I’m writing this post later in the month than I usually do because I wanted to see if my Black Friday fashion buys made the cut. But, I’m still waiting for some of them to arrive. So, never mind. Onward.
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This month, I added two items to my wardrobe.
- Allbirds Tree Breezers – I mentioned in a recent post how sometimes I influence my own self. Welp, I did it again here after I compared Allbirds’ Tree Breezers and Everlane’s ReKnit Day Gloves. This was an impulse buy. I don’t need woven flats right now since my foot is still messed up. Also, it’s too cold to wear them! Nope, I’m not going outside with the tops of my feet exposed. How did I even get here? Out of curiosity, I searched for Allbirds on Poshmark. Tree Breezers are not a common item there — what mostly shows up are Wool Runners and Wool Loungers. So when a pair of blue Tree Breezers in excellent condition showed up in my size, I made an offer. Thus, my buy was driven by a fake sense of scarcity and my desire to score a good deal. Doh. We’ll see how much I wear them in the spring.
- Everlane Easy Chinos – “Hey, don’t you already own these pants?,” you might be asking. Yes, you would be correct. I own two pairs, actually — in black and ochre. To be honest, I wouldn’t have bought a third pair (in navy) if not for a little nudging from Everlane. They put a $20 credit in my account, but set it to expire in a few days. So I looked around, but couldn’t decide if any of the newer items would work for me. I didn’t want to chance returning something and probably losing the credit, so I bought something tried and true. Even though I knew I was being manipulated — by giving me credit Everlane got me to spend money — I went for it because “free money.”
Is owning three pairs of the same thing (albeit in different colors) smart or overdoing it? I do tend to buy multiples when I find a piece of clothing I like, particularly if it’s a wardrobe basic. But sometimes I go overboard. I have definitely bought three of the same thing in the past and found myself not reaching for the new colors. Black, navy, and ochre are all part of my wardrobe color palette, though, so my reasoning is that I’m likely to wear all three pairs frequently. Do you own anything in multiples?
So, November was a fail in terms of reigning in my shopping impulses (though I am pleased with myself for resisting many items over Black Friday weekend). I bought things I don’t really need because there was some kind of “good deal” aspect to them.
In terms of wardrobe reduction, I removed eight items from my closet. I went through my tops systematically. And what do you know? Every time I had that I’m-not-sure-about-this feeling, I ended up not keeping the item. I wasn’t reaching for those garments in the first place because they didn’t fit anymore or had other fit issues. A friend of mine got a few of the tops at my impromptu shop-my-closet Black Friday. A few others my sister expressed interest in. The rest I will try to sell on Poshmark.
Welcome Objects 2019 Wardrobe Count To Date
Additions: 2 this month = 17 items total for the year
Subtractions: 8 items this month = 46 items removed from my closet so far this year
Those Allbirds Tree Breezers look very nice and the Everlane pants look like a staple. I have purchased multiples in different colors of sweaters and shoes in the past when I had a business casual wardrobe. I don’t do it as much anymore, aside from underwear and basic tees.
Sweaters and shoes are hard items in terms of fit, so I can definitely see buying multiples of those!
I’ve purchased multiples of quite a few items, mostly for work. With the J.Crew Factory open sweater blazer it was totally worth it – I like both colors equally, and because I pretty much wear black tights and black dresses to the office throughout the entire fall/winter season, the burgundy and gray ones get close to equal use. With everything else I can think of (some Uniqlo rayon-poly blend shells, these gauzy silk-cashmere scarves from Nordstrom), it’s tough to say it’s worth it exactly, because there’s generally always going to be a color I prefer out of the two, it makes the other one feel like a not-so-good buy.
I’ve definitely felt the same way about multiples in different colors. There were these heels I liked so much that when I found them on sale in another color, I bought them. But I never wore the new color as much. A shopping rule I’ve instituted for myself now is to buy the color that I think is most appealing. If I’m excited about the color, I’m more likely to wear it. So, by that measure, when buying multiples in different colors, all the colors should be equally appealing. (Or close enough.)