How did you end up with clothes you don’t like?

[Flomasterina]

I am curious to learn from others’ mistakes. What have you bought that you look at now and think - WTF was I thinking?

I am not talking about clothes that don’t fit you anymore or that have gone out of fashion like skinny jeans.

Over and after pandemic I had a bit of style reset and focussed on buying better, not chase sales and learning about good fit and composition. I have consumed a lot of content about capsule wardrobes and French women style rules, which appealed to my minimalist mindset, I get easily overwhelmed by variety.

Where I went wrong big time was buying too many expensive black items (worst colour on me), thinking they will be my forever pieces. I have kept my black coats (I can break up the colour with tops and scarves) and leather skirt, but sold on silk shirt, satin skirt and jumper. Same with camel / tan, it’s just not me.

My other mistake is compromising on something because I just loved the idea, or felt desperate to close the gap and kept it when I should have returned. This is mainly shoes too painful to wear, or a navy blazer that fitted perfectly but looked like something from 6th Form, or a great cropped jacket but in the wrong colour.

I keep buying clothes for a life I do not have.

i would like to dress like an art boho princess, but reality dictates I wear dog walking clothes (wellies, raincoat), then office clothes (it department everyone just wears functional black clothes), then go to the gym

occasionally I crack and buy a satin maxi skirt, or a flouncy dress, that I then never wear

half my clothes are clothes for a life I do not lead

So I end up with clothes I like but do not wear, and clothes I do not like but are useful to walk the dog in the mud and rain and work in my non glam job .

I remember reading in a magazine a rule about sales - if you wouldn't buy it at full price, don't buy it at sale price. Basically you need to love the item on you and the price shouldn't factor in.

For me it's comfort. I imagine I can put up with a bit of discomfort like tight under the arms (shirts) or heels. In reality I can never be bothered unless it's a special occasion!

I was fat and was always buying the clothes that looked the least bad instead of the clothes I liked because I felt I couldn’t pull off what I liked. Now I’m thin I love every item of clothing because they all look decent on me so I choose what I like and don’t feel forced into a corner of wrap dresses

I'm not sure I agree with this. For example, I've bought a Monsoon dress in the sale this week. I don't need it at all but I love it and it looks great on me.

I couldn't have justified paying full price for a dress I absolutely didn't need.

Right, but you would have wanted to buy it at full price? I think that's the sentiment - not 'this is a bargain and I could probably style it out with xyz so worth getting...'

When buying clothes online even though I buy them in my size and check the size guide online I have sometimes found that when I try them on at home the fit isn't right. That means that they don't look good or aren't comfortable. I may still like the item of clothing but it doesn't necessarily suit me. I have found that you really have to try the garment on to check the fit and how it looks on you.

My biggest mistake was a very smart Hobbs tailored jacket that I paid three figures for in the early noughties. It was far too neat and tidy for my usual style, I didn't need anything that smart for work and worst of all, I didn't feel like 'me' when I tried it on. But I'd lost a bit of confidence and I'd read too many articles about investment dressing in your forties. I've kept it partly to remind me what a load of nonsense that advice was and partly in the hope that it'll look vintage one day.

I'm really enjoying this thread! For the most part, I stopped owning things I dislike back in the pandemic. At that point I felt freed up and finally had the head space (boredom) to dress for me. It felt like my inner child or teen who had fun with clothes finally got to come out and play again. As a result, I live my clothes, but/and I am often over dressed or in something a little odd, but I'm happy. However, that is not the point of the thread. I recently retired. I cleared my wardrobe of things that I would only wear to work, and I decided that I needed jeans. I didn't have any. I bought loads. Recently I took them on a trip to see family. They often comment that I'm over dressed so I thought this was perfect, I'll be comfortable but understated. It was so boring. I'm hoping retirement brings about more opportunities to wear jeans.