6 Ways to Stop Buying Clothes You Never Wear

It’s that time of the year: the Black Friday/Cyber Monday week-end, also known as the weekend where half the girls go literally crazy.

“Oh my god, this ACNE coat is 75%!!!!” (Btw, it’s still 1 000 $, without taxes.)

“Hey, if I buy 14 panties, I get the 15th one for free!”

As soon as the word “sales” comes into the shopping equation, it feels like everything “is suddenly worth it”. BUT THIS IS SUCH A GOOD DEAL! The thing is that, even if you’re getting a good deal, if you end up never wearing that discounted piece of clothing, it’s the equivalent of throwing your wallet into a bonfire while you dance around it singing  J-Lo’s My Love Don’t Cost a Thing.

So how do you make sure you’re being smart with your shopping, whether it’s Black Friday or any other Friday of the year? Here are 6 questions you should always have in mind before buying new clothes.

1. Do you already own something similar?

Okay, maybe it’s the nicest white shirt in the whole world, but that’s exactly what you said when you bought the other eight ones already hanging in your closet. It’s okay to have multiple versions of the same basic (a white t-shirt, shirt, turtleneck, etc.), but if you do it out of laziness, you’re missing out on some great opportunity to get out of your comfort zone and experiment with your style.

On a personal note, I tried a chiffon blouse last week. The fit was good, I liked it, but something, for some reason, bothered me. Until I realized it looked exactly like a blouse I had LITERALLY just given away. This is what I call learning from your mistakes.

2. Will it age badly?

Some cheaply made stuff ages relatively well (t-shirts, blouses, some jeans, etc.), whereas other clothes lose their shape, fall apart or get super fuzzy just by staring at them on their hanger. Here’s a trick: when you’re in a store, before taking a garment in your size and heading to the fitting rooms, check the other sizes of the same item. Are all the zippers in good shape? Are the knit’s armpits already covered in pills? If so, put back the item where it belongs before it’s too late.

3. Think at least of three kits you could do with that piece of clothing

And not with clothes you don’t have yet, but with pieces that are currently hung in your closet. Personally, when I’m #outfitinspo dry (yes, it happens to me too), I type the name of the item on Pinterest, along with the word “outfit” (ex.: turtleneck outfit) and then I fall into the oh-so inspiring black hole of the 25 000 pictures that I’m about to see.

4. Is the size good now, not in three months?

We all have that piece of clothing in our wardrobe, always judgementally staring at us, whispering to our ear every time we touch it: “Do you remember when you were 21 and had that crazy fast metabolism and you could put me on without hyperventilating?” Don’t do the mistake of buying something too small/too big that doesn’t make you feel like a super mega babe. You’ll wear it once at best and then it will just sit in your closet spreading negative vibes.

5. If the garment could talk, would it sound like you?

One of the most common mistakes all of us make is to buy clothes that make us dream of a lifestyle that is not ours. I sometimes try on well-cut dresses, that fit me really nicely and that would be PERFECT if I were a first lady. But the reality is that I work from home and, when I’m not in my polar fleece robe, I wear sneakers and a shearling blanket-coat.

6. Not sure? Leave it.

It would look so good if I happen to be invited at a wedding next summer and the thematic is “English countryside”. I feel like that colour makes me look sick, maybe it’s just the lighting. Oh wow, that’s some serious cleavage, maybe double-sided tape would do the trick…

NO. This piece of clothing has already taken up way more energy than it should have in a whole lifetime. Take it off right now and go get yourself a coffee.

Photos by Melika Dez

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