March 19, 2008

• Retail therapy

  I must be a retailer's best friend. Every spring, I get this crazy urge to shop. I don't know if it's the warm weather, cute window displays or ads showing carefree people lounging in the sun, but I always want to rehaul my entire wardrobe come March or April. Add a supportive husband ("You really should get something for yourself! It makes you happy!"), the proximity of my office to a mall and the fact that my work starts getting busy in the spring (retail therapy is my #1 stress buster), and it's even worse.

  Over the years, I've definitely gotten better about this urge. After a couple of "What was I thinking?" closet purges, I've learned to edit and say no to the wacky trends. I hope no one remembers the off-the-shoulder, multi-color stripe, puffy-shouldered, ruched shirt that I bought at Express in the summer of 2002. At the time, Johnny said, "That is the kind of thing that only girls would compliment each other on." I scoffed at him, but he was right. I wore that shirt once, to some sort of alumnae event at my sorority, and all the other girls oooh'd and ahhh'd over the shirt. Then I saw a picture of myself in it and was horrified by my resemblance to a clown. I never wore it again. So now I limit my spring sprees to things that I'll wear over and over. Actually, I find the "would guys also like it?" guideline to be a pretty good one. Not because I'm out to please any guys (we should all dress to please ourselves!), but because most guys don't like outfits that seem uncomfortable, too fussy or way out there. (Of course, they also think that something thistight and low-cut is somehow comfortable, but that's another story.)

  Now I just need to learn to limit the quantity I buy. I can never pass up a sale ... I probably get that from my mom and grandma. I also have this innate urge to collect. Once I get started on a collection, I can't stop. For example, I recently decided to try a Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day cleaning product (all natural, no bad chemicals going down the drain or onto Jack's hands). I liked it, so I bought the wood cleaner, the scrub, the window spray, the nursery cleaning spray (that's even more non-toxic, I suppose?). This is why I consciously avoid collecting too many things. Clothing is my only serious collection (otherwise our stuff would flow from our apartment out onto the street). Last year, I told myself, "No, 10 pairs of jeans [yes, I do have 10] is enough. No more adding to the collection until one pair dies." This year, I am refraining from buying multiple cute patterned dresses.

  However, anyone with this same problem knows that total denial just leads to a binge later. So, I set a little budget (both in terms of money and in terms of numbers of items bought) for this season, and the other day, I bought these cute things on sale -- most are updates to my working out wardrobe. (I'm so much more motivated to exercise when wearing a cute, comfy outfit. Who wants to exercise if you have to put on grubby clothes to do it?)

  1. These roll-down yoga pants from Hard Tail

  

  2. These crop stretch pants from Lulu Lemon. The ones I got are black, and the fold-down waistband is in a turquoise blue.

  

   

  3. This turquoise bra tank from Lulu Lemon. Yes, it's the same turquoise as the fold-down waist of the crop pants above. I also got a black version. I like the mesh detail at the neckline. There are also removable cups in the bust for added shaping and support.

  

  4. My non-workout-related purchase: A top by Sky. Mine is in this style, but it's chocolate brown and the leather belt thingy is also brown. The belt is braided, does not have the buckles and has only a few small amber crystals on it (that perfectly match my Seven jeans with the crystal back pockets). It's the same width, though. Now that my bar-hopping days are over, I suppose this top was impractical, but I can wear it to some evening parties/events related to Johnny's upcoming graduation. I can also wear a tank under this for more conservative events.

  

  The best part is that I still have some of my self-imposed shopping budget left over, so I can go buy some new undies, one dress, one pair of Bermuda shorts (I have to keep telling myself: only one!) and a couple of cute everyday tops.

  Of course, now that I have Jack, I also feel the urge to go shopping for cute baby clothes. Must stop, because he grows out of things practically every day!

  Sorry for the kind of pointless post ... I get really excited about my purchases, and for some odd reason, Johnny just doesn't want to see how I can make 100 new outfits by combining my new purchases with the stuff I currently have.  Thanks for reading!

  • 2:42 pm
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