Reflecting on a Necessary Splurge

With all the pieces in place and I just knew, I wanted to buy new clothes.

Photo by Xiaolong Wong on Unsplash

Picturing the summer mode Camden biking back from class listening to 80s Jpop, getting nostalgic about a time I never lived, a culmination of these images inspired me to get new clothes. It really came from within. I craved outfits that had fresh colors with loose and comforting material, something new and daring. I had to mix it up.

I wanted to wear clothes that I liked and felt good in. Something new, not just hand-me-downs.

The buying experience

After making my pour-over coffee I plotted like a heinous villain move after move, click after click adding items to my cart. The whole buying experience really took over me but not in a bad way. I was watching hauls and breakdowns of clothing drops while listening to sophisticated Tuesday coffee shop jazz. The past year I hadn’t really given thought to buy new, clothes, I felt no need. I bought the occasional logo-less amazon hoodie but that was it. So to scroll through hot and crispy clothes, I felt like a kid in the toys section, and this time mom, I get whatever I want.

The colors, the style, the aesthetic, and buying new clothes felt great because I was buying clothes for the summer of 2022, not continually wearing my summer outfits 3 years in a row. It was time to do something and daring, stripes shirts here, red socks and pink shorts there, I wanted something bright and you guessed it, something 80s like. It was really like buying a new transformer at Target after elementary school.

But once this rush of endorphins and dopamine came to a close after trying on everything at home, I thought to myself: “This shirt would go well with green pants.” I craved more, consumerism had run its course leaving me giddy, contemplating how much better I’d look with that hat or slick shades.

Buying new clothes regularly isn’t anything bad either. I fantasize about a huge closet space too but it was this deprivation of not getting clothes that left me fiending more. After that week or month of playing with my new Transformer, I wanted the next one, the next challenge to transform and play with. In a way, I had forgotten this feeling which was probably good because if I were 10 with paychecks coming in every month, my whole living space would be Transformers. Which wouldn’t be the end of the world right? 😉

Wrapping it up

With the lack of new clothes in my life, financial stability, and a desire to buy clothes that feel and look good, consumerism served its purpose here. I bought new clothes and I was left with the desire to get more. I did need new clothes, but the term “need” is so subjective. Drowning in my first-world problems of having clothes, it really came down to me “upgrading” what I already had. I wanted something new but I really didn’t need it.

I just wanted a change-up, which isn’t anything bad. What’s bad is losing control and buying off of impulse, something I used to struggle a lot with growing up. So many bags of candy and so many cavities to get drilled. But with time and lessons learned, it’s healthy to upgrade that closet because sometimes we all need that hot and fresh fit for the summer.