A few months ago I was walking through the mall wearing my usual uggs and skinny jeans and sweater and realized not a single other person was wearing uggs. They fell out of fashion without my even noticing. It might have happened a few years ago! I don’t even really like them, but I don’t really like any boots. So I asked my sister if she would sell me the boots she was wearing because I was going to Ottawa a few days later with my girlfriends and needed boots for walking around. So she did, and now I will be wearing the sperry duck boots for the next 5-10 years until I suddenly realize I need something better.
So I went to Ottawa and I spent many hours in the Rideau mall. I was completely prepared to break my no new clothes ban if I found something I loved. But nothing really “sparked joy” for me. So I bought a new bra (after my first ever fitting! I was of course wearing the completely wrong size) and a new bathing suit top.
In May it will be two years since I’ve bought any new clothes. I feel great about it. I learned a lot in my first year. The second year I pretty much just learned that I have plenty of clothes and I really don’t need many more since I'm just wearing jeans and t-shirts over and over. BUT. I still love to go to the secondhand store. I definitely still went once a week (until the Coronavirus), bu t I would often just buy stuff for the boys.
Buying used clothes for Cohen
Cohen doesn’t have anyone who gives him hand-me-down clothes, so I have to buy him a lot of clothes. And he has strong opinions on what he wants to wear. And he is not interested in going to the clothing store ever. And I want his wardrobe to be exclusively second hand. Sooo I end up buying lots of clothes for him, and then I pass along anything he ends up not being into. He is pretty much only interested in wearing sports pants and athletic tops right now. And then he likes to dress way up with a collared shirt and bow tie once in a while.
Buying used clothes for me
I am pretty much always looking for jeans. I am super picky about jeans (like everyone), so I have to get really lucky to find a pair I love. My main focus is to find jeans with almost no stretch. Maybe 2% lycra is my max. Once I have perused the jeans, I like to move to the men’s long sleeved t-shirt section. This section has the men’s sweaters as well. It is where I would find a sweet old man cardigan or super plain but high quality t-shirt. I also always look at the men’s jeans because very rarely you will see an actual vintage pair of non stretchy Levi’s. That’s the dream. I also have to check out the blazers and coats in both the men’s and women’s. I can’t get enough of an almost too small blazer. And a men’s woolrich buffalo check coat is another dream.
After that I will look through the ladies dresses. I am not even sure why I look at the dresses because I have zero reasons to ever wear a dress. And whenever we have an event where a dress is a good option, I will always always choose to wear a blazer and wide legged dress pants. I never learn.
My thoughts for the next year of clothing shopping
I am definitely going to continue my new clothing ban. I might make some exceptions for my sister's wedding weekend in September. And I got paint on one of my two constantly worn grey alternative apparel sweatshirts, so I might order a replacement. I am going to work really hard on not buying used clothing that I won't wear. Even though I have minimized my closet so much, I still find myself with clothes that I have never ever worn. I also need to work on not "saving" clothes. Sometimes I want to save an outfit for a special date in the future. But really, I should just wear all my clothes. A trip to the grocery store is as good an occasion as any to wear something I feel good in. Also, if someone really likes something I wear, I want to give it to them. I think it's way better to pass clothing on to friends who you know like your clothes than to put them in a giveaway box where they really might end up as garbage.
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