I always battle with an internal struggle whenever I’m deciding whether to splurge on a clothing item.
Growing up, designer items were never really in the picture. I was brought up on Mango (known as MNG today), Zara, Esprit, Topshop and a couple of local fashion labels. I also got to wear Guess Kids once in a while, and that was the big thing for me. Those brands were considered as “designer” and relatively expensive and mom (being the best mom in the world and I mean it) would frequently spoil me with new purchases. I was at a phase where the notion of quality didn’t even cross my mind. Quality didn’t matter. All I cared about was quantity, trends and that I had a continuous flow of new stuff to show off.
To date, I’m still a big fan of Zara (there’s no way of quitting argh) but the way I make my purchase decisions started to shift bit by bit over the past couple of years. No longer would I purchase an item solely based on price. I had my fair share of tossing boxes upon boxes of clothes out simply because they were poorly made or that I never liked them in the first place. I’ve begun to curb my overconsumption behaviour by channeling my hard-earned budget into only 1 or 2 good things at a time. This seems to defy the logic that I knew all along and the idea of getting “less” in return requires a bit of getting use to.
All the uncertainties from relearning and readapting were worth it though.
The moment I laid hands on the asymmetric knitted sweater, I knew that I made the right decision. I was utterly convinced with the cliche that you get what you paid for. I kept stroking the material as if it were a fluffy golden retriever because it was so soft and luxurious (well it better be!)
I’m yet to be at stage where I’m happy with all my purchases (I did succumb to high street shopping sprees a couple of times, not that proud of them) so I will have to up my self-control game. I also don’t think that purchasing fewer more expensive things is the only or best way for everyone to shop but it’s a method that may help me achieve my wardrobe goals in a long run. I want to feel proud and satisfied with everything that I own, and be happy with outfit repeats . This may sound a bit idealistic but I’m willing to give it a shot.
Do you have any tried and tested shopping strategies that work for you? How have your purchase decisions changed over the years?
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