July 11, 2018
In case you’ve been asleep for the last month, or somewhere without Internet access, we’re barrelling headlong into the big “pre-season” sale time of year.
Now, I’ve got nothing against saving money, nor against buying myself something new and pretty… But these sales? They can overwhelm you, and before you know what you’ve done, you’ve spent a ton of money on things you didn’t really need, just because they looked lovely and appealing…
So? How to avoid being a victim? Have a plan! That’s my answer to almost everything…
First, think seriously and honestly – are you shopping for need or want? And might you spend the money somewhere more gratifying? For example, I’m not buying anything this fall, because I’ve got 2 big trips coming up – I’m going to Italy for 10 days in August, and then I’m going back to Paris in December. For what it’s worth, my Paris plane ticket cost less than $800 – an amount of money that some of us can easily spend in the next 6 weeks “refreshing” our autumn and winter wardrobes. Which would you rather have?
It’s also worth bearing in mind that you weren’t stark naked last winter (I think we would have all seen that on the news if you had been!). You might be tired of your clothes, or bored with them, but for most of us there’s still a very wearable and versatile cold-weather wardrobe already in our closets; anything we buy is more for entertainment purposes than real functionality.
So let’s think about EVERYTHING that we wear, and what we might need…
This might feel really boring and unnecessary, but you have to decide what you’re going to buy, and not let some retailer tell you what you’re going to own! I always imagine going into the supermarket and finding that they have things on sale like capers, black olives, liver, and rhubarb… There is NO price low enough that could persuade me to buy these things! It should be exactly the same with clothing; if I didn’t know that I needed (or wanted) something before I saw it in a store, the level of need can’t be terribly high. And money that I spend on a sale sweater that I don’t really need is money that I can’t spend on travel…
What might my plan look like?
It wouldn’t be crazy to make your own list of things that you want or like. Open an empty document in any software that you know how to work, right click on items you see online that appeal to you, and paste each image onto a list. It’s fun to think back to your list, a few hours after you’ve finished it, and see if you can even remember what’s on it!
Another thing to bear in mind: a lot of the items that you see on sale this time of year are manufactured specifically for the sales. I.e., they’re possibly NOT going to be the same quality that you normally expect from your favorite brands. Don’t settle – hold them to your normal high standards and don’t compromise just because something inexpensive…
What might I buy? I’m always thinking that a big, snuggly cardigan could be handy…
black 1-button cardigan – Bobeau; open-front cardigan – Barefoot Dreams; cashmere waterfall cardigan
And I’m always a sucker for a pretty dress. The swishy black dress looks like it would be dreamy fun to wear… And the tie-sleeved one seems so much more practical than a dress with those great big bell sleeves, which I would drag through my dinner plate in about 2 minutes…
swing shift dress – Eileen Fisher; tie-sleeve dress – Banana Republic ; chambray dress – J.Crew
If I were really smart, I’d pull out ALL of my long-sleeved tee shirts, cotton turtlenecks, and button-front shirts to see what’s starting to look worn-out and dingy. I know these things get worn to pieces; this might be the smartest time to replace the ones that look past their prime.
long-sleeved tee – Lands’ End; cotton turtleneck – Lands’ End; white shirt – Lands’ End
Would it be wrong to at least look at sweaters? I wear them a lot in cold weather, so maybe…
striped sweater – Equipment; asymmetric sweater – Anne Klein; star sweater – Claudie Pierlot
While I’m sorting through my cold-weather clothing, I should take a good look at all of my red accent pieces too. They will eventually start to look tired, or possibly even have unrepairable holes or marks. And since I’m lifting weights so much, I’m finding that some things are getting VERY tight across the shoulders!
striped – Saint James; plaid flannel shirt – Uniqlo; red cashmere crewneck – Uniqlo; deep red birds-eye shirt – L.L.Bean
Of course, I’ve been wearing red as my accent color for years and years and years. Maybe I need to keep my eyes open for another accent color that appeals…
earrings – Monica Vinader; cardigan – Eileen Fisher; scarf – Nordstrom; bracelet – Elise M.; shirt – Eileen Fisher; sneakers – Vince; bag – Ted Baker London
An intelligent woman might take this opportunity to refresh her lingerie. No matter how nice your clothes are, if your bra fits poorly, your clothes won’t look their best. Nobody may ever know you’ve tidied up your undergarments and replaced the worn ones, but YOU will feel much better!
