I’ve had several discussions lately on the topic of clothes. I have some hoarder tendencies, you see, and they really come out in my wardrobe.
In 2011, I have made a decision not to buy anything new. There are some exceptions (underwear, some shoes, some requirements for tramping etc.) The goal focusses on new things being BRAND new things. Meaning I can go to op-shops, thrift shops, vintage shops, etc.
And I do.
On most weekends that I am home, I make a visit to our local op shop (best op shop ever, just sayin’….) And I will often pick up a couple of things. Unique clothes, mostly in good condition, for $0.50-1.00? Too hard to resist!!
As a result my wardrobe is full of interesting unique clothes that I love (and I have a fairly large collection of ‘to fix’ as well). And by full, I mean, kinda overflowing (oops).
I was discussing this with a new friend the other day, who thought my wardrobe was ridiculous. As we talked, though, I realised that a big part of the reason we disagreed was our attitude to clothes in general. She explained that she has 6 work tops (one for each day of the week, and a spare just in case). She wears the tops every week, with black pants or jeans, and one of two pairs of shoes.
On the other hand, if I have worn something in the last week or two, I’m unlikely to wear it again (unless I’m tired, and it’s a go-to favourite). I certainly wouldn’t repeat a whole outfit two weeks in a row. I love clothes, and I love mixing them up.
I also regularly go through my clothes and get rid of the ones that I haven’t worn recently (you kinda have to when your drawers are overflowing!). I often pull things out of the back of the wardrobe and figure out a new way to wear them. I have fun experimenting for special occasions, and for every day.
So, I’ve decided that my collection is just the right size. And it’s okay that my right size is different to many people’s. I don’t hoard many things, but I love my clothes, and as long as we have space to keep them and they still fit me, I’m going to stick with them.
