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img 1 - Liam floral blouse, Topshop peplum top, Diva spike necklace, Karen Walker lace-ups, Topshop loafers
img 2 - Karen Walker bandit dress, Glassons pants (black & floral)

Purchases for the month of June. Considering that I head off to Europe in a few days, I still ended up buying a number of things. It has me wondering how many things one person could buy in the space of the year, should they wish, and how much of that is actually necessary.

I finally managed to track down a couple of pairs of pants that I could wear both with heels and without, something that had eluded me for some time. On top of that, a couple of eBay purchases which taking into account their RRP were a steal, and a few things from Topshop, as I chose to reconsider taking a pair of ballet flats overseas in favor of a pair of loafers, which are far sturdier and less likely to slip off my feet as I dash through cobblestone streets. The mere fact that I opted to get these loafers in not only one, but two colours (the price drop to 20GBP made this an easy decision), may seem excessive, but I am constantly on the look out for comfortable flat shoes which for me was justification enough.

And lastly, when is a girl like me ever going to resist a sale? While I've been trying my best to ignore online sales (N-A-P excluded), I picked up the grey version of the T by Alexander Wang jumper from Revolve - now, more so than ever, I've realised the importance of owning a swag of jumpers in the winters as I find it hard to warm up on chilly days. I also paid a visit to Karen Walker, and snagged a few things I'd had my eye on; I must say, out of all the sales, hers are always the best.

Did you grab a bargain in the winter sales?

 

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Purchases for the month of May. The above image, or lack thereof of my personal purchases, should be a hint at how little restraint I appear to have had this month. One "small" Topshop order, and one Ashley Fogel sale were where most of the damage (in terms of numbers) was made. After this month, I've finally realised that I'm not the type of person who can just 'stop shopping', no matter how much I wish I was, as it appears to be just wishful thinking.

It will probably come as no surprise that I have little inclination to share the total number of purchases, although it could be argued for the sake of continuity that I should. It's had me contemplating the necessity of some, if not all my purchases, and the resilience to refrain from spending in what is essentially a consumer-driven world.

Some of my purchases, were things I had been keeping an eye out for, either for the purpose of wearing it over winter, or because I had missed out on it when it was in the stores. Others serve more as a novelty, injecting some extra colour or interesting prints to the generally muted palette in my wardrobe. I was also forced to once again pull from the depths of my wardrobe garments that I did not often wear, or was on the fence about, to sell so that I could make up some (or hopefully all) of the cost of my purchases.

It is times like these that I genuinely admire those who seldom buy things, or are extremely careful in their choices, considering all other options before finally pulling the trigger. This isn't to say that I regret buying the things that I did, but I do wish that I didn't want so much. I suppose you can't have everything!

 

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image sources unknown

On shopping online. The majority of my purchases, tend to be online. This isn't because I don't enjoy the shopping experience, walking into a brick and mortar store where you are able to try things on, get an idea of sizing, how something will sit on your figure, among many other things. It's purely due to a desire to find some specific, which after exhausting several hours at the shops I am still yet to find, and somehow come across it with ease upon browsing the internet for no more than 10-15 minutes. Since I prefer not to settle for second best, online shopping tends to win out, but that doesn't mean my favourite stores don't still get a bit of love.

I suppose that it comes with numerous advantages, such as shopping at any time of the day (although I wouldn't recommend shopping after a couple of cocktails, as this usually results in regret the next morning) and being able to search for potential purchases in your pajamas. Not only do you have the instant gratification of buying something new, there's also the added buzz of receiving something in the mail, wrapped in tissue all new and shiny.

These past six months I've noticed that where I choose to shop has changed somewhat. Rather than buying new, I've been scouring sites such as Trade Me or eBay for pieces that I missed out on the first time around, whether they were available in New Zealand stores or not. Of course, this takes some dedication. Generally it means checking for new listings every night, which over time can become tedious. But when you finally find that garment you were after, all the searching seems worth it. I will say it definitely pays to take advantage of saved searches, as some websites will email you if any listings match your search, or notify you via your smartphone. I've also found many bargains with misspelled listings, where perhaps an extra letter is added in or something to that description, and I know I'm not the only one.

The other pertinent point to note, is that when buying second hand, you're essentially recycling clothing. By turning someone else's discarded tops, skirts or dresses into beloved foundations or statement pieces in your own wardrobe, that's one less piece that could potentially spend hundreds of years decomposing in a landfill, and one less piece adding to excessive consumption. I will admit that I prefer to buy new, but I realise that it's not always the most feasible option. I can be a bit obsessive about the care of my clothing, and it can't be argued that everyone treats clothing differently.

Do you prefer to buy new, or avoid adding to consumption by "recycling" clothing by purchasing second-hand on websites like eBay?