8 Common Shopping Mistakes To Avoid
When you are building a wardrobe you love there are 8 common shopping mistakes you should avoid. If you were to go through your closet, what percentage of your clothes would you say you’re actually wearing? Most women only wear 20% of their closet and the other 80% is just taking up space and making it harder to get dressed. That 80% of unworn clothing creates a feeling of overwhelm when you look at your closet.
When you think of the items in your wardrobe that you’re not wearing, think about how much those items cost. If you total them up together, how much money have you spent and wasted on those items?
When you have more awareness when you shop you save money by making smarter purchases. Today’s post shares the shopping mistakes to avoid when you are building a wardrobe you’ll love for years to come.
Are you ready to have a wardrobe that reflects your personal style, works for your body, and makes it easy to put together outfits you feel great in?
Click the link below to join the priority list!
LOVE YOUR STYLE The Live Course Experience For Women
Jump To:
When Building A Wardrobe You Love AVOID These 8 Shopping Mistakes | Video
8 Common Shopping Mistakes
1. Are You Trying To Convince Yourself?
The first shopping mistake is if you are trying to convince yourself that you love an item because you need it. If you haven’t honed in on a capsule wardrobe then when you’re shopping it might be coming from a place of needing the items versus loving the item.
If you’re honest with yourself and you look at some of those pieces in your closet that you haven’t worn ask yourself, are these pieces that you bought because it was something that you needed so you were trying to convince yourself? Stop trying to convince yourself you love an item that you don’t when you are building a wardrobe you’ll love.
I always tell my styling clients when they’re trying on an item, in that first seven seconds ask yourself do you love it? If there’s any question in your mind, then it’s a no.
Related: “The Ultimate Capsule Wardrobe Checklist”
2. Did You See It On Someone Else?
When you buy something because you saw it on someone else instead of thinking how it might look on you is the next mistake. When you’re building a wardrobe you’ll love, if you see something that you love on someone else make sure that person has similar coloring to you, a similar personal style, and a similar body shape.
If those things don’t match up, there’s a good chance how it looks on them is not how it’s going to look on you.
3. Is It Final Sale?
So many women make this next shopping mistake, buying something that’s final sale. If you can’t get your money back and you end up not loving it, then you won’t wear it and it becomes that 80% that sits in your closet.
When I start working with a new client we start with a closet edit. We go through their closets and for most of them, we end up getting rid of 80% of their closet. Usually, there are multiple items with tags still on them. Final sale items they bought and never wore that end up in big trash bags by the end of our closet edit.
So don’t throw your money away by buying something final sale, no matter how amazing the deal seems. I personally want the flexibility to return an item if I change my mind.
4. Does It Fit Your Current Lifestyle?
Are you shopping for items that will work for your current lifestyle? Do you have young kids you’re chasing after, or have you retired from your job and you’re enjoying your later years?
When you’re thinking about adding new pieces to your closet to curate your wardrobe, ask yourself if these are pieces for your current life today.
5. Is It Your Personal Style?
The next shopping mistake is when you buy items that don’t work with your personal style. A great reason to take the time to know what your personal style is, or what you aspire it to be is so you’ll make fewer shopping mistakes.
6. Are You Shopping Because Of Stress, Loneliness, Or Another Reason?
Shopping because of stress or feeling lonely is a way we are distracting ourselves. If you look in your closet and you’re honest with yourself, any pieces you bought in this headspace are probably not your favorite pieces in your closet.
The reason you bought these pieces had more to do with having a hard day or feeling depressed. Find a different way to deal with those emotions and practice self-care.
Read a book, call a friend, or take a walk instead of shopping.
7. Do You Have A Shopping List?
Do you shop with a shopping list? If you’re like most women you’re making some of these shopping mistakes. To build a wardrobe you love, it’s important to shop with a list. It goes back to having awareness of what gaps are missing in your closet. What are the pieces that would make it easier to put outfits together?
If you don’t have a capsule wardrobe, I recommend starting with a capsule wardrobe checklist to help you know what you’re closet is missing. Once you know what the gaps are in your closet create a shopping list of those items. Those are the items to prioritize shopping.
8. Do You Know Your Brands?
While I don’t think you only need to have a certain brand when you look at the pieces that you love in your closet are there brands that repeat themselves? Brands typically tend to have a certain fit and quality.
If there’s a brand that is coming up again and again in the pieces that you love in your closet, that’s one of your brands. Knowing your brands will make it easier to shop and build a wardrobe you love.
RELATED: Love Your Style Course