Closet Day... and How I Learned to Stop Shopping and Love the Bomb

I don't know why I tried to tie Dr. Strangelove into this blog post but it just felt right.  Maybe because devoting a whole blog post to closets and clothing and stress shopping addiction is kind of farcical in a whole "1st world problems" kind of way?

Even so, last Friday was like my Christmas!  After talking about getting CA Closets for the past decade, I finally did it!  Last year, I learned that a friend had made a career change and was actually a designer for them now.  It took me a year of talking about it (and first tackling the floors) to finