I’ll never forget the day I realised I’d been doing it all wrong. It was an average Wednesday evening sometime towards the end of last year and rather than heading out like I usually would, I stayed in and buried myself in my Social Security statements. Why?
Because it turned out I’d paid hundreds of dollars in taxes on clothes I’d never worn. Sounds ridiculous, but hear me out. Earlier that week, I’d had an important work meeting where I wanted to look my absolute best.
I opened my closet and surveyed every-single-thing. I had enough clothes to wear a different outfit every day for three months.
And yet… I had nothing to wear.
Much like the clothes I ended up buying that week, my entire wardrobe was made up of thing I kind of liked instead of things I really loved.
Pieces I would wear once or twice and spend the rest of their lifetime hiding under the back of my closet. I finally chose something mediocre and left the house feeling utterly blah.
It was the last straw. I’d gone this far into my adult life hiding behind baggy tees and uninspiring jeans. I wanted to stop pretending that “comfort over style” was an excuse and actually build a wardrobe that made me feel amazing.
The problem? I didn’t know where to start. Like most of us, I’d built a wardrobe based on whims and sales prices, not careful consideration.
My closet was full of trendy pieces I never used, hideous gifts I never wore, and forgotten little black dresses that stank of desperation. It didn’t take long to track down the source of my shopping habits. While catching up over dinner with friend Claire, I complimented her on a beautiful cashmere jumper. “I love this,” I said. “Where’d you get it?” Claire, for those who don’t know her, has built one of the most stylish closets I’ve ever seen.
Everything she owns is neutral, versatile, and totally timeless. You never quite know where she finds stuff, but she somehow always ends up with it. When she told me she’d had that jumper for seven years (seven! ), I balked.
I couldn’t remember the last piece of clothing I’d owned for longer than two seasons. “What’s your secret?” I asked, slopping more wine into my glass. “I buy new clothes all the time but still feel like I have nothing to wear.” She snorted laughed. “Buying clothing isn’t my hobby,” she explained. “Think of your wardrobe as an investment.” She wasn’t kidding. Slowly, I stopped shopping silly and started shopping smart. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice to say I emptied out every clothing drawer and holding in my flat, trying everything on and asking myself a series of questions until I was left with only the clothes that fit me well and made me happy.
Including the things I was forced to throw out, I probably spent about three hours sorting through my wardrobe. It was simultaneously amazing and horrifying to see just how much stuff I had amassed and yet still had nothing to wear. My wardrobe post-fire-sale consisted of random-yet-high-quality things I actually loved mixed with loads of holes where basic things should have been.
I had fifteen t-shirts but no good white button-up. I had dresses I never wore but no real work-appropriate trousers besides the horrible lounge trousers I magically owned four pairs of. Shopping for clothes with intention wasn’t easy at first.
I scoured sale websites and waited for items I actually loved to go on clearance. Instead of buying three cheap shirts from Target, I waited until I could afford a really amazing blouse from Theory I knew I’d wear until it fell apart. Instead of buying that trendy dress on a whim to wear to friends’ weddings, I bought less and spent more.
Which meant… I started buying way less. It sounds so weird to say, but nothing about that shift was complicated. I didn’t “live without.” I didn’t stop enjoying clothes or browsing shops.
But instead of buying things because they were cute, fun, or simply on sale, I thought long and hard before buying anything. Was it something I loved? Would it stand the test of time?
Could I picture myself wearing it multiple times? If the answer was yes, I bought it. Almost instantly I found myself caring about clothes less and enjoying them more.
Instead of mindlessly browsing shops, I only went when I knew I needed something. Rather than buying new things to feel good about myself, I focused on the stuff I already owned. And it changed everything.
Not three months into this new shopping mindset, a former coworker ran into me while I was grabbing lunch alone. “That coat is amazing,” she exclaimed, grinning from ear-to-ear. “Where’d you get it?” “I actually got it years ago,” I replied proudly. “But I finally bought some things that actually go with it!” She laughed, seemingly delighted by my newfound ability to coordinate. The truth was, I’d had that coat for literal years but had never worn it because it didn’t match anything else in my closet. Now I just bought a bunch of things that went with it.
To be clear, I’m not saying you need to purge your closet. Nor am I suggesting you drop half your monthly salary on a trendy jacket you’ll never wear again. What I am saying is that when you stop thinking of clothing as cheap entertainment and start viewing every piece as an investment in your everyday life, everything changes.
