Not to keep bumping, but Mo, I know EXACTLY what you mean! It's a really hard concept for me to grasp...as you put so well, clothes were to buy and keep, until I tore or stained or otherwise made them unwearable. In the big purge last winter I finally donated a sweater I bought 27 years ago!!

Part of the problem...in an odd way...is that I've always put an emphasis on quality. Not designer level, but mid-range, and so I didn't think of clothes as temporary items. I still struggle to pass things on...the idea that I'm tired of something doesn't seem like a good enough reason! After all, what if I want it again next year after it's had a break?

So...I still think the wear twice and toss mentality is all kinds of wrong, but my ingrained thinking isn't that great either. As in all things, I need to find balance!

I was thinking the same thing as Lyn - I don't think this is new for teenagers and college students; I was like this in the 90s way before instagram. Cheap fashion wasn't quite as ubiquitous as it is now, but there were still plenty of options and most of my fellow classmates wanted to follow the trends and have as many new things as they/their families could afford. I think it's just part of being in that age group with a lot of trends being seen in magazines and on tv (and now online) and experimenting with different presentations of yourself as you mature, and try to figure out what kind of adult you want to be.

Peri, I find it all kinds of difficult to understand, too. I had clothes from the 80s in my closet when I joined YLF. I hadn't worn them for many years -- but that was because they didn't fit any more. I kept them anyway. That sort of tells you something.

I also agree there is a happy medium. That was just nutty. Better to donate while they still had life in them -- before they became moth-eaten and so out of style that they could only be used as rags.

My idea now is sort of like my eating. 80% "clean" and 20% "dirty." In other words, 80% of the things I buy I hope to wear, at minimum, for two or three years. (With a smallish wardrobe, that's quite a lot of wear -- but the fact that I have four to six seasons means it is less than it would be for someone in a more temperate climate.)

Meanwhile, 20% of the wardrobe will be thrifted, fast fashion, or just "mad" items that I may or may not "marry." If, when the season ends, I want to pass that 20% on, no problem -- off to the consignment, a friend, YLF style exchange, whatever. The rest I will hope to use for anywhere from 3 seasons to 10, depending on the item.

Thinking like this helps me purchase more mindfully. If I want to try a super trendy item, I need to ask myself it this is "the" trend of the season for me. Is this the one that will be a landscape changer? If not, and I don't think the trend has any legs, maybe I can let it go.