I spoke to various people about my decision not to shop for clothes/accessories for a year and received interesting reactions. One woman spent 1/2 hour coming up with possible scenarios ("but what if an airline loses your luggage...") in a sort of panic about my inability to shop. Another simply said it was wrong to deny myself the pleasure of shopping, especially since I didn't do that much in the first place. Others found the concept interesting and one was tempted to do it herself, but all of us had a common theme - our relationship with clothes shopping was emotional at its core.
My aunt understood this the best, admitting that she often shopped when she was felling melancholic. (She also confessed to buying an amazingly low-priced thick wool BCBG cardigan at some discount store in Florida that day that had been reduced from US$270 to US$30 - she had to have it despite the fact that she would never need a thick wool cardigan in southern Florida.)
I recalled a similar purchase in New Orleans a few years back. I'd been invited to a "Purple Rain" party and, despite not particularly liking or looking good in the color purple, bought a purple satin cap and matching cape for it. My friend A tried to talk me out of buying the cape, saying that the cap would be enough. But the outfit was not complete without the cape - I simply had to have it!
In the morning faced with buyer's remorse and a bit of a hangover, I wondered what really had been going through my mind when I bought it. Luckily, I have a niece who simply adores purple and looks very glam in the outfit.
But what was my impulse to buy it? What was my need being met in that purchase? Was I trying to fit into the theme and be accepted or trying to play dress up and be glamorous or what? And why does that need (and the deprivation of it) strike a chord with so many women?
No comments:
Post a Comment