bras – Wacoal; panties – Naked; socks – Nordstrom; tights – Hue
In the same vein, how are your workout clothes holding up? It’s easy to let these get really ratty… maybe some new pieces will help with that early a.m. motivation to get up and out the door!
grey tee shirt – Uniqlo; green tee shirt – Uniqlo; blush tee shirt – Uniqlo; shorts – Uniqlo; running shoes – Brooks
As hard as it is to imagine right now, we have some reason to believe that the weather will again be cold. Some day. A long time from now. The best selections for cold weather gear will be in the stores in the next 6 weeks…
(and yes, those weird fabric cylinders – gaiters – are amazingly handy! neck drafts handled, ears covered, nose and mouth protected, or even a supplement to your hat; I wouldn’t go out in bitter cold weather without one…)
parka – L.L.Bean; hat – L.L.Bean; wool gaiter/headwear – Buff; mittens – L.L.Bean; boots – Bos. & Co.; wool socks – L.L.Bean
If you’ve got absolutely EVERYTHING that you need, but you still have a shopping… itch? How about accessories? This is ALWAYS where I can find something irresistible:
oval earrings – Freida Rothman; baroque pearl earrings – Majorica; star earrings – Baublebar; crystal-trimmed scarf – Max Mara; square scarf – Hermès Fleurs de Giverny; star studded loafers – Patricia Green; black & white loafers – Cole Haan
Please don’t get me wrong – there’s nothing wrong with shopping the sales! (from my personal business point of view, I’m always happy when you click through one of these links and make a purchase – that’s my income!) But I would like to help you be more thoughtful about your purchases, and thus be happier for the long haul with what you’ve bought.
So what are you shopping for?
love,
Janice
p.s. Yes, I’m returning to the 12 paintings/12 heroines on Friday…
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Thanks to you, dear Janice, I’ve had a shopping plan for fall since probably last January ;o))))) And everytime something came to mind, I added it to my list. So my shopping needs are crystal clear: a new winter jacket, since my very much loved taupe jacket got a big blue stain right in front for unkown reasons – probably in black, to avoid future loss due to blue stains… Black corderoy jeans, since I hear they finally come back to be in fashion and therefore hopefully available. Navy suede overknee boots I didn’t buy last fall and that I kept thinking of everytime I put on my very cosy new navy knit coat… and a set of matching scarf, gloves and hat in whatever fun color I can find – perhaps pink or burgandy or olive green. And hopefully a nice sweater in a nice accent color, preferably olive green – sooo hard to find! Mustard yellow seems to be in fashion this fall, which I love, so I might do a french 5 piece wardrobe if I find a sweater, scarf, socks, a necklace and earrings. And that’s about it! It’s such a relief to indeed know that I will be able to get dressed with just a few or even NO additions!
I love the idea of winter gloves, scarf, and hat in a fun color! What a great way to enjoy color during a dreary winter.
Back in the 80s I had a long wool coat in black with little tweedy flecks in hot pink, red, electric blue etc. I had hat/scarf/gloves in all 3 colors! Ah, the 80s…
hugs,
Janice
Yeah, that’s exactly what I would want if I had a multicolored coat – have the accessories in ALL the colors!!! Ah… really, I’m so grateful for the Vivienne Files and that little voice in my head that keeps me from those random impulse buys from the past just because I can hardly resist when I see something in a color I like, no matter if I could actually use it… now everything is so much easier and I can still have color with careful planning. Hugs back!
This is a refreshing post.
Excellent article! Smartly done!
Janice, could you create for us a wardrobe based on this beautiful pink water garden scarf?
I’ve been thinking a lot about doing some “start with a scarf” posts; I’d love to include this one!
hugs,
Janice
This is great advice, as per usual with you!
I did the soldes yesterday in Toulouse with my daughter. We ended up hot and hangry. Despite several very nice finds, there was a hiccup. Swimsuit shopping is the worst, and when you find one that actually fits, it’s like manna from heaven. Well, after too many swimsuits in too many fitting rooms, she finally found one and was radiant–it fits! It actually feels good! We stand far too long in line to pay. And then, boom! Surprise! It was in the “new collection” and not among the soldes. So full price, and a very big one. It does boggle my mind how such a tiny bit of fabric can cost so much money. And swimsuits seem made only for women with tiny butts and size B cups (so if you’re smaller or bigger, they look terrible–either the fabric caves in or you spill out).
We got the swimsuit, but she was all over the place–no, yes, no….I said that if she found better, we would take it back–it would be within a couple of hours, with the tags still on, obviously not worn. We didn’t find better (didn’t even find anything that came close to fitting), but regret tagged her. But it fits, so be happy. Part of it is expectations. She didn’t regret the jumpsuit she bought a few months ago that now was in the same store at 50% off.
On my shopping list: Structured-ish blazer I can wear anywhere with anything; really good black shoes with a little bit of a heel that I can wear with pants when I see clients or go out to dinner; lighter-color pants to round out the several black pairs, and taupe, gray and navy pairs; and about ten more scarves.
Ten more scarves – you’re my kind of woman!
hugs,
Janice
Janice,
Seems like the perfect post on which to comment and tell you that, per your influence, I have limited any new wardrobe
purchases to navy, grey, khaki, white, cream, red and orange (a few pink things snuck in in the spring?), and it’s been so liberating! If not for reading your blog daily! I’m not sure I would have done this. I love clothes, but it seemed like the proverbial, “Oh, I have nothing to wear.” When, in fact, I had a ton of clothes, but not everything went well with other items or was everything necessarily worth keeping. I did a lot of purging when I adopted my new clothes philosophy. Now, I will say, I don’t limit myself if I see a pretty scarf that would play well with my core wardrobe but isn’t one of the aforementioned colors. Anyway, this has been a really long way of saying thank you! My mornings when I’m no long frustrated and my wallet thank you as well.
Thanks,
Marla
Hurrah!
hugs,
Janice
I’m always delighted when you feature items with stars!
I try to avoid them – I tempt myself too much, and I’m afraid you all will get sick of them. I always enjoy those things so much…
hugs,
Janice
Excellent advice, Janice—can always count on you to break it down analytically. (Wish you were in my ear all the time to help curb those “I’m upset, I’ll buy that” moments.) I’d like to be analytical about it, but I develop crushes on clothes—I recently had good luck with a pair of vintage Chanel heels, the kind I’ve coveted since college…last century…and that ripped the cover off the bucket list, so now I want ALL the DVF wrap dresses, even though I’m pretty sure her biggest size is me at my absolute smallest, and I have too many Hermès scarves bookmarked… Sheer greed, really; my Nonna would say I need to go to church.
Greed maybe, but I think it’s much more complicated. It’s wise that you’re thinking about what motivates you – that’s the first step to getting a handle on the situation!
encouraging hugs,
Janice
Thanks, Janice! Everybody likes to think they are rational about everything all the time, but few of us actually are.
This is such great advice and structure to organize my thoughts. Thank you, Janice! For me it would be useful to have more ecru/cream tops in various weights, especually another cream sweater. I’m also looking hard for a pale grey swing cardigan. My biggest impulse temptation is jewelry – but I rarely wear them! A new gold hoop pair of earrings would likely be worn a lot, I think ;) Janice Collins Coyle, Washington DC
In my wardrobe, gaiters are indispensable and I wear them year round. I buy them half a dozen at a time or so, as they can be very cheap. I have about a dozen in a stretch polyester fabric in many bright colors and designs. I wear them as headbands for yoga and the gym. I wear them around my neck and pulled up over my nose when I ride my motorcycle — bugs, road grit, etc. flying in my face at 70 mph is a painful and gross fact of riding life, especially in south Florida, and gaiters are a useful shield. Plus they help filter odors. When we stop for lunch or breaks, the helmet comes off and the gaiter is pushed up into a headband to contain helmet hair. I also have gaiters from Turtle Fur for winter riding. In short, gaiters are a cheap and incredibly useful accessory.
Headbands! They’re so great when you’re doing something super-sweaty, because there’s so much fabric that they absorb a lot. You’ve got the gaiter-wearing thing MASTERED…
hugs,
Janice
I LOVE this post! Using your last year Fall suggestions, I got a goes with each other UNIQLO wardrobe. Also picked up a few velvet overalls at Urban so I think I have basics covered. Will dig everything out tho and make sure no gaps as well as note what I DO have so that I don’t come home with my 10th black dress. This is reall a slippery time for shopping for me ?
Loved this post, Janice, especially the analogy to the groceries I’d never buy even if they were on sale…..actually, I wouldn’t take them if they were free! Applying this to evaluate my wardrobe will be invaluable.
Your guidance over time has really helped me narrow my color palette – black, white & gray all year, with red & lapis blue in winter, pinks & lighter blues in warm weather. After sorting & examining, though, there are gaps in accessories; guess I’ll have to check out the sales after all!
