In Lieu of New: A Secondhand Shopping Challenge

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What would it look like to not buy any new clothes? That’s obviously not even a choice for so many people, but for those of us who can and do (frequently) buy new clothing, how would our shopping habits – and our closets – change without new clothes? My friend Alison Christiana told me that she planned to stop buying new clothes for a while and I was intrigued by the idea. I’ve tried a shopping cleanse where I didn’t buy anything, but buying only secondhand (vintage, recycled, thrifted, etc) is a different – and possibly more challenging – feat. I actually love the idea, so I told her I’d do it with her. I’m excited to see how it goes!

The details:

• From my birthday (today, January 29) to Alison’s birthday (June 1), we are not buying any new clothing or accessories.
• My single caveat is buying a new watch. For months I’ve been planning to celebrate turning 30 by buying myself a new watch. I’m still going to do that!
• Home goods are not officially included, but I will try not to buy any new decorative things for my apartment. Since I’m still moving in and organizing I reserve the right to buy utilitarian things, and things that are borderline utilitarian/decorative.
• Not gonna lie, in anticipation of this challenge I bought a couple of things I had been thinking about but hadn’t pulled the trigger on, including these shoes in brown (nude for me, essentially). I feel like that was a practical purchase!

My concerns:

• Peter Pilotto x Target: which will also be available on Net-a-Porter which would make shopping the collaboration sooo much easier!
• Sophia Webster for J. Crew: I’ve been looking forward to this collaboration since I saw the first preview photos come out in September. The line doesn’t launch until May, and I will probably only be able to afford them on sale anyway, so this might not be so bad. As long as they don’t sell out.
• BaubleBar x Anthropologie: this bracelet is now off limits for the next 5 months! Sadface.
• These bags on the Outnet. I don’t know when it’s happening, but I want one!

My goals:

• Build up an incredible wardrobe of vintage/one-of-a-kind items.
• Be more creative and critical about my shopping habits.
• Become a pro at eBay?
• Snag great deals on cool things that are only a few seasons old.
• Stop spending so much $$$ on clothes.

So there you have it. This is my (shopping) life for the next 5 months. #InLieuofNew starts… NOW!