sunday life: my case against shopping*
This week I don’t buy style
Bless me father, for it has been nine weeks since my last resentful, unsatisfying and agitated jaunt to the gaudily adorned shrine that is my local shopping mall. Indeed, it’s been nine weeks since I’ve bought anything, apart from food, petrol and cotton buds.
While I’m confessing, I should point out this is not unusual for me. A while back I wrote in this magazine about going for 279 days without shopping for clothing. Not even knickers. I did a four-month stint more recently. I know this because my accountant called to tell me, somewhat perplexed. “So what do you actually wear?”
It’s not that I set out to make a point (although I do have a robust anti-consumerist streak). It’s more that as weekends roll around I “give myself permission” not to spend my Saturday looking for the perfect flat-heeled patent leather riding boot, propelled by the insane idea that said boots will lend gravitas to my identity. I give myself a leave pass from getting bogged down in making yet another bloody decision…under the high-pressure gaze of a commission-based sales assistant.
Which brings me to the contentious tenet of this week’s exploration: when you don’t shop, you have better style. Every no-shopping stint I invariably reach a point where I get bored of wearing the same grey marle poo-catchers and All Saints deconstructed hoodie every day. I start to whine that I have nothing to wear. The momentum To Shop builds. And then… I get a grip. Do I really need to make a trek to the mall? I mean, I have a double sliding-doored wardrobe of stuff I haven’t worn in years. And I’ve not chucked it out precisely because I envisaged one day I’d find a creative way to wear it.
And so I plunge, in and around to that awkward, Bermuda Triangle section in the middle of a sliding-doored wardrobe and drag out clothes I haven’t worn since lay-by was still a done thing. It’s always a rewarding experience – with fresh eyes that old tartan skirt or Thai silk matinee jacket looks new and exciting. I immediately see creative ways to wear them. I accessorise like Trinny and Suzannah. I clash prints and mismatch textures. In effect, this necessitated plunge into the annals gets me stylin’.
Not shopping has become quite the sport recently. Earlier this year “shopping dieters” from around the world signed up to sixitemsorless.com, committing to wearing the same six items for a month…just to see how it felt. The Great American Apparel Diet is another such experiment entailing no shopping for a year. But I liked how Sheena Matheiken approached her year-long Uniform Project the most. She wore the same little black dress every day, but reinvented it with layers, jewellery and other “accoutrements”. As she blogged, with choice limited like this, she was forced to work with what she had. Ergo, she got crazy-creative. And the results are inspiring.
This week, having not shopped for eons, I got crazy-creative with my limited options. Every day this week I wore something I hadn’t worn in months (years?) and worked it creatively. I found a canary yellow sweater (it’s definitely a sweater, not a jumper, trust me). And wore it with double denim. Hee-hah! An orange striped singlet with tacky sequins – I teamed it with a floral cardigan. And the Thai silk matinee jacket I’ve carted between seven apartments (seriously)? I wore it again with a leopard print cami that came attached to the front of some magazine years ago.
This mini-experiment was wholly successful. It hoiked me from my grey marle rut, for a start. But it also reminded me how limiting it is to constantly reach for external solutions. Going to The Shops to buy something new and “fashionable” is all about reaching for an external style salve at the expense of playing freely with your own identity. The options are limitless (you’ve been to a mall recently, I presume). So, as the paradox of choice dictates, we dither and compromise and hand over our creativity. But when we work with what we’ve got, we build. And we humans, I believe, are better at adding and building than selecting a single option from the dauntingly vast ether. Ask a kid to build a caterpiller, she’ll stall. Give her an old clingwrap roll and some Perkins Paste and she’ll build the best damn butterfly on the block. Right?
* I write this, fully aware that a) I used to peddle fashion consumption for a living, as editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, b) I continue to work in a field (TV) where I’m dressed in up-to-the-minute fashion and have clothes lent to me for such purposes and c) I am often called upon to support fashion/beauty companies (by MCing at their functions etc). My position is this: I’m not an extremist; I support the creativity of the Australian fashion industry; I make moderate, sustainable and considered style purchases where I see fit. I just like it this way.
Want to do something similar?
1. Join the Salvation Army’s Buy Nothing New campaign, starting October 1 – one month; nothing new. I’m an ambassador for the program and will be involved myself (stay tuned). Make a pledge with friends and visit a Salvos’ Store…Tell me what you get up to…any clever ideas, swap meets, frock exchange links you love etc and I’ll share here and on Twitter.
