"Clothing has never just been about clothing. Clothing carries identity."
When Marie Antoinette made the long and arduous trek by carriage from her royal home in Austria towards France to become Louis XVI’s dauphine and wife at the tender age of fourteen, her retinue halted at a border town just before crossing over into France. In Kehl, she was stripped of everything she brought with her that was Austrian, her friends, pets, clothing, and jewelry, so she could step - quite literally - into the shoes of French royalty. Even though her extensive bridal wardrobe had been painstakingly hand made by Parisian fashion houses specifically for her future life at Versailles, her dresses were deemed unfit for the next French dauphine and tossed. As she shivered in the center of a hastily built reception room, she was re-dressed in the clothing of Versailles. The noblewomen overseeing Marie’s transformation were invoking a universal truth, one which has held true through over the ensuing 250 years: clothing carries identity.
It always surprises me how willing Americans are to invest in things we believe will improve our lives: gym memberships, supplements, silk pillowcases, therapy, eighteen-step skincare routines, organic produce, self-help books, and fitness trackers. I include myself in this group. If you saw my daily supplement stack, you would understand. And yet how unwilling we seem to be to invest in our wardrobes. I find myself regularly falling into this trap. I willingly shell out $75 a month for my probiotic greens powder but unceasingly question whether or not I should buy the $150 pair of shoes I’ve been fawning over for three months.
Is it marketing? Is it culture? When did we stop viewing clothing as a long term investment?
On average, the American consumer purchases around 55-60 more individual garments per year than someone living in the EU. Americans consume far more clothing than our European counterparts, and tend to view clothing as more transactional. We want a new outfit for Coachella or a bridal shower, so we find something inexpensive to fit the vibe. We don’t want to spend too much on it because the expectation is it will be worn once and then retired post-event (i.e. trashed).
Our clothing reflects our willingness (or unwillingness) to invest in ourselves long-term.
Our European friends view clothing through a different lens. They ask themselves: will I wear this for years? Does it fit into the rest of my wardrobe? Can it be repaired or altered in the future? It is no wonder European fashion has such a distinct essence.
Even as American households spend more on clothing than European households, Europeans are trouncing us in the style wars. In a global style competition, we wouldn’t make it onto the podium. Someone would have to bribe a judge or three to get us an honorable mention. Why spend more money to look less stylish?
It seems the transactionality of our shopping is a double-edged sword when it comes to long-term stylishness. Yes, we feel great at that one event, but we will end up having to buy something new for the next event, and the next, and the next. We end up with a closet full of one-time outfits that lack cohesion. They reflect a lack of planning for the future. Three hundred years ago, the best piano manufacturers in the world would tie up large amounts of money in planting trees knowing the trees wouldn’t be large enough to harvest for another fifty years. They planted them anyway.
We should do the same with our wardrobes: invest now in our closet. Our future, more stylish, selves will thank us.
Here are five tips on how to go from transactional shopping to investment shopping:
Shop Less
I love clothing, and I’m a huge sucker for marketing. If I am randomly clicking through Marcella NYC’s website, I will find something to buy, guaranteed. It doesn’t matter if I have no need for it now or in the foreseeable future. In the moment, as I click through the product photos, I will convince myself I cannot live without this exact top.
Aimless shopping is a great way to end up with unworn clothing and credit card debt. I speak from personal experience and a deep knowledge of my lack of self-discipline. If you have more restraint, I applaud you.
Over the years, I have come up with a simple rule: don’t go looking for trouble. I no longer mindlessly click through Poshmark or wander through a boutique; it will inevitably lead to an impulse purchase. Every now and then, when I slip up, I find something unexpectedly beautiful that I wear and cherish for years. Most of the time, I convince myself to purchase a trendy but cheap item which inevitably ends up in the donation pile after a few wears.
Do not shop until you need to. This will ensure you have the budget available to invest in higher quality pieces you will wear for years, and you avoid the fun one-night stand that ends up crumpled in the corner, forgotten, regret wafting from its unevenly sewn hem.
Keep a Running List of Closet Needs
In my phone, just below my grocery list, I keep a list of clothing items I would like to invest in at some point. Right now, it reads: navy cashmere sweater, burgundy turtleneck, sweater dress. These are all items which fill a specific hole in my wardrobe which I have been thinking about for months.
Usually they aren’t new styles, but replacements for an item past its prime and needing to be retired. Its consistency in my clothing rotation has already been vetted, and I feel confident it will end up being a low cost per wear item in the long run.
Keep a list of clothing items you want, and allow yourself to invest in the highest quality version when you find it. This helps to avoid impulse purchases while also giving you permission to invest in the items on your list.
Don’t Be Afraid to Buy in Multiples
I love white t-shirts and white tank tops for the summer. I used to buy one at a time thinking I was being wise. I ended up with a mod podge of a few white tees I loved, a few I tolerated, and a few I absolutely hated.
If you find something you really love, buy it in multiples. Buy it in two different colors. Buy it in two different sizes: one slightly oversized and one your current size. Buy duplicates of the exact same item. Yes, it will cost a little more upfront, but it will save you so much time and effort in the future when you go back to buy another one only to find your size is out of stock or the color is discontinued, or, heaven forbid, they discontinue the style all together.
If you know you’ll wear it and you feel good in it, don’t be afraid to repurchase. I have the same pair of jeans in two different sizes: one for my skinnier seasons and one for my fluffier seasons. I wear them constantly, and sure enough, the company discontinued the style and they are no longer available in any sizes. I’m so glad I have a back-up.
If you try out a new style or brand and find yourself constantly reaching for it, go back and buy a second one. I promise you, you will not regret it.
Get to Know Your Brands Better Than Your Boyfriend
We do deep dives into the guys we’re going out with, even if it’s only one date. Why can’t we do the same for the brands we’re investing in?
Ratings are good. Secondhand sites are better. Are there already multiple listings of this exact same style? If so, it’s a good indication there is something off with the quality. Are there only a few listings which turn over quickly? This could be a sign of a high quality, highly desirable brand.
Freda Salvador shoes are a great example of this in practice. I thought about investing in a pair of her leather flats ($395), but before doing so, I checked out the secondhand sites for a few weeks. Not only are there very few FS shoes for sale, the ones that do come up for sale are sold within days of listing and for close to retail price. This indicates the shoes hold their value and buyers do not part with them easily. All positive signs I will not regret investing in these particular shoes.
There is so much information at our fingertips. Use it to your advantage when investing in your wardrobe. Ask your favorite AI LLM to go through reviews on a specific brand or style and tell you whether or not it is worth the investment.
Clothing has never just been about clothing. Marie Antoinette’s ladies-in-waiting understood it, as they transformed a shivering teenager into one of the most memorable and stylish royals of all time. Clothing signals identity and self-respect. Take a critical look at your wardrobe today. What is it saying about how you view yourself? Be honest. If it does not reflect who you want to be, do something about it.
The goal is not to buy more but to buy with greater intention. Because the women with truly enviable style rarely have the biggest closets. But they do have the confidence to invest in themselves and their identity.
Until next time,
Elise
