I'm going to sound like I have NO life, but right now I don't. I've been sick since the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and I'm not feeling up to doing much of anything - even though I have a lot of stuff to do. This morning I was picking up laundry to wash, and wondered exactly how many new items I bought this year. So um...I counted.
The grand total is 70, as far as I can tell. Here's how it breaks down:
45 items of clothing (I am not including what I consider "necessity" items - like workout clothes, undergarments, or workout-type shoes).
3 blazers
3 dresses
8 sweaters
5 s/s tops
7 tanks / camis
9 l/s tops
6 skirts
2 pr pants
2 pr jeans
for accessories:
11 pairs of shoes / boots
5 belts
9 bags
I don't count fashion jewelry accessories because I can make almost everything I want in that category. I did buy 5 necklaces and 5 rings though. So I guess that would push me to 80 items.
And did I stick to my "needs" list for this year?
Sort of:
I bought more skirts, but had a hard time finding ones I really liked, so still would like some more a-line styles.
I got more sweaters, which are always on the list. I'm a sweater girl!
Dresses are a hole in my wardrobe, so I filled it in a little.
Boots are a hole too, and I bought two pair.
Belts are definitely a hole. I'm in pretty good shape now, mostly.
Long sleeved tops - I haven't had any nicer l/s tops for a while...which is partly why I needed more sweaters for the cooler months. So I added to those.
Tanks / camis are always so good for layering, so even though they weren't on my list, I don't regret any of those.
Blazers weren't strictly necessary, but two were not your standard cord / velvet / cotton blazers. They're more "fun" pieces, and I love them both. The other cord blazer - well, so far this year it's gotten more wear than any other blazer in the closet, so I guess it was a good buy.
Bags - well, I was disappointed with two of my eBay purchases when they arrived, so that's not money well spent. But the other bags I love. Now I have most of the basics covered, so next year I'll be looking for more fun colors like teal, yellow, maybe orange.
And shoes - I'd like more wedges, and I've been looking for lower heels (I can't wear flats, so a kitten heel might help). Two of the shoes I bought were deliberately for the heel height as well as the shoe itself. But unfortunately the rest are high heels...which I love, but it's not always appropriate for me to be wearing them (i.e. doing lots of walking). And I currently have NO ankle boots in my wardrobe, and this time of year I'm really feeling that hole.
I suspect I will add a few more things, possibly from eBay and any EOY shopping that comes up, but I'm mostly done for this year. Now I have to edit my list for next year and figure out how to work within my budget.
Anyone else want to share?
__________________
"Good taste shouldn't have to cost anything extra." - Mickey Drexler
I've also bought a shitload in the last year. One of my new years resolutions is to stop buying so much. I need to get better about only investing in pieces I really love. I'm not even going to let myself go into the cheap-y stores because I'm always blinded by the prices.
I am paying off a huge bill for the first three months of 2007, and I will literally have almost no money left over each month. At first I was totally bummed, but then I realized that it's probably a good thing. I have an INSANE amount of clothes.
I too am afraid to count what I've bought this year becuase I haven't shopped like this since I lived at home! But, I can say that I made a list of items that I wanted for the season before I started shopping, and I stuck to it pretty closely. I was even able to eliminate a few items from it, but of course I did get a few things that aren't on it. And, I'm pretty sure I'm getting 2 Christmas presents that will take care of 2 of only a few items left on it.
And while I did buy a lot, I can count on one hand the number of things I paid full price for!
I've never actually sat down and counted before, but I think it's a good idea. It forced me to take inventory of what I'm actually buying, something that's easy to overlook if you don't keep track.
3 prs boots: flat knee-high brown, stacked heel knee-high black suede, round toe knee-high black leather (this was a big wardrobe hole -- I was desperate!)
6 prs shoes: 3 for the office, one summery strappy sandal, one flat go-anywhere sandal
5 sweaters: (I think I need some more)
2 cardigans
about a million summery tops -- so cheap and easy to justify. I'm afraid to count these.
2 prs pants (office)
2 prs jeans (one ultra-skinny, one grey straight-leg) I need a good everyday pair.
6 skirts: I have to slow down with skirts. I always buy skirts but have trouble incorporating them into my wardrobe.
3 dresses: good investments. I get a lot of wear out of them.
2 bags
That was kind of therapuetic. Hope you feel better, atlgirl!
This is a great post. I've been meaning to respond for while.
This year - I've bought
6 dresses (of these 1 party, and 5 work/casual)
9 tops (dressy, work or one really nice casual tee - I am not counting regular tee shirts)
1 pair of jeans
1 skirt
2 handbags
2 sweaters
1 pair of work trousers
and.....10 pairs of shoes. However, I did buy some much needed basics - gorgeous black pumps, comfy knee high wedge boots for the weekend...and low heeled black boots for work and weekend.
I feel like I've gotten better about viewing my wardrobe and seeing what works and what doesn't.
This next year, I think I need to get some more belts. I also want to get some more fun jewelry since I've really liked what my jewelry does for my look now, I want to get some more variety!
Oh, dear. Too many to list, I think, including probably at least 20 pairs of shoes. I went a little nuts after grad school was over since I had a shopping ban then that I did fairly well about keeping to. I purge my closet at least twice a year, though, and donate a lot of stuff to Goodwill/Salvation Army. At least that way I sort of do a good deed while making room for more at the same time.