How to avoid impulse buying • EMA – Ethics meet Aesthetics

Six easy steps to a more environmental wardrobe

September 1, 2018

The days are getting shorter and the Mornings cooler, which means that summer (sadly) is soon coming to an end. This means we are entering the phase where we need to reevaluate our wardrobes to match the change in weather. The magazines are full of “Must haves for this fall”-kind of articles and the shop windows full of tempting outfits to make the change of season a bit sweeter to handle.

So in order to avoid these regrettable impulse buys, here are five questions that I ask myself before deciding whether or not to buy a new garment:

Does this item fit + suit me?

With an overpowering amount of inspirational photos from Pinterest and Instagram all day long it sometimes can be hard to resist the look that we admire on others. But the sooner we come to realise that not every trend fits our body (and/ or personality) the easier it will get to avoid buying into new trends that will feel more like fancy dress than feeling confident. Finding colours and cuts that suit your look and body shape feels great and very rewarding.

However, I strongly believe that it’s worth trying on anything that interests you, but it’s also important to say “Nope, this is not for me.” if you’ve got a bad gut feeling.

Do I already have something like this in my closet?

I love finding a cute white vintage blouse. So much that at some point I had no less than 20 different variations in my closet. When you find an item in a store or online that you love, ask yourself “Do I love this because I have something similar like this that I love wearing?” If the answer is yes, you may wanna re-wear the one you already own instead of buying a new one.

Do I have something to combine this with?

This is a really good question to make a reality check for the item you’re considering buying. I normally try to make up at least 3 possible combinations with my current wardrobe in my head before buying something. If you can’t think of anything to wear it with, it will most likely end up sitting in your closet without being worn for a while.

In what situation can I wear this?

I tend to fall in love with the most impractical items that don’t suit my lifestyle. Shoes which hurt after 3 minutes of wearing them, suits that crinkle the moment you move or total white outfits that have a “don’t wash”-tag on the inside. Since I normally rund around in sneakers and dog-proof jeans, these items are great to fantasise about, but not very practical for everyday use. Sometimes we fall in love with something that symbolises a lifestyle that we wish we were living.

So before taking my final decision on a purchase, I check whether I can see myself wearing this item in multiple scenarios in the foreseeable future and not just on my dream vacation.

How high maintenance is this item?

Last but not least: When it comes to washing, I like my items to be uncomplicated. So I usually avoid “dry clean only” items unless it’s a very special item that I will only wear for certain occasions. But when it comes to everyday-use clothes, I don’t want to invest the time (and money) of getting them to the dry-cleaner. Apart from that it’s also more gentle on the environment if you avoid dry-cleaning your garments (Read more about this here).

I am always interested in hearing about your shopping-strategies, so leave a comment or send me a mail if you have any tips you would like to share!