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| Take my fashion advice; I'm Lucky! (Image via luckymag.com circa October 2010.) |
What's un-shopping? It's basically taking time to examine your wardrobe and asking yourself the question "Would I buy this again?" of every item in your closet. It's a great way to purge clothes you never wear as well as clothes you should never wear. If it feels bad against your skin, is a pain to launder or otherwise care for, doesn't fit well, doesn't project the right image, doesn't fit the kind of lifestyle you want to live, or doesn't make you feel beautiful, then you need to give it the boot! You've got to get rid of ho-hum clothing to let the clothing that speaks your truth sing.
I purged a Whole Foods grocery bag full of clothes that weren't working, including three similar casual long-sleeved striped cotton t-shirts. They have a really wide necks which don't keep me warm, the patterns are pedestrian, and they don't coordinate well with the rest of my wardrobe of mostly cute dresses.
It's weird because there was winter when I wore at least one of those shirts every week and you couldn't tell me anything, but I just realized that I actually hate those shirts. Does it mean I never liked them? Does it mean I looked foolish at one point but had no idea? Does it mean I have bad taste? Does it mean I wasted money? Who cares? What's important is I'm moving on to a less cluttered and more fashionable present!
I love un-shopping because it gives me a chance to reinvigorate my wardrobe, not only for free but with abundance. Now, I have a bag of clothes I can easily grab to share at a last minute clothing swap with girlfriends or via a collection for the needy. I also sorted out a few select pieces that I'd like to transform into new clothes using the skills I picked up at Metamorfixx workshops. I'm giving myself the deadline of Memorial Day (the next biannual un-shopping day) to make sure these sewing projects happen or else the clothes are going in the giveaway bag that day.
Look in your closet and go un-shopping. Do you have anything to purge?
Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning.
Olivia - This is the most WONDERFUL blog! I feel exactly the same, and do my best to look in the closet and purge whatever doesn't make me feel beautiful at least a few times a year. So good to know I'm not alone!!! Thanks from Canada ;-)
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