Wear 381: Yellow or Pink: Or Both?
I have lost my self-control. I mean, the place is a mess. Our roof blew off. It took a lot of time to fix it. They weren't happy with a few final things. They said they would come back. We didn't believe them. (We were right.) But still everything is still in a pile. And I'm sure that my self-control is in that pile somewhere.
I'm getting around to reading The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleansing. I like the idea of pretending I'm dead and looking at my house, seeing it through the eyes of those left with the duty of working out what the hell all this stuff is. Maybe that is not what the book is about, but that's where its title leads my imagination. When someone finds my self-control, after my obviously untimely (and likely messy and/or awkward) demise, they'll probably think it is some sort of mean, shrivelled nut; useless, weak and tired.
I promised I wasn't going to buy any clothes. Any. For a year. I have been on two op shop (thrift store/charity store for any out-of-Oz readers) expeditions and have succumbed to a 50% off, a 70% off and now a Black Friday event at ASOS.
But for the short time where the shrivelled nut did do its job, I would play the Shopping Basket Game. And these are some of the things I learned about my style just before leaving my basket at the Checkout and walking away:
* Pink is more economical than yellow.
I often 'shop' by colour. I would like, one day, to buy a whole collection of items in only one colourway. I don't know why. One year, when I was really young, and before the Internet even existed (yes, I am that old!), I bought a summer wardrobe wholly in white. I was foolish and unafraid of the sun. White looks great with a tan, and we were going to the beach. One more recent, impulsive day, curious, I let nothing bar me and filled my basket with first Yellow and then Pink, regardless of cost. These were the results:
Yellow: 12 items, $2424
Pink: 23 items, $2814
Per item Yellow comes in at at $202 and Pink at $117 and a quarter.
Ergo - Pink is more economical than yellow.
* My hypothalamus is convinced I'm 16 and about to go to Burning Man.
Think crop tops, anything with a halter or cage or harness, sheer, meshed, tabbed, graffitied, bomb, hip, street, down. My little blinky 'want' eyes gravitate towards these items. A higher functioning part of my brain rationalises any pursuant purchases of same said as merely my refusal to adhere to an arbitrary ruling that states 'Just because I'm old, does mean I can't be rad!' Even though my then subsequent justification, and the terms used to describe it, emphasise my complete lack of actual rad-ness. I'm okay with that. I would, however, never go to Burning Man. Don't get me wrong: It looks amazing. But I would have to go after the crowds and I don't think there is a Burning Man after the crowds.
* I am an addict.
Jeans, bathing suits, coats, dresses and chunky jumpers.
* I can't shop 'basics'.
I’m bad at shopping for basics. And what I have learned from that other game, The Game of Life, is that it’s not that easy to work a closet full of statement pieces. Not easy, but not impossible.
* I have expensive taste.
Do we all say that? Does anyone look at a generic polyester thing and say: 'Yep. That is the one for me!' I find it interesting nevertheless, that my eye gets drawn to certain things in that abundance of information that is any online search for anything, and that, once drawn, my brain says: 'Ooh', followed by, 'Oh', shortly prior to 'Damn it!' and then 'Mmm, I always pick the [insert more expensive brand here], weird that?', and lastly, 'Hit the heart thingy in case it goes on sale.' Often there is a sub thought process which goes: 'Check the sizes. I bet they don't make it in 'chubby'!' Often I am right. Delightfully, not as often as used to be the case.
So refraining taught me a lot, but knowledge didn't really help when it came to exercising restraint with a basket full of goodies on Black Friday. I did manage to teach myself one more thing before impulse hovered my finger over the 'Purchase Now' icon. I taught myself the question: 'Is everything in that basket completely unlike anything you already have?' It got me a smaller basket and a renewed promise to myself that I would not get anything again until next Black Friday. In fact, I think I am going to dig up that dried specimen of a self-will and place it somewhere where I can see it. And I'm going to get it to take me some new clothing places (i.e. not shops) which I will tell you all about some other time in my shopping-free future.
