Shopping

I hate shopping

It’s probably not what you’d expect to hear, right? I mean, here I am, someone posing as a style blogger, trying to make you believe I hate shopping. Yet, it’s true: I really, really hate shopping.

Well, I’m not exactly your typical style blogger either: I’m not interested in the latest trends or obsessed with fashion.

Sure, I like nice clothes, but I’m happy with a small wardrobe of classic, high quality clothes that suit both my personality and lifestyle. Thus, I mainly wear comfortable, low-maintenance basics that travel well. To be honest, I could live in pyjamas… Especially if I could accessorise them with a nice handbag and a glam pair of sunglasses.

Most importantly, Everything I buy must earn its place in my wardrobe and last for several years. That’s because I hate fast fashion, and I hate wasting money.

My idea of the perfect wardrobe would be impeccably cut timeless classics in luxurious, natural fibres such as silk and cashmere (which miraculously would not require dry-cleaning… Hey, this is a fantasy wardrobe, cut me some slack, OK?). It probably goes without saying that I’m not quite there yet, for reasons that may or may not have something to do with the type of budget limitations we all have to struggle with…

Anyway…

Unfortunately, at times I need to go shopping. Yes, I tend to wear my skirts and trousers to bits before I go looking for replacements (with my hip-waist ration, finding a pair of trousers that fits is like finding the Holy Grail…). But every now and then I get the idea that I need something new. You know, update the basics, that sort of thing: new jeans, new slacks, new skirts… new shapes and new materials, too.

So, I should be smart about this, make a list of what I need, and stick with the plan. Isn’t that the style blogger approved formula for smart shopping? Well, guess what: it doesn’t work.

First of all,  I never find what I’m looking for; I just end up getting frustrated and depressed.

Seriously, what’s wrong with fashion designers? It’s as if they’ve never seen a real woman before. And by ‘real‘ (in this context) I mean someone who is about 30 cm shorter and at least as much wider than the fantasy women most clothes are designed for. You know, someone with a a sizeable butt and thighs and arms thicker than a 10-year old’s.

And the jeans and trousers in shops… I always wonder who they’re designed for. There’s no shape whatsoever: the waistline is as wide as the hips (it seems the fantasy women they’re meant for have the shape of a 12-year old boy…). Which of course means that if I’m lucky enough to get the damn garment past my thighs and hips without ripping it, the waistline could easily house 3 or 4 of me… That’s what makes it so depressing.

So, now you understand why I hate looking for something and trying clothes on. And why going shopping with a list is pointless. I would just end up spending hours going from shop to shop, trying on one horrible outfit after another, getting more desperate by the minute, until my self-confidence is nothing but a distant memory of something I thought I once had…

OK, how I do my shopping, then?

Well, as it turns out, I do have a ‘list’. Sort of.

I don’t go shopping looking for a particular item, but I do keep a (mental) list of what I might like, should I happen to come across it.

What’s the difference, then? A list is a list, right?

Well, no. This way there’s no pressure. I don’t expect to find anything, and I don’t look for anything in particular. I just keep my eyes open, in case. As in, if I happen to see something I like, I should probably get it, even if it’s not something I need right now.

Perhaps it’s something I was looking for last summer. Perhaps it’s just something that catches my eye, for whatever reason. Or perhaps it’s something I never thought I might need.

Confusing? Not at all. I guess I could summarize my shopping philosophy like this: if you see something you like, buy it now. Even if you have no idea what to do with it. Because by the time you do decide what to do with it, it will be gone and then you’ll regret you didn’t get it. It works for me. Most of the time, anyway.

And of course, while it is important to keep my eyes open for something I might like, it’s even more important to keep track of what I already have. So, there’s a (mental) list of things I definitely do not need: trench coats, stripy tops, more handbags, anything blue or navy… That’s useful, to avoid buying multiples (that just clutter the wardrobe) and to encourage myself to try something new every now and then.

Right, about the photo at the beginning of this post… That’s everything I’ve bought this year, so far. Now, look at it.

Really look at it. What do you see?

I guess we can agree that I really, really suck at shopping… Right?

Tiina

Linking up with:

Not Dead Yet Style, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, Garay Treasures, High Latitude Style, The Pleated Poppy, Style Elixir, A Labour of Life, Doused in Pink, Curly Crafty Mom, Fashion Should Be Fun, Rachel the Hat, Sincerely Jenna Marie, More Pieces of Me, Color and Grace, The Wardrobe Stylist, Not Dressed As Lamb, Style Nudge, Coco et La Vie en Rose,  Living on Cloud Nine, A Well Styled Life, Elegance and Mommyhood. Posh Classy Mom, Nancy’s Fashion Style, Shelbee on the Edge Over 50 Feeling 40 A Pocketful of Polka Dots Style Splash, The Fashionista Momma, Tina’s Pink Friday, Fake Fabulous. Lazy daisy Jones, Vanity and Me, Sheela Writes, Jodie’s Touch of Style, Glass of Glam