Many thanks again for the time & effort you put into these posts! You make a real difference in our lives!
I was just this week considering jotting down some notes for what I want for next spring! After all, I just finished directly experiencing my spring clothing and know exactly what I need (two cardigans in spring colors and a pair of close toed sandals — for chilly offices — and some fresh white t-shirts). I can get them now (and still get some use out of them, chilly offices are unfortunately seasonless) or wait and won’t have try to remember come February.
For winter, I don’t think I need a single thing. I’m going to attempt to turn a pair of light taupe leather boots dark teal for next year (like $15 of supplies at the leather store — it will be an adventure!) and have some yarn for hats / scarves in my colors if I want to knit, but otherwise any purchases will be purely indulgence.
Knowing I don’t need anything makes it easier to avoid temptation.
I love this. What a great way to direct impulse and turn it into intention!
I also tend to get overwhelmed and reckless during sales. (I live two minutes from a Boston Store, which is have a store chain clearance sale right now. Yikes!). It also helps me to have a firm budget in mind. I flat out will not spend more than $Y for a purse…$Yfor a hat….$Z for a necklace etc. (These are things I already have in abundance at home. I’m not blowing the budget just to stockpile Stuff). So much easier to pass up that which I don’t really need when I keep my firm price points in mind.
Thanks Janice, great shopping ‘filters’. Living in Australia, I often use the US/UK end of season sales as my buy ahead option. I’ve had my eye on a number of EF linen pieces, but at full price just couldn’t justify. In the sale however…natural linen trousers, a longline white linen tank, and a white linen tee are on their way to me. I’ve replaced a pair of black sneakers and have worn them so much I will add a pair in white for summer. Trying not to look now, as I always find something lovely…
Just recently discovered your site and am absolutely in love with it! I have completely paired down my closet (and simplified my life) without giving up my sense of style! Love, love, love the art as a start pieces! Appreciate the great shopping advice, as well. Now that my closet is under control I only want to add what I need and love!
Janice,
GREAT post and timely for me. Just retired and reworking my wardrobe to a more casual one…and planning some travel. ( 2 new pairs of jeans or a nice meal in Charleston???)
My closet needs work and it will take time to let go of many beautiful work suits/skirts/dresses that I just will not need. My capsules have all revolved around work clothes (and were very organized), but my weekend wear was not organized. I need to redefine my style. Have you written about going from business to leisure??
Great timing on this post. You provide a mental girdle on impulse buying, I suspect. Just took a look at Nordstrom’s pre-sale, and, unsurprising, their stock for older women is almost non-existent. I wouldn’t be tempted by most things on their site; this is always the silver lining in the cloud for larger sizes–the design world makes it hard to want to buy ugly/shapeless clothes that do no more than cover one’s body. So the answer I give to the invitations sent in the mail to get $25 off any $100 purchase, when none of the items available cost more than $99, meaning you’ll buy one more article and all of a sudden, your bill is closer to $200 than $75, is, no thanks. I’m on to your game. But now, ‘want’ and ‘need’ have merged to become ‘what will make this wardrobe work even better,’ and there IS one shirt I saw that would fulfill that desire. Not that I NEED it, nor do I have to have it, but if it will help me put more outfits together, then yes, I want it. After that, there is nothing on sale I have to have.
Well, it IS that time of year. I just removed a bag of items that are too big and those I bought to fill a missing hole and grabbed the first thing I knew would fit – before I found this site. And as much as it pains me, things my husband bought for me that he liked that will never fit and are too complicated to be altered properly. He’s improving. Simple is better.
This is so helpful in light of the Nordstrom insanity right now – all the more insane as the majority (not all, but most) are 20- and 30-something women. The rest of us are just shuffled off to some Caslon and Eileen Fisher.
I have started a mindfulness class this year, as I was really struggling with consumerism as a response to work stress. I think it has helped – I try to put things on a wishlist for at least 24 hours and see if I *still* want them. I’m trying to stick to basics in black, white and gray and then use accessories to embellish. And of course, your wonderful blog and guidance help! Thank you!
I find myself needing to say a few kind words for the impulse purchase. Some of my favorite clothes of all time fall in this category. I’m thinking of the Liz Claiborne camp shirt in a brilliantly colored bold floral that I bought a couple of decades ago at full price. I’m a sporty Winter who lives in the subtropics, so I can get a lot use out of an item like this. I would be wearing it still if the fabric hadn’t literally worn out in places.
But it needs to be true love or it won’t work.