Shop less, think more. Take stock of your life. What do you really wear on a daily basis?
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I’ll admit that for years I bought clothing for an ideal version of myself who went to fancy cocktail parties and weekend getaways. Meanwhile my real-life wardrobe was dedicated to turtlenecks and yoga trousers despite the fact that I actually worked in meetings several times a week and rarely touched my yoga mat. Start buying clothes that fit your actual life.
Build it slow. Clothes don’t need to be replaced seasonally. Hell, they don’t even need to be replaced every year.
I love adding a piece here and there that complements what I own, but my wardrobe will never look like it did two years ago or even one year ago. At this point my closet runs together in a beautifully cohesive way. Recently I bought a camel coloured blazer that is so ridiculously good quality and goes with everything I own.
It was also potentially more expensive than both my rent payments combined. But it’ll last me years, probably decades, so it’s totally worth it. Buy better, live longer.
Trust me, I used to mock ppl who raved about FASIONS quality 🙄 Now that I’ve started investing in fewer but better pieces, I totally understand what they mean. That H&M jumper isn’t going to last you a year like that J Crew jumper will. If you have the means, spend the extra money and benefit from quality clothing.
It’s also worth noting that my “fewer, better things” aren’t always things I paid full price for. I’m now an expert at Sale shopping. Instead of mindlessly buying items that are marked down, I wait until high-quality pieces I know I’ll wear hit sale.
Same goes for outlet stores; I rarely buy the random stuff on display but love scoring high-end items for fractions of their retail cost. Seek out secondhand. Clothing is meant to be worn for years, even decades.
Sure, style trends come and go but if you stick to basics and high-quality items there’s probably a thrift store near you selling something nearly-new at an absurdly low price. Last month I snagged an over-the-top expensive vintage Max Mara coat on secondary market for *less* than what it would have cost me new. Somebody loved that coat enough to take care of it, and now I get to extend its life by wearing it to death.
Think sustainably. I used to hate people who made points about buying sustainable clothing and brands who used eco-friendly materials/methods. But the more I learn about how bad the fashion industry is for the environment, the more I think about my own wardrobe.
Did I know that polyester takes 200+ years to decompose, so that cute workout top I bought on clearance three years ago will outlive me?! No. But I do now, and while I’m not going zero waste, I’m definitely more mindful about what I purchase.
Think of it this way: buying clothes that will last allows YOU to be sustainable since you won’t be wasting money on constant turnover. Finding my personal style was huge. For me, that meant classic shapes, tailored cuts, and feminine touches.
But when I really think about what I wear day-to-day, my go-to outfits all fit within the same colour scheme. Because I know I love tailor-made clothing in earth tones I can toss on a shirt or trousers knowing it’ll fit and feel great. For you, this might mean flowy tops, cutoff shorts, and graphic tees.
Or it might mean big jumpers, wide-leg jeans, and leather boots. Just know yourself and clothes shopping will get exponentially easier. Invest where you can.
Slow fashion isn’t cheap. I get it. But if you’re committed to building a quality wardrobe, there are ways to make it work for you.
As I mentioned before, I scour sales websites and am intimately familiar with every outlet store sale calendar.
I’ve even learned to love paying full price for amazing clothes I know I’ll wear forever; because when you break it down piece by piece, that $175 jacket isn’t so expensive if it lasts for 20+ years versus a $60 jacket that falls apart after a few wears.
I have no idea how long it took me to stop shopping stupid, but I know it wasn’t overnight.
Years of buying trendy things I’d wear once had created a stubborn habit. But over time I started thinking of my wardrobe as a collection of items that work together, not as shorts dresses and trendy jumpers. Now when I go shopping I have a much easier time saying no to things I don’t love or would only wear once.
And trust me: your wallet will thank you. Which brings me to my last point: how incredible it feels no to buy clothes! Last week I had my big client meeting.
Same as the one that started it all, right? I wake up, wanting to look incredible but not wanting to bust the budget. Instead of stressing I went to my closet, pulled out a pair of skinny jeans I’d had for years (they still fit! ), added a crisp white blouse I’d received as a gift, and finally wore that beautiful navy dress I bought months ago.
It wasn’t new, but I looked damn good. Finally, I had built a wardrobe that worked for me.
