save' the new item for that before putting it into regular rotation. And I do buy things ahead of the season- almost never after it ends- and the good purchases are the ones that I can't wait to wear.

catgirl

Veteran

This is completely true for me. Because of my climate I hardly ever buy anything that couldn't be worn right away. I've learned not to cut the tags if I feel that nagging sense that I may not love wearing an item as much as I love having that item in my hands. In fact, I'm making a huge return to Nordies today of stuff I didn't wear to Sundance...

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Angie, yes weather does play a role for sure! That's why I mentioned weather permitting. Heck, I have not yet worn my Spiegel leather jacket because I bought it the week before moving to FL! But I'm convinced it will NOT be an orphan. It's soooo my style
Janet, I'm slowly learning, too First step was to stop buying non returnable items unless I was sure they were going to fit. Most of my mistake dresses were eBay 'steals' that add up to no steal at all when they just hang there. I have them set aside to take to consignment and still haven't, months later. Something about them still having tags on gives me some weird inner feeling that their worth is more. I know, silly. I should just move on.

Elizabeth P

Veteran

I also do better if I wear it right away. I think otherwise, the "excitement" wears off, and it's just another thing in the (stuffed) closet. I have two pairs of silk track pants I got at great discount at the end of last summer, one still unworn. It's the temperature, not my interest. I sure hope I still like them next summer!

Emily

Veteran

Yup. Totally true. I've been leaving the tags on until I wear something for the first time, and if I am not pumped enough about an item to find a way to wear it within a week or so, back it goes.

Recent examples, worn: the sleeveless tops I bought for summer, zara blazer (the one you have in white) I almost returned but decided to keep

Recent examples, unworn: The white denim jacket I posted a k/r of with the zara blazer. I haven't had any occasion to wear it, so back it goes. I know it is out of season, but If I miss it I can repurchase. Otherwise I am afraid it will hang unworn forever!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Yup. Absolutely true for me, and I have learned to leave the tags on. The only exceptions, as Angie says, are the weather dependent ones. There were lots of things I bought at NAS I couldn't tell about for months. But I ended up wearing almost all of them, and returned those I knew I would not (thank you, Nordie's generous return policies!) Oh - and there is some special occasion type stuff that I have bought and not worn until the occasion arose. But it isn't a true orphan if it gets wear for its proper time, I guess - however infrequent that is.

For me, buying (mostly) in season is pretty much the cure. And asking myself that question Joy posed: Do I really WANT to wear it right now??? If I want to wear it, I will wear it (even if weather prevents me at this specific moment). If I don't really want to wear it right away, I probably won't want to later on, either.

carter

Veteran

True for me as well. I always leave the tags on until I'm walking the door wearing the item. Unfortunately,I sometimes miss the return window. I really need to set a phone alert or something a week before the return period is over.

unfrumped

Veteran

Great post, Mo, and yes and yes.
All what you said.
a) Need to buy items I can't wait to wear
b) Don't cut tags until the home mirror test and figure out several ways to wear
c) Team Wear Now so don't forget how I wanted to wear it
d) If I wear now and it doesn't work as well as I thought, then ok, it may have not been so wise, but I've learned something and am less likely to buy a dupe or similar item and go deeper into the hole.
e) Don't try to wait for just the perfect weather/season for something because sometimes it'll fly by before you know it or you'll find it is warmer/cooler than you thought. Stretch the seasons a bit to work in something new, even if work it in only a few times now and use more later.
f) I still will likely buy a few things off season if I think they're really great and hope will still be so in a few months. So there would be some extreme seasonal things that I could not "wear now" when purchased. But I'm learning that other things that are potentially wearable--say layered under or over--should be worn as soon as possible for the reasons in c, d, e.

deb

Veteran

I actually do not do this and I have been sitting here trying to figure out why. Something new can sit in my closet for months and then, boom, I wear it all of the time. It isn't even a seasonal thing. I think I am just weird.

