In today’s post, I share some excellent audio resources on the topics of compulsive shopping, fashion ethics, and wardrobe minimalism. Most of these resources can be easily downloaded and listened to while you are driving, exercising, or doing other activities.
Podcasts and teleseminars can be fun and relaxing ways to learn!
I have listened to all of the recommended resources and found them interesting, informative, and enlightening. I hope you will feel the same!
For those who are new to my blog, I’ve committed to posting monthly accountability summaries in which I share what came into my wardrobe, what left, and how well I adhered to my shopping budget. Knowing that I’ll be sharing this information with my readers every month helps to keep me on track.
I generally do these updates at the beginning of each month, but I got a bit off-track during July, as I was closing out Project 333, doing my mid-year closet inventory, and posting an update on my “wardrobe benchwarmer project.” As a result, today’s update covers both June and July. I’ll get back on track next month and post my August accountability update in early September.
I’ll start with some great news… While I did not audit my closet during June, I was able to purge 34 items from my wardrobe in July! Since doing Project 333, it’s become much easier for me to let go of sub-standard items in my closet. In fact, my standards have become much higher since I now know I don’t need nearly as many clothes as I once thought. I’m proud of myself and feel I’m making excellent progress toward my goal of a pared down and carefully curated wardrobe.
Those who have been reading “Recovering Shopaholic” for a while know that I took on the Project 333 challenge during the months of April through June. I posted weekly updates and monthly recaps of my Project 333 experience and later summarized my top 8 lessons learned from completing this minimalist fashion challenge.
As the end of June approached, I contemplated taking on another term of Project 333 but ultimately decided to do something a bit different. A member of the Project 333 Facebook group wrote that instead of selecting her 33 items at the beginning of the challenge, she instead selected her garments each day and tracked them as she went along. Intrigued by this concept, I decided to do the same, at least for the month of July.
Each day when I got dressed, I simply wore what I felt like wearing and wrote everything down on a piece of paper. I allowed myself to select from my April through June Project 333 capsule, as well as from the other garments I had stored while doing the challenge. New garments were only added back to my closet after they were worn. Thus, I avoided the packed closet that overwhelmed me in the months before starting Project 333.
I’ve decided to start a new series of posts on the topic of personal style. One of the reasons why compulsive shoppers buy too much relates to our effort to cultivate a look that works for us. We look in the mirror and don’t like what we see, so we hit the mall to try to improve our appearance through new clothing, shoes, and accessories. Unfortunately, this rarely works, as we typically have not done the necessary “pre-work” of defining the style statement we want to create.
In my work as a wardrobe consultant, I always asked my clients to complete a questionnaire before we met for a closet audit, styling session, or personal shopping trip. Not only did this questionnaire help me to learn more about my client, it also assisted them in gaining clarity on their goals for our work together. While my questionnaire was honed over time and revised based upon feedback from my clients, I never actually answered the questions myself!
Two years later, I finally answered my own questionnaire!
I’m currently going through a period of transition in my life. My wardrobe consulting business is winding down and I’m not sure what’s next in terms of my career. I’m also working to cultivate new hobbies and interests, which I hope will also lead to new connections and friendships. At present, I don’t go out much and when I do, my outings are mostly quite casual in nature. The majority of my time is spent at home with my husband and two cats, and I spend many of my days in workout clothes and lounge wear.
While all of this transition has been going on, I’ve also been working on paring down my oversize wardrobe to a more manageable level. However, as I’m not sure what’s next for me in my life and what clothing I’ll need for my personal and professional activities, it’s been difficult to decide what to keep and what to purge from my closet. Since I know many of you have experienced or are currently going through similar challenges, I decided to address the issue of dressing and shopping for a life in flux.
Recovering Shopaholic 