Today Anthropologie launched round two of the tag sale, presumably in preparation for the upcoming holiday weekend. Unlike last week when I wasn't interested in any newly cut items, I found myself longing for something. The Magellan Dress was reviewed in April and it was something I really adored. The printed mix was interesting and the fabric was very summery. But my size is sold out on the website. And I don't know (because I haven't allowed myself to make any phone calls) if my local stores (or any other stores, for that matter) have any left.
I've held back from calling because I'm still trying to cut back on my clothing consumption. Yes this dress would fill an arguable gap as I have nothing else like it. But I have way too many clothes and especially too many dresses. I have a lot of things that I still need to sort, sell, and donate before I feel comfortable shopping sales without reflection. Why does the desire for more continue to nag? Because the ideology of consumerism has penetrated my thinking so thoroughly! Buying is sold to consumers as a solution, a hobby, a way of conjuring status, a way of rewarding oneself, etc. Buying becomes emotional shorthand for a lot of people. I understand it and yet I am not fully able to resist its power.
Ideologies can function in defiance of rationality and accordingly, I find myself wondering if I should swing by Bakery Square tomorrow. I convince myself that if they still have my size then it would be "fate." It is so silly. But I fall into this thought pattern even though I have a new dress that I am still undecided about (see yesterday's entry)! I wish my brain would be more cooperative. At least I have talked myself out of running a search with customer service. With the Tippy, I talked myself out of buying when it was in stock on the web. I caved a week later, after it was sold out. Part of me just wants to buy the Magellan now, to hold onto while I decide. Because if I do cave in a week the hunt will be annoying when most of them are long gone. Blah... I feel so silly but I really like that dress.
Anyway, if you want to see what made it to second and third cut, check out Roxy's rundown and the community-submitted comments here.
8 comments:
I love love this dress and have been waiting for it to go on sale. I love the mix of patterns.
I don't know why the buying bug is so bad sometimes. It seems as though I can talk myself into all sorts of things that I have no need or bizness buying. It is rare (maybe 3 times) that I don't get something and then really regret it or feel that I missed out, but when I do it's always a bummer. I think that shopping for me is some sort of lazy creative outlet/hobby.
It's been my experience that not shopping gets easier the more you don't shop. I realize that you're going for critical shopping rather than a complete shopping ban, but I have to say that the more I turn the argument about a garment filling a gap in my wardrobe around in my head, the less convincing I find it. Maybe ask yourself how many Anthro dresses do you have? How many printed dresses do you have?
I'm still on shopping ban, but just lately I've found myself browsing shoes and wanting shoes. And wanting white/pale clothes, which I don't have a lot of. So a shopping ban doesn't make the desire go away entirely, for me. But it comes in spurts, it's not constant. Sometimes it has to do with a trend or color I want to explore. Last month I caved and bought one blouse, because it was yellow and I had nothing else yellow and I thought that for $10 I could experiment with that color. The brain really doesn't fully cooperate, but lately I've been trying to focus on beefing up my exercise schedule and reading books instead of surfing the web in my off time, and I find that has helped.
d'oh- I forgot it had STRAPS! (sigh) And I totally agree on those mind games we play with ourselves (it's fate because...or I'll regret it later because...) I find the potential for regret is such a crazy powerful motivator, and based on the worst rationale!
I don't know if there's any surefire strategy that's right for everyone. I find if I try and cut shopping altogether I go mad and become obsessive after a couple of weeks, whereas if I can wrap my head around what MOST pleases me I'm good (plus avoiding known temptations).
I received the Ackee skirt in the mail last week and sang as I pulled it out of the box. that's happy. and I felt happy all day today in it. Pick the pieces that please you the most, but with that in mind I wouldn't feel too guilty about hunting certain pieces down and deciding later what makes you happiest!
Just today I was telling myself that tomorrow I'm going to try and not do any online browsing. It's truly like a drug, the way shopping can fill your time, comfort you when you're lonely or stressed, and make you feel ecstatic. I have no idea how to "quit" even for a little while. :(
I love this dress, I really do. I feel you. :-)
I definitely struggle with moderation over abstinence - hence my blanket no :-). I think moderation is much more difficult!
Right now I've been looking through everything I have - with SO much I haven't worn, or have worn once - ugh. It's shocking when you really think about it, isn't it?
You look so pretty in this dress! I talked myself into not buying it at full price because the house that I used to live had a linoleum flooring on the bathroon that was just like the fabric of the skirt part of this dress. But then... it went on sale and my beloved linoleum flooring is on its way to me!
I think that if I want to never buy anything, I can't look, I can't see, I can't open the new catalogue, I can't drive by Anthropologie.
...Or I can be a sz 16! Hmmm, I'm going to get some Oreos right now!
What a lovely dress! I also succumb to the "well, if they have it in my size/if it fits perfectly/etc, etc" mentality. This is especially potent with the shopping websites that tell you when there are only a few items left --- pressure's on then!
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