Because environment has a powerful influence over our behavior and stores are no exception, it’s wise to determine if what you are looking at is something you are looking for! A few weeks ago, as I investigated a beautiful designer raincoat that was front and center at Nordstrom, I invariably turned the price tag up to find the cost. As I asked myself the list of required questions I recommend to my clients, I thought “every price tag should come with one BIG question on the other side. And that would be:
It depends
Should I buy this raincoat? It depends.
Because it really does.
Before we put one more piece of clothing into our closets that will hang companionless, let’s ask a few relationship questions (for the sake of our relationship with our closet and our wallet, AND ourselves).
Questions such as:
- Do I have anything in my wardrobe that will go with this outfit or an outfit that will be completed by purchasing this garment?
- Does it fit?
- If not, am I willing to pay to have it altered?
- Is this a great color on/for me? Not a “good, so-so, or just OK” color, but an amazing color on you!
- If I don’t have anything to wear with it, am I willing to look right now for a companion piece(s)?
- AND, do I LOVE it and think it is beautiful?
This last one is a deal breaker! You must purchase clothing that you love. Something that makes your heart sing. What could/would happen if every (and yes, I mean every) piece of clothing you bought you LOVED. Think about what you LOVE in your closet now. Don’t you want to wear those garments more? Don’t you gravitate to those pieces? Most women wear only about 20% of the clothes in their closets. When the cost of an item seems out of your budget, think about how much you might wear it, and how the cost per wear might end up making this purchase worth more to you than the last three you just made? Next time you shop, take the “it depends” to heart, and see if you find yourself asking some deep, but necessary questions about your clothing and yourself. If you get to the place where this is frustrating or too time-consuming, please e-mail me and we can talk about it further.
Kathleen@YourAuthenticImage.com. Oh, and did I buy the coat? Nope. It lost out on questions 2, 3 and 4!