2. Check out former Instyle Magazine stylist Matt Paroz’s new site how big is your eco…dedicated to sustainable fashion. He posts details of clothes exchanges around Australia. Very sharp site!
3. And here’s a list of upcoming clothing exchanges around Australia.
I pretty much shop twice a year; fall and spring. I spend about $100 each time, maybe a little more or less, and get some staples, maybe a few fun things, and create as many outfits as possible with what I have. I’ve also changed sizes several times in the last few years (gone down fortunately) and so have had to get some new clothing. Although, recently it occured to me that, hello, I could have things altered. Great article.
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I like that idea. !
Maybe I can also use October to sell off unwanted things on ebay. Hmm… *ponders*
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I think I’m about to start doing this out of necessity rather than choice, but you made it sound exciting, so that’s calmed me down a bit. I’ve always been a minimalist though, so I don’t have any prints to clash. Off to have coffee with a friend in my 6 year old khaki jacket…
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I feel like most of your articles start off hopeful and then…lose focus. So what did you learn from this> Why are you against shopping? I feel somewhat disappointed. You could improve I think. You have it in you.
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Shopping diet. I love it! I am in desperate need of a shopping diet and have tried many times but never succeeded. The issue is that unlike you Sarah I find it difficult to be creative with ‘old clothes’. Old being defined in my vocab as been worn more than 10 times. I know that this is pathetic and self indulgent but I find that buying clothes makes me happy. I guess I’ve convinced myself that purchasing a ‘new look’ regularly is a way to express my creativity, individualism and personality. However I might try really hard this month to go on a shopping diet and do the mini experiment as you’ve done and suggested.
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Hello Sarah
I love your weekly spot in the Sunday Age, thank you! More insightful,wise and humorous words this week. I really think that people are beginning to realise there is more to life than shopping!
Started a 12 month fashion fasting on April 1st and like you have created from the closet. Previous shopping habits had me purchasing voraciously, blindly. Craving the new, the limited editions, the must haves just because I had to have. A manipulating marketer’s dream! With a monthly, vicarious indulgence of Vogue – home grown and British, I realise that anything goes and that everything, with mild adaptation, is in my closet. Even the new culled, clean closet. The experience of not shopping – new and preloved’s has been liberating, even transformational. A space has opened up to deal with the reasons for compulsive consumerism and to discover other means of self-expression. I am now planning to ask others to join me for the last 6 months or part of. Blogging on Fashion Fasting is also fun and rewarding! Thank you Sarah, once again for sharing your thoughts and words.
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I am not on a shopping diet but I am on an unintentional clothing diet. I have four dresses that I wear in rotation, one for evenings and the others for going out. They are not cheap, but the fact that they are beautiful quality means that they can withstand regular washing and still look as new (they are from Perth brand Morrison, and the evening dress is Willow). I could probably survive on just my one favourite black dress, but I am not organised enough to do my washing everyday, lol. I like the freedom and comfort in being able to throw on my dress, ballet flats and leopard scarf in the mornings without a second thought.
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I am new to your blog and I love it. It really does make life sweeter.
This has made me feel million times better about wearing the same clothes every day for 2 months. ( I am traveling) I was preparing myself to shop soon but maybe i wont, maybe i will save some money and accessorize instead.
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Much to the amazement of some of my friends, I have just done an 2 year stint of not buying any clothes (apart from underwear). My extended family of sister, cousins and nieces all willingly donated some of their “cast offs’ which helped me through the 2 years. Officially, my challenge of not to buy clothes for 2 years ended in August. Apart from buying a badly needed warm coat, I still haven’t bought anything and not even interested. Not shopping for clothes has been quite liberating and I have so much more time.
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Wow, boy I’m glad being a boy!
I’ve had the same Ray’s Outdoor hiking boots for about 10 years. All my friends joke about the fact I only have 1 black bonds t-shirt. I have to be dragged kicking and screaming into a clothing store…and then I start to sweat.
It seriously all looks the same to me. One shop assistant in Calibre spent 10 minutes ‘proving’ to me that a fuscia shirt I was trying on was not pink. It looked pink to me. Of course, we all know men cannot discern navy blue from black – but it really did look pink. “Ït’s not pink!” he shrieked.
