For this return of readers' letters, I would like to answer a question from a reader who feels a little lost in the construction of his wardrobe and who, in his reflection, asks himself:
“ Should I just act on impulse and decide later? ”
There is of course a dimension of pleasure in clothing, whether when we wear it or when we choose it.
But I believe that there are also risks in letting oneself be carried away by this pleasure dimension, in buying too much on feeling .
Differentiating impulse buying from compulsive buying
Although the two may be related , I would note a difference between the two:
- In the crush, there is the expression of a personal taste , the appreciation of something that we find above all beautiful, aesthetic.
- Compulsive buying tends to go beyond this sensitivity : it can be motivated by other factors external to the garment, such as a fear of missing out. or a difficulty resisting what we want in general.
The impulse purchase that throws your wardrobe off balance
I think we all have preferences, a natural inclination towards certain types of clothing over others.
Love at first sight, by definition emotional, can tend to amplify these preferences and create an imbalance by making you buy only certain clothes and others, not at all.
For example, I know that I easily buy shirts: I have a certain affinity with them. On the other hand, it is a little less natural for me to buy sweaters, a very useful garment.
The pieces we want the most are not always in our best interest if we are trying to build a balanced, complete wardrobe.
I regularly see very nice shirts in my size on this Rogue Territory western model . I resist, because otherwise I would have more than 50 shirts.
The solution
I invite you to think about it in a global and fairly down-to-earth way : what are the clothes that you miss the most at the moment and is this item of clothing that you fell for one of them?
Another piece of advice I can give you is to wait a while . That's what I sometimes do when I'm about to crack: put it aside and come back later.
A crush is sometimes a flash, fleeting, and giving yourself a few days or even just a few hours can be enough for us to realize it.
The impulse purchase you don't wear
Even more than a potential phenomenon of accumulation , there are also impulse purchases that we regret.
This garment is so beautiful in the photo or on its hanger in the store, but once the satisfaction of the purchase has passed, we find ourselves with a garment that does not fit us, that does not correspond to our style, in which we do not feel entirely comfortable: in short, that we do not wear, or not enough.
The idea of owning the garment was more appreciated than wearing it.
This shirt, bought on impulse and presented here , is very beautiful and fits me but I don't wear it much: I don't spontaneously think of it when I make my outfits. I don't give up.
The solution
Here I have a simple piece of advice: more than the garment itself, imagine outfits with it.
If you can create 3-5 outfits that work well, then you can probably incorporate this piece into your wardrobe.
If you're struggling to visualize even one or two outfits, then maybe you shouldn't bother checking out.
The impulse purchase that restricts your budget
Since impulse buying isn't always the best fit for your style, it's also not the best fit for your budget.
Spending a little too much on fun pieces can potentially mean running out of budget for clothes:
- More useful, practical, like a good coat
- Which require a significant investment, like a nice leather jacket
In his article on the four mistakes he will never make again , Nicolò's experience goes in this direction:
Furthermore, I have given in too much to the impulse of the "small pleasure purchase" , that of the 50 or 100 euro item. And in doing so, I have missed several times the opportunity to put enough aside to buy myself a nice jacket, a coat, a pair of dress shoes.
I almost bought this Aimé Leon Dore harrington when I came across it. I finally held back: I wouldn't get enough use out of it to invest the requested amount, which I prefer to keep for other pieces.
The solution
There may be different approaches depending on each person, for example:
- Set a budget for clothing purchases, and within that budget, create a sub-section with an amount specifically allocated for favorites.
- For my part, I don't budget strictly, but I often ask myself the following question: " is it worth spending this amount of money on this item of clothing? " The question is not: " is this item of clothing good value for money? " The reflection is more personal: " am I ready to invest this amount of money in this item of clothing, given what I can do with it? "
The final word
I would advise you to be careful and weigh the pros and cons of your favorites, in order to avoid making purchases that weigh down your wardrobe too much and lighten your wallet.
Not falling for a crush can be a bit of a disappointing experience at the time, but in the medium to long term, these opportunities that you let slip away won't really do you any harm.
