Spring has finally sprung! Time to put away those big bulky sweaters and pack away those Uggs in exchange for some much lighter pieces. The malls and internet offer such a vast variety of beautiful clothes and shoes, it’s enough to make anyone’s head spin !
There was once a time I could afford to to go out and buy a new wardrobe as soon as the weather shifted each season, but unfortunately those days have been long gone due to the responsibilities of adulthood.
My question is how much is too much when it comes to Fashion?
I have never been able to understand the difference between a $5 White Old Navy t-shirt and a $300 white Armani T-shirt that look exactly identical.
I mean maybe I need glasses or something but I really don’t think I do ! Is it the secret thrill one gets from wearing a label that no one even sees on the inside of their shirt? Is it the level of quality Maybe? Even though both say one hundred percent cotton and nine times out of 10 they are manufactured in the same country?
I can’t call it but I do know if I were to spill a glass of merlot on the more expensive version, I would definitely be more upset then if would have spent the five bucks instead.
I’m sure there are plenty of people whom $300 is a drop in the bucket and probably have closets full of these high-priced items, but for a regular girl like me, I just can’t relate. Sorry!
I have known many women throughout the years who live in credit card prison due to their fashion addiction! They live and die for the next big sale and it’s almost as if shopping is a sport for them.
Believe me, I love to shop just as much as anyone else but one day I had to wake up to reality when the credit card bills kept coming and I realized I owed way more then I had in my savings.
Things got pretty scary ! All of the sudden those beautiful dresses and designer bags didn’t look so hot collecting dust in the back of my closet.
So I came up with the game plan okay I’m going to sell some of these items that I don’t wear anymore and pay off all these high interest credit cards right? Wrong!! The joke was on me when I went to my local consignment shop thinking I was going to get close to what I paid for for some of these high-priced items that I bought trying to keep up with the current trends at the time.
When I got to the counter first of all the sales lady informed me that she could only take two of the items because they weren’t a certain designer in a certain season that they were accepting at that time. I said that’s fine as I just knew I had a gold mine sitting there with the two bags she decided she was going to take. You should have seen the look on my face when she told me she could give me about $600 for the two designer purses that I had spent well over $4,000 for if I wanted the cash on the spot or she could could consign them for more but I would have to split 60/40 with her and who knows how long they would take to sell.
I took my purses and left the store very disappointed. That day I vowed never to spend that much on any such thing ever again. Needless to say it was a very humbling experience, but one I look and laugh on today.
I still have impeccable taste in fashion but I’ve learned to basically “ball on a budget” so to speak.
I’ve traded in the YSL bags that I still drool over for the Zara version,I’ve swapped the red bottoms for the Aldo’s end Steve Maddens. And guess what? No one loves me any less!! Lol . All of the expensive things that I used to think I needed to be fashionable, I now know I really didn’t need at all.
Yes I will be shopping this month for some new pieces but I will not be breaking the bank.
Instead I will be looking for those deals and strategically putting my outfits together with some of the items I already have in my closet.
I will not be shamed by these fashion snobs who are carrying $5,000 handbags but don’t even have $5 in it!!
I would rather take my Bebe outfit wearing butt on a flight to Jamaica and lay on a beach in my target bikini and sip on some rum punches and actually enjoy my life instead of being the poor fashion slave as that I once was.
All of this is just a small part of my story and merely my opinion.God bless you if you are able to afford these high-priced luxury items. I do agree the craftsmanship and quality are usually superb and yes I still gawk at Bergdorf’s window displays and day dream at the Chanel store, but that’s all I do, as I have had to learn self-discipline in the name of fashion for the sake of having food and shelter instead. LOL Just kidding I hope this month finds you looking fabulous in everything light and comfy as the hot weather approaches us. Don’t forget to wear your sunblock and you’re fabulous sunglasses to block the haters!!
