Less is More

I've done something that I've never done before. I went back into my closet and drawers and did another purge this past weekend. If you recall, I did this already a few weeks ago. What prompted this you might ask? Well, I was standing in my closet, looking for something to wear, and as I was weeding through my clothes I kept skipping over tops and pants that brought me no joy and were outdated, stained and/or faded. Yes, I did mention in a previous blog that I have a couple rules that I "like to" abide by when purging my closet and that is to get rid of all items that are marred in some way. You have to understand, this is a process for me and I wasn't ready to get rid of everything knowing that I couldn't replenish. Well, today I got fed up. I'd rather have less clothes of good quality than more clothes that don't bring any oomph or make a solid contribution in some way. So, I went back in and pulled from the racks another large bag of clothes and shoes for Good Will.

It feels good and yet a little daunting as I have less to work with. Its prompting me to be a bit more creative and take a closer look at what I have. For instance, there were two blazers that almost didn't make the cut. The brown, pin striped lighter weight one was too long and the green velvet JCrew knock-off was too boxy. So instead of giving them away, I brought them to the tailor and in one week, they will be updated and ready to wear! In the past, I would have given them away and run out to buy replacements. So unecessary.

Taking inventory has also prompted me to start thinking about what I would like to buy post fast. I admire the French who focus less on quantity and more on quality. The French have been the pioneers of chic fashion for hundreds of years. From Chanel to Givenchy, they all share the same vision:

Smart, timeless, sophisticated yet feminine style!

For inspirtation I also often go to the blog-The Sartorialist  as it is updated daily with real-life photos of people looking amazingly dressed on the streets of New York, Milan, Paris, etc. Check it out if you need to stir your creative fashion juices.

As for me, I will continue the process of enjoying what I have and thinking about where this will all take me post-fast. Right now, I'm liking the creative process and I'm learning that less is truly more!

From the Sartorialist blog

You gotta love Milan!

One day at a time!
Miss F.

Month Three: An outsider looking in

Finding my place in a world of shoppers evokes a whole new feeling for me. It’s foreign and yet feels peaceful at the same time. I’m surprised at how much I've been enjoying it. It has been three months since I started my fashion fast and I’m feeling a sense of consistent balance in my life. I wonder what life will be like when it’s all over? I’m hoping I’m not one of those people who needs to live in extremes in order to feel alive. Meaning, either never shopping or always shopping. I really would like to work toward being able to enter a store without the high and excitement that shopping can evoke in me sometimes. In watching others participate in the shopping world, I'm observing that I'm not the only one who it provides a varied set of excited emotions.

I spent this past weekend in Miami with 12 other women for a bachelorette party for a close friend. I loved listening to the conversations around me about what outfits people were going to where, who brought what and who needed to run out and quickly buy shoes as they didn’t have the right ones with them. One friend even shared that she ran to the mall the night before the trip in order to find something new to pack for the weekend. She said she was trying on a top in the dressing room when the lights went out because the store was closing. I smiled as she told me this story, as back in the day, that would have been me.

I felt a renewed sense of peace and stability sitting amongst my beautiful lady friends and listening to their shopping stories. My favorite was the one told by Miss S about the fur vest that cost close to a thousand dollars that she recently purchased. She said it was the last one in the store and due to the big fuss that the sales people made about how great she looked in it, she decided that she couldn't pass it up. She shared that she was struggling with a bit of buyers remorse because it was a final sale and she couldn't return it. When I asked her why she decided to buy it, she stated that it made her feel good. Don’t get me wrong, I know exactly what she is talking about and can relate wholeheartedly. I am enjoying though, the lack of heightened emotions and frenzy that shopping can stir even in the calmest of people. I'm also finding ways to feel good just by observing. I'm also keenly aware that "I too" have been on the other side and can easily fall back to that place of frenzied shopping.

What surprised me most this weekend were the comments I received from my friends. Many of them were aware that I am on a fashion fast and were surprised that I was able to pull off my weekend outfits with clothes they had never seen before. "Had I shopped?" No, I told them, I just made due with what I had…and I realize, I have enough! You see, that is what this fast is teaching me. I don’t need to run out to the store for every special event that comes my way. I just need to look inside, that is, inside my closet. I may be an outsider looking in at my friends and the people around me who are “healthfully” shopping, but I don’t need to be an outsider to my very own closet!

I'm navigating new territory, just like Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus-Explorer

I was having a down day today. Just one of those days where I was feeling heavy, things were weighing on me and I didn't feel motivated to do very much. My boyfriend left to drive back to Boston and although he tried to get me out of my funk, I needed to just sit with it and shake it on my own. I decided to look at my ongoing list of things to do. Yes, I'm a list keeper. I love my list. I loved crossing things off my list. So, in order to take advantage of my day off from work (thanks to Chris Columbus), I took out my list and picked out something that didn't require a lot of brain power. Clean your closet. Translation- purge my clothes. I have a couple rules I try to stick by when doing my seasonal closet purge.

My 2 basic rules are:
-Get rid of any item that has pilling, is stained or stretched, faded or has a pull or hole in it.
-Get rid of any item I haven't worn in 2 years or more.

With those rules in mind, I sifted through my closet and also my drawers and filled a plastic garbage bag of items for the Salvation Army. It felt good. It felt refreshing. It also felt like new territory for me. You see, normally after purging items from my closet I am then inclined to go and shop and fill my closet with more items to make up for the gaps. I didn't though. Instead I drove straight to the clothes dumpster, dropped my bag off and then ran a few errands.

A few hours later, while out buying groceries, I walked into Off Fifth (the Saks Fifth Ave factory outlet type store) with the intention of buying some bras and panties. These my dear friends are the only items that are permissible on my fashion fast. As I walked through the store I was bombarded by signs reading "Take an additional 50% off the lowest priced item". A gray cashmere capped sleeved sweater literally screamed- "Miss F. I was made just for you!".  I felt my heart start to race and I quickly turned around, walked right out of the store and decided that I could make do with what I had.

Who was I fooling? My project of cleaning out my closet served as a temporary distraction from my feelings. And while it feels good to be venturing into new territory, it also feels very unfamiliar. I didn't need to fill the gaps in my closet nor did I need to fill the gaps in my emotions. What I needed to do was just be aware of how I was feeling (starting to sound repetitive, I know, but there's a lot of truth here folks) and not run, hide or buy my way toward a temporary fix.

One day at a time...

Miss F.