Friday 26 April 2013

The Monk Who Wore Prada

There's stuff...And then there's more stuff. And before you know it, they're out there!

Ever witnessed something brand new in your closet that you hadn't the faintest idea you had? And of course, now it doesn't even make your heart race. Oh no it doesn't...While it might have stayed parked in your cool cat closet yearning for a comeback, it's about time it died a quiet, merciful death. And maybe it's time for a whole new focus, a fresh look at value. (Not suggesting another shopping expedition here...Hell no.)





Life's complicated. You have the things you want to do and be and the things you actually get to do, aka. the hard-boiled reality. And in the midst of this gory battle of worlds is the gleaming refuge that you may not necessarily have the time for a life hack but you can, in the meantime, buy your worth of content and happiness; what we popularly call Retail Therapy. And hey we all know it works like a charm. I remember how at the beginning of every month, flush with cash, I would sprint to all those fabulous window displays with dizzying lust, ogle my way in and claim all the season must-haves. Everything seemed right up my alley and I would always emerge with bags and bags of lace-paneled chiffons, low-rise skinny denims, psychedelic leopard print bags, or whatever was the hot rage at the time. I'd be carrying those feathery bags with a heavy heart. Why? Cos I had to eliminate something that also appealed to my insatiable sartorial appetite. An incurable fashion slut I was.

Hey, wait a minute. I don't want to drift off into a preachy self-assertion that I have renounced the love of clothes and am killing it with a minimalistic wardrobe of a nursing mom. (Read loose tracks and ill-fitted shirts). I still follow labels, snag the occasional deal on a smashing dress or two, maybe even overlook my wallet size once in a while. Minimalism is the new black they say. Oh, bite me! I enjoy the high of acquiring new things.

But what do you do when you buy a closet full of clothes bought on a whim or a fantastical holiday need and have to mass-purge every time you decide to clean your closet? There goes the weekend Mad Men marathon.

And therein lies the problem. Somewhere along the line, I ended up feeling consumed by the things I so dotingly devoured.

Long story short - I need a fashion consultant. Probably... But I figured that lusting for clothes and gawking at the Mango and FCUK mannequins like a sex offender is not the problem. The problem is when you walk out of that store with a bag of clothes that doesn't represent you or your idea of self-pride and happiness. 

Examples? Here they are:
 1. The Future Bombshell-Me Outfit: "If I get rid of this muffin top, I am going to kill it in this crop shirt. Just you wait."
2. The Imaginary Invite to the Red Carpet Event Gown: "Cos I know people who know people..."
3. Kate Moss Killed it in Head-to-toe Gold: "And so can I."
4. The Hot Trending, Traffic-stopping, Neon-Orange Pants: For God's sake, I know neon colors are in but don't join the fashion brigade just cos it's hot off the ramp. Think woman!

After some uncomfortable donations to my bai (Even she didn't have the stomach for metallic bandage dresses and knotted crop tops), I thought maybe I need to do away with the extraneous. So I decided to apply Graham Hill's principles of life-editing to my wardrobe.

Here's what you can do to make your life simpler and also feel a bit saintly (minus the abstinence of course):

1. Embrace yourself: Not to sound like Deepak Chopra but it's good to take stock of your assets and flaws before you splurge on a really expensive dress. A) If it's not right for you, it won't make you feel good.  B)You will procrastinate wearing it until it's a relic from the distant past.

2. Reality Check: Let's face it. Clothes cannot dictate how exciting your life should be so quit shopping to provide for the dream life you should be living. Are you a social butterfly or a recluse? If you don't see a lot of people frequently or work from home, maybe you can't warrant frequent wardrobe additions. Wean off shopping for a while to see if you can go without "committing the sartorial crime of repeating an outfit to a party"! And it helps if you can be creative and remix your existing outfits.

3. Downsizing: Edit your wardrobe to feature clothes that you absolutely adore and can't do without. If you have to shop, invest in good fits and neutral, earthy colors that can be teamed easily with other items. No I don't mean quit being experimental. Buy clothes with a twist; the little details matter!

4. Hunt it down: How often do we go shopping for something specific and find ourselves struggling to untether from other distractions? If you find yourself getting lured by a cute off-shoulder blouse instead of the black trousers you really need, just walk away from it with your dignity and credit limit intact. Instead, make it a shopping adventure to get what you really want. Take it from me...The chase is fun and the sense of conquest is exhilarating.

5. Sectional Assessment: If you carefully look at your giant elephant of a wardrobe, you will find that you have too much of a particular colour, cut, outfit type etc. Get rid of the boring patterns and save your shopping cravings to invest in something your wardrobe should really have and is perennially chic.

Ultimately, there are a lot of rules to editing your wardrobe fashionably, along with other sections of your life (Books, gadgets, friends even).You can trim it down a little or go for a complete overhaul. The aim should be to not have any retail indulgence to take a larger chunk of your life (and your garbage bin) than it's meant to. Who knows? Living with less can be more fulfilling than you give it credit for. Atleast you won't squander your weekend away appraising your wardrobe. After all, life's wilder than a closet full of shopping adventures...



2 comments:

  1. Wow!
    I hope people take your advice seriously here! It'll save them the trouble of cleaning the clutters every year!
    You forgot one thing though, stay away from online shopping! It's bloody addictive!

    Keep them posts coming! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice post! Another idea/rule: For every new top/whatever one buys get rid of two old clothes. Kinda like for every tree cut, plant 2 new. :)

    Waiting for your new post.

    ReplyDelete