The Outfit
Chunky Jumper: Op-shopped
Kimono: ASOS
Jeans: River Island
Belt: ASOS Mens
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell
Photographs by B—— (sunshine) & Mr Earwig (cloudy)
I'm getting around to reading The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleansing. I like the idea of pretending I'm dead and looking at my house, seeing it through the eyes of those left with the duty of working out what the hell all this stuff is. Maybe that is not what the book is about, but that's where its title leads my imagination. When someone finds my self-control, after my obviously untimely (and likely messy and/or awkward) demise, they'll probably think it is some sort of mean, shrivelled nut; useless, weak and tired.
I promised I wasn't going to buy any clothes. Any. For a year. I have been on two op shop (thrift store/charity store for any out-of-Oz readers) expeditions and have succumbed to a 50% off, a 70% off and now a Black Friday event at ASOS.
But for the short time where the shrivelled nut did do its job, I would play the Shopping Basket Game. And these are some of the things I learned about my style just before leaving my basket at the Checkout and walking away:
* Pink is more economical than yellow.
I often 'shop' by colour. I would like, one day, to buy a whole collection of items in only one colourway. I don't know why. One year, when I was really young, and before the Internet even existed (yes, I am that old!), I bought a summer wardrobe wholly in white. I was foolish and unafraid of the sun. White looks great with a tan, and we were going to the beach. One more recent, impulsive day, curious, I let nothing bar me and filled my basket with first Yellow and then Pink, regardless of cost. These were the results:
Yellow: 12 items, $2424
Pink: 23 items, $2814
Per item Yellow comes in at at $202 and Pink at $117 and a quarter.
Ergo - Pink is more economical than yellow.
* My hypothalamus is convinced I'm 16 and about to go to Burning Man.
Think crop tops, anything with a halter or cage or harness, sheer, meshed, tabbed, graffitied, bomb, hip, street, down. My little blinky 'want' eyes gravitate towards these items. A higher functioning part of my brain rationalises any pursuant purchases of same said as merely my refusal to adhere to an arbitrary ruling that states 'Just because I'm old, does mean I can't be rad!' Even though my then subsequent justification, and the terms used to describe it, emphasise my complete lack of actual rad-ness. I'm okay with that. I would, however, never go to Burning Man. Don't get me wrong: It looks amazing. But I would have to go after the crowds and I don't think there is a Burning Man after the crowds.
* I am an addict.
Jeans, bathing suits, coats, dresses and chunky jumpers.
* I can't shop 'basics'.
I’m bad at shopping for basics. And what I have learned from that other game, The Game of Life, is that it’s not that easy to work a closet full of statement pieces. Not easy, but not impossible.
* I have expensive taste.
Do we all say that? Does anyone look at a generic polyester thing and say: 'Yep. That is the one for me!' I find it interesting nevertheless, that my eye gets drawn to certain things in that abundance of information that is any online search for anything, and that, once drawn, my brain says: 'Ooh', followed by, 'Oh', shortly prior to 'Damn it!' and then 'Mmm, I always pick the [insert more expensive brand here], weird that?', and lastly, 'Hit the heart thingy in case it goes on sale.' Often there is a sub thought process which goes: 'Check the sizes. I bet they don't make it in 'chubby'!' Often I am right. Delightfully, not as often as used to be the case.
So refraining taught me a lot, but knowledge didn't really help when it came to exercising restraint with a basket full of goodies on Black Friday. I did manage to teach myself one more thing before impulse hovered my finger over the 'Purchase Now' icon. I taught myself the question: 'Is everything in that basket completely unlike anything you already have?' It got me a smaller basket and a renewed promise to myself that I would not get anything again until next Black Friday. In fact, I think I am going to dig up that dried specimen of a self-will and place it somewhere where I can see it. And I'm going to get it to take me some new clothing places (i.e. not shops) which I will tell you all about some other time in my shopping-free future.
You're as hot as the sun in this!
ReplyDeleteI always ask myself, "Is this better than what I already own?" Sometimes it helps...sometimes not.
I often think about death cleaning. Every time I visit my parent's place they are trying to get me to take more of their stuff. It's quite sobering.
Good to see you!
Suzanne
http://www.suzannecarillo.com