A Secret Strategy for Smarter Seasonal Shopping
4 steps to create a closet of pieces you'll love wearing!
I had to have them: the sexy suede knee-high boots that fashion magazines assured me everyone would be wearing in the fall of 2017.
I clicked Buy, feeling elated as I imagined my glamorous future self striding along Park Avenue on a crisp autumn day, cashmere coat swishing, kitten heels clacking confidently…
Except that, on all but one stunning fall day, those boots languished in the back of my closet, an uncomfortably expensive reminder of my tendency to wishfully over-shop when anticipating something novel, like a new season, job, or vacation.
For years, I fell into the same trap: assembling an entire wardrobe I was sure would be perfect for my exciting new life but was then hardly worn because I misjudged what the future would feel like.
Does this happen to you? It’s not our fault! Humans are notoriously bad at predicting how we’ll feel in the future.
When my closet is stuffed with things I never wear, I feel inept and guilty: I know that fashion manufacturing is bad for the environment, and I want to buy quality pieces that last.
To counteract this tendency, I now refresh my wardrobe using a strategy I call “shopping in the present.”
Here’s how it works: instead of buying clothes for a new phase that hasn’t yet happened, I buy things for the time and place I'm in.
For example, years ago, while running around after my two small children at a beach resort and constantly adjusting my swimsuit to cover my bottom, I happened to glance across the pool to see another mother in the same situation wearing a gauzy, swingy, three-quarter-sleeved, knee-length cover-up dress—with pockets!—over her bikini.
It was exactly what I needed, and the next free moment I got, I conducted a hyper-specific online search for that very thing. Before the trip, I had busily shopped for swimsuits and cute evening outfits, having assumed the vacation would involve more adult relaxation than is realistic with active kids. The cover-up I bought on that trip has been a closet staple ever since, and if I’m heading to a pool or beach, it’s the first thing I reach for.
Now, I follow a four-step process whenever I feel pressured to buy clothes for “future me:”
Resist the rush! While advertisers excel at creating a sense of urgency, especially at times of heightened emotions, like “back-to-school” and “holiday party season,” I remind myself that there’s plenty of time to buy things for a season that hasn’t yet started and will last for months.
Shop my closet: I assess what I already own to find pieces I feel comfortable in and know I’ll wear so that I have a few key things I love going into a new season, activity, or phase of life.
Pay attention: Then, I note what my schedule, weather—and the vibe—calls for, taking inspiration from what people around me wear at school drop-offs, shops, airports, restaurants, and on the street. Soon, it becomes clear what my real life requires: whether it’s more workout clothes, warmer sweaters, more comfortable pants or shoes, or nicer outfits for going out to dinner.
Get specific: Once I have a list, I’ll have fun buying those things in the latest colors, patterns, or styles, confident they won’t lurk unworn in my closet, mocking me for my bad decisions.
I’m curious as to how you approach shopping: do you delight in assembling a new wardrobe each season, take a more cautious approach, or like the writer of an essay on fall shopping I read recently, “shop in reverse” and buy clothes at the end of each season to fill in gaps you’ve noticed?
📨 I’m thrilled that this week’s link list was curated by
(who’s “all about the cozy life”) of the free newsletter, a wonderfully thoughtful weekly digest of reading and entertainment recommendations, plus the most fascinating, amusing, and delightful rabbit holes of links from around the web!Inside the closets of stylish people (The Cut) (very on-topic for this week’s issue!) // 33 new shows to stream this fall (Vanity Fair) // Pumpkin spice lattes — and the backlash, and the backlash to the backlash—explained (Vox) // 22 Non-Fiction Books to read this fall (NYT) // How did Costco Hack the American Psyche? (NYT) // How do restaurants get a Michelin Star? (BBC) // A literary road trip across America and what to read at each stop (Lithub) // A deep dive into the Moleskine notebook and how it conquered America (The Walrus) // Feeling nostalgic about gas station pie? //
💌 Thank you so much for reading, and I’ll see you next week! xo Amelia
❤️ If you liked this newsletter, click the ❤️ button at the top or bottom of this email to help other people discover it. Thank you!
🎁 For $1/week, VIP subscribers receive the gift e-book 28 Books That Will Change Your Life, exclusive content, plus other fun goodies!
Show us that cover up!!! Also, I try so hard to avoid the vacation/travel and wedding/holiday party shopping panic. I tell myself “On a trip I’ll probably feel most comfortable wearing what I usually wear,” and for weddings/parties I tell myself “No one cares what I’m wearing”, which is usually comforting but sometimes too sad and self loathing, haha. I DID buy a new versatile slip dress for an upcoming wedding tho. I’m hoping this can be my easy dressy option for the next couple years.
I have a private pinterest board named clothes craving and if the item is there after a month I'll buy it -It was SO fun curating your list hope your subscribers enjoy it!