Anyhoo, you gals have it hard when it comes to fashion, so I feel your pain. And yeah, Sarah you really could improve abit, LOL!
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This is very timely. I am five months into a clothing diet and in the last few days have been looking longingly (online) at a few shopping sites.
One funny thing that I used to do when I was a poor student was go to the Salvation Army or such shops and buy handknitted sweaters. If the old sweaters were knitted with good yarn I would rip them out and reknit them as I wanted them to be. Very time consuming but pleasing! Whilst I no longer have much time for this level of effort, I have recently come back to knitting for pretty much the same reason. I had realized that the tops I’d knit were the ones I returned to over and over again and could never throw out. When you put effort into something, it has value to you. I love the fact that with my own hands I can make something much more lovely and “me” than something machine-made and poorly-finished. Last weekend I finished knitting a top and completed it with some buttons that my mom sent to me and that she had rescued from some damaged vintage gloves.
On another note, there are lots of online blogs of seamstresses who take second-hand clothing and refashion it. One that comes to mind is Grosgrain (American). There’s an Aussie woman who does this as well..hmmm…let me see if I can find the link:http://handmadebycarolyn.blogspot.com/ She makes lots of things from patterns (adapted), but she also does cool things like refashion her husband’s old clothes into items for her. Her style is very different to mine, but I find her to be very creative!
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Sarah I’m wondering why you are in the ad campaign for Witchery? Is there a different reason you are promoting their clothes other than just to ‘buy up’?
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Oops never mind I just read your side-note below the main story.
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Visit our web site and Say no to Sunday shopping
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I shop frequently but RARELY buy, for the reasons you have mentioned above. Too much “stuff” in my wardrobe limits my thinking, makes me less creative and of course clutters my house!
I do like to go window shopping quite often though, so when the few times I DO shop in a year come to pass, I know which few items are the right ones. Otherwise I get completely overhwlemed!
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The doing more with less or just making do was one of my favourite experiences of pregnancy. Only have a fraction of my wardrobe to wear was liberating in very unexpected ways (unfortunately returned to my usual habits after I passed through this part of my life).
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hi Sarah… this piece inspired me…. I’ve done a tribute to it here, and added a few of my own thoughts to it. Thought you might enjoy it: http://myyearwithoutclothesshopping.com/mystory/sydney-style/
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[...] – the Sunday Life supplement of the Sun-Herald newspaper. Sarah wrote a piece today on “I don’t buy style“. Well, pack my bags and mount my horse, if that doesn’t get me reading this article in [...]
Girls, do a monthly budget comparing food, clothes, personal and other expenses and I guarantee you will be shocked at how much you spend just on clothes, shoes & acccessories!
Sarah, your article really inspired me to stop my frivoulous spending (that with my budget and the fact that my wardrobe is a ticking timebomb ready to EXPLODE the moment i feed him another cropped jacket)
~ Sometimes life is much more simpler when you don’t have as many choices ~
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Every six months I find myself in an anxiety ridden state, crying hysterically into my bursting-at-the-seams wardrobe “I have nothing to wear!”. And then I find myself wracked with guilt. How the hell could I have wasted all of that hard earned cash on clothes? I could have donated that money to a charity, put it towards our house deposit, gone on a holiday or headed out for a nice meal every week …
After reading your article and visiting the Uniform Project website, I am feeling a combination of stupid and inspired. Stupid for not having thought to get creative with my clothes in the past, and inspired to go through my wardrobe and not have a meltdown and throw the contents into garbage bags, but instead use my imagination to come up with different ways to wear my neglected clothes.
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[...] posted about The Salvos’ Buy Nothing New month a few weeks back. The lovely former Instyle Magazine stylist Matt Paroz (that’s him [...]
I went on a six month shopping diet for the first half of this year, and although the first month was hard it became surprisingly easier the longer it went on. My colleagues didn’t believe it as I still managed to wear different things all the time, just by being a little creative with what is in my wardrobe. Most of what I buy is vintage or second hand anyway, i probably only buy something ‘new’ a couple of times a year.
I definitely recommend swapping clothes, I have found some great things this way. And even just taking the time to re-order your wardrobe – go through your drawers and discover what is lurking at the bottom of them just waiting to be worn!
Great story, thanks Sarah
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Thanks for this great share. This site is a fantastic resource. Keep up the great work here at Sprint Connection!
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