I have been on the Diet since January hiccupping briefly on a belt from Anthropologie (technically legal due to the accessory loophole, yet still I chalk up that one to my detox period) and a new pair of Uggs (footwear loophole so also legal) that I justified by 1) having gone two winters without replacing the old Uggs just to see if I really “needed” (i.e. missed) them (I did) and 2) wearing them every day since said purchase which makes me feel like this was really a “necessary” buy.
Other than that, I have not purchased any apparel but found myself in an interesting shopping situation I thought worth examining here. My daughter was in the school play “Seussical.” I gamely offered to help scour some stores for costumes (who me, shop?). One step inside the Goodwill and everything retro/fuzzy/funky seemed to jump out at me. And so much of it was under $3! Hitting the thrift stores regularly was addicting because each day offered something new. Before long, I was bribing my four year old with a hideous pair of Goodwill Dora The Explorer sneakers just to come inside for “a quick look” which basically meant scouring the store for all things Seussical, taking pictures for the director and then traipsing back over to the thrift store for purchasing. During this period, I also noticed that I couldn’t drive down the street without encountering some sort of vintage-themed yard sale that was screaming out my name and having me scream out to my driving husband “Pull over!!!” I quickly became a woman obsessed.
Wow. Loud plaid pants with Lili Pulitzer floral tie (yard sale find) were perfect with my private school crested blue blazer. Vintage powder blue leather coat and orange retro floral jacket with Bakelite buttons were outlandish with coordinating feather boas. The gigantic pink furry jacket was over-the-top with pink tiger-striped cat-eye glasses. My point is not that I have a shred of talent as a stylist but that – even though I purchased nothing for myself – the process of finding the perfect item, the fun and unusual fashion find, and the great bargain seemed to satisfy the same void I used to fill by buying more clothing for myself. Why?
Before the Diet, I got a rush from purchasing a new item. Usually it was for one of the following reasons:
1) it would transform my body shape and the way I carry myself
2) it would be my closet’s “missing piece” that would enable me to unify my wardrobe’s variety and magically produce tasteful, coordinated outfits
3) it was unique/hard-to-find/offbeat and would serve as a visual shorthand for projecting these qualities (which I happen to admire). After all, it’s a lot easier for me to rely on that funky retro leather jacket to do the social heavy-lifting than to have to pony up the personality.
Back in the Seussical costume department, I realized that during these few weeks of shopping and dressing the cast, I was completely at peace in the Diet arena. Again, I ask myself why. For one, I think that the sport of scoring the perfect fashion find was ratcheted up a notch and – because it’s a show we’re talking about — the recognition of my taste and bargain-scoring abilities was ten-fold what it would’ve been had I purchased the same item for myself. My “finds” were quite literally front and center. Also, I no longer felt the pressure of worrying about the item’s longevity or usefulness, nor did I encounter shopping’s dark side of looking awful or having nothing fit. I was shopping for others and contributing to a purpose far larger than myself. Perhaps like volunteering when you are depressed, lending my creativity to a bigger cause was just the ticket to take the focus off of myself and help me channel some my fashion energy/angst toward a more positive end.
Being forced to pay attention to the “why” of my purchasing has made me more aware of my own wants (which are many) and needs (which are few). From that short stint as an amateur costumer, I am beginning to realize that the void I filled by buying myself new clothes can indeed be filled in other ways. An obvious and simple lesson, yes, but apparently one I need to learn the hard way.
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