Catnip

Veteran

Yes. I recently bought a Lands' End puffer coat on sale. It fit well and would have been useful when my older puffer wears out, but I couldn't bring myself to wear it. I finally realized there was nothing special about it and sent it back. I sure hope my old puffer makes it through the awful winter we're having.

Diana

Veteran

I definitely find this to be true. For one thing, if I don't wear an item right away I run the risk of actually forgetting I bought it. Once I've cut the tags and worn it, that's when I hang it up along with all my other clothes and I see it in my closet. I never cut my tags until I actually wear the item, but conversely I tend to keep new items in their bags (hence the forgetting about them part) until the first wear too.

This is why I don't shop much at NAS aside from HEWIs or basics. I'm not really interested in pre-season stuff because it's generally a couple of months at least before I can wear it.

merwoman

Veteran

Yes! In addition to what others have said, I find it helpful to 'think outside the seasonal box" - wear those white pants in winter, add layers to 3/4 sleeve sweaters so their season can be extended etc.

Aziraphale

Veteran

So true! I totally agree. There are a few exceptions, like dressy high heels that I knew would not get a lot of wear when I bought them (but I bought anyway because on those odd dressy occasions where I need high heels, I want to feel fabulous).

If I wear an item the next day, it's a good sign.

rae

(website)

Veteran

Definitely! And thank goodness Nordies has an open return window, because sometimes I'll think X will be great for fall and then it doesn't work out. It can sometimes take a month or two for me to see an error.

AnnieMouse

Veteran

Omigosh. I've never articulated it before, but thank you! That's precisely it - if I can't get to it soon, I won't ever.

Wow. That's an epiphany!

Gigi

Veteran

Joy, I really like your idea of leaving the item if you don't want to wear it out of the store (again, leaving weather concerns aside). I have bought items off season, but even then, I drool while looking at the item in my closet, impatient for warmer weather so I can take it for a spin. So yes, Mo, I would say that I am the same way. It's like you just know intuitively that there's something not quite right about the item, so you don't wear it.

Stuti

True for me. I never buy things that can't be returned. And keep tags on and return if new piece excitement wears off.

Sarah A

Veteran

Yes so true. You have articulated this perfectly... I actually returned something last week since i bought it Jan 7th and hadnt worn it yet. Even though it was a lightweight sweater and it's been cold, if i loved it i would have found a way to layer it so I obviously didnt love it since i hadnt worn.... Back it goes is a huge lesson (our TJMaxx has a 30 day window so thats a great number for me)

JAileen

Veteran

Wearing something the next day - yes! That is a sign I'll be wearing it a lot. I've already worn my thrifted leather bomber jacket three or four times. It just feels right to me.

Anonymous

I think I'm more like Deb in this regard. I can let something sit for months (or sometimes even years), and then randomly start wearing it all the time for a while. This even goes in cycles. I can wear things regularly for a while, have them go on the back burner, then start grabbing them all the time again.

Sometimes, though, hesitating to wear something when it's new is a sign that it was a mistake to buy. I kinda wish it were easier to tell those from the things that just need to marinate in my closet for a while.

Windchime

Veteran

I totally get wearing (most) new items right away. I did have an interesting experience with a black mixed media jacket I bought in September. It hung in the closet all fall, unworn, and I thought it might become the dreaded closet orphan. I loved it on the hanger, but it was a new style for me and it took me a while to figure out how it could work for me. I finally started wearing it in January and now it's one of my favorite items.

Anonymous

Windchime you have made an excellent point. I have bought things that I love and look flattering but need to build up the courage to wear for some reason. Once my eye has adjusted and others have gotten used to it, the piece may become a favorite.

krishnidoux

Veteran

Mo, you're onto something here! So true for me too!

Weather considerations aside. Because yes, I do save some items due to weather, but when comes the time I wear them.

What I am noticing now: I am "rediscovering" items that were not orphans, but close: items I almost never wore last year, worrying they could have been mistakes, but this year I am wearing the heck out of them.

Did this ever happen to you?

Windchime

Veteran

Joy, you said it exactly! It took time for me to picture my chic new jacket on ME.

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