Toying with the idea of not buying any new clothes/shoes/accessories in 2021

[TableNiner]

I spend a lot of my time looking for new clothes, ordering clothes and returning clothes. I have more than enough to last a year and wonder if I should challenge myself, just feels very daunting. I would save a lot of time, money and environmental impact. Has anyone done this or do you think you could?

@MrsBobDylan thanks. I hear you on the duplication. Having so much stuff I forget what I've got so I buy it again. I think I need to stop listening to the voice in my head that says "that'll do!" when something doesn't fit quite right. I can imagine paring down if I was a bit more ruthless. I'm still working out how to not buy more stuff.

I was off to a rocky start with a new coat, 2 handbags and three necklaces but I have managed not to buy since then. It's been tough. One of the things I've done it's looked sy other things on Google si that my pop up adds are niw sometimes of things that don't interest me.

I haven't bought any clothes but I have bought some accessories. For me it was about cutting back on clothes.
I used to buy lots of cheap sunglasses, they'd get scratched etc and I'd buy more, then I bought some Vivienne Westwood ones and I loved them, I didn't buy any more cheap sunnies, but after 10 years they got broken, I spent all last summer looking for some replacements that I liked as much, so I bought several pairs of cheap ones and none were right, I have now found some £10 ones which I hope are a similar style to my beloved ones. I have also ordered a belt, I've been looking for a purple belt for ages, it'll go with loads of dresses so I think I'll wear it a lot. I thought about it for a few days before ordering. I fully admit that I've ordered these things to have something to look forward to because life is quite dull right now.

I like buying beauty products on eBay at the moment, not good but not loads and they will get useful

Get used

I did this a couple of years ago, and I thought it would be harder than it actually was. For me, rules such as eBay only or charity shop only just made me obsess more. I definitely shop not because I need stuff but because I always crave something new, experimenting with new shapes, styles, colours... I unsubscribed from catalogues and fashion newsletters, and since the shopping wasn't an option I just focussed on combining stuff from my (large) wardrobe differently.

After the year was up the shopping habits felt reset, I'm my no means frugal now, but I'm much much more critical about what I buy, and I need to be 100% convinced that the item is beautiful and useful and that I will actually wear it before I keep it. I send a lot of stuff back. I don't keep things because they're a bargain or buy them in case they may come in handy. I have also started making my own clothes.

I've just given in and bought two pairs of smart trousers in the size I am after a year of lockdown (ooops!)

Debenhams sale, only £7 per pair. £14 since Jan 1st isn't bad. And I've not bought several things I know I would have if I hadn't decided on no spend.

I dont want to unsubscribe from certain emails, I'm tempted by the sales, but haven't given in yet. It's been over a month and I'm doing ok.

I have been thinking more about this though, because I've nowt else to do.
I really really want to from when I can buy things again :- only replace what i need to. If i buy a thing and it's not for me, send it back or straight to charity, depending on cost. Look more closely at the description before I buy, if no zip up pockets/no inside pocket/ whatever I need at the time, then do not buy. I am not about to run out of clothes anytime soon, nothings getting worn out currently.
FWIW I'm almost £400 closer to my big repair bill.

www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/a35436082/how-relevant-are-fashion-trends/?utm_source=crm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=HBZ_N_20210212&utm_content=na&utm_term=na&HearstNode=92AE962F0D81717C2366154F4DD176F73432E02A63839DFE1FC50B2107A1EFF4

I ordered some period pants but they don't count do they because I bought them for environmental reasons

Sorry I didn't add, the above article is quite an interesting read.
I don't know how to do neat links though

Stocking pieces designed with longevity in mind is a recurring theme among retailers
I really hope so! There will always be trends, but these constant, abrupt changes in what is trendy is something I wouldn't miss. Slower and better fashion from now on please.

By the way, those of you who also use the 30 wears app, have you noticed that it takes quite a few wears until you truly feel at home with the garment? I have worn a specific wool sweater 25 times now and now I feel like "Ah, that trusty thing" when I reach for it. It's a nice feeling.

I agree Champagne, I don't buy clothes thinking that they're only going to be worn a handful of times. The shop that has ordered 3000 spring dresses is a bit concerning to me though.

I don't have the app it would just tell me that my leggings have been worn a thousand times. I need to stop wearing hoodies all the time, when I don't wear them I spend all day trying to put my hands in the front pocket.

I had every intention of not buying anything, but the sales have tempted me! And then, I couldn't resist these....

thesolesupplier.co.uk/news/the-vans-x-foo-fighters-sk8-hi-is-ready-to-rock/

purpleblondlady thanks for the link it's interesting. I've noticed how for perhaps the last decade almost every fashion that ever existed seems to be back/still in fashion. I quite like it. Means I can wear whatever the hell I like without looking totally out of place.

Do think it's a bit more anything goes now than it used to be. It's more about individual style.

@Purpleblondelady Interesting article. I just worry that for every person being more mindful/questioning, there’s another one desperate to get back into Primark and buying Boohoo. It would be easy to generalise and say it’s more younger people doing the latter, before they have developed confidence in a personal style and unwilling to spend more, but of course there are plenty of environmentally conscious young people too.

I’m assuming all the brands Boohoo have recently purchased (Oasis, Warehouse, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and Burton) will be taken further downmarket (the Oasis and Warehouse websites already look cheapened), increasing cheap and temporary purchasing.

There is a thread right now asking which shop everyone looking is forward to going to when lockdown eases, the majority have answered Primark and charity shops...!

The quality of clothes is so appalling now.

For example I have a Costco cashmere cardigan from say 2010 with barely any bobbling but the new John Lewis one barely worn and wasn't cheap is far more bobbly

@TheChampagneGalop How funny!

Quite an interesting piece here about the conflict between price and sustainability

www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/51797/1/gen-z-millennial-sustainability-fast-fashion-thrifting-depop-boohoo-missguided

Half way through Feb and I've not fallen off the wagon yet. Have bought a couple of secondhand items from eBay.

I've not bought any new clothes (apart from running gear) since lockdown 1 and it's really quite liberating. All the money I'm saving is going towards house purchases though! I say do it, particularly if you have plenty to wear for the year.

I'm still really struggling with this. I've now bought new pants.
So for my no spend 2021 I've got
A new coat, 2 handbags, 3 necklaces and 4 pairs of pants. Please someone take my card away from me.

dudsville I'm struggling too. I'm spending significantly less than I usually do so that's something, but I'm still spending.

Thanks for sharing the article @TableNiner it was an interesting read. These articles always make me think and I need to keep reading them. Prior to reading it though I had been looking at dresses I didn't buy any. I was looking at a black dress with white spots whilst wearing a black dress with white spots although the one u was wearing is a maternity one that I've had for 8 years that I was wearing with a belt.

Luggageandbags got me thinking about if (and it's a big if) I get to the end of the year without buying clothes will I be reset or will I go out and buy something that I've been hankering after.

@dudsville @AmberItsACertainty I think it’s just about being a bit more mindful and also questioning why. I shop because I’m bored or think something new is going to be the answer to all my wardrobe prayers. It rarely is, the newness wears off pretty quickly.

If everyone did that just a bit, overall there’d be less wasteful consumption. It’s like that green quote - we don’t need a few people doing zero waste perfectly, we need millions doing it imperfectly and I’m back to square one.

Last year my resolution was to limit myself to one purchase a month. I failed miserably as that still allowed me to look and get tempted. Now I know I can’t have anything at all, it’s working better for me. The charity shops being closed is helping too as I don’t have anywhere to take/forget all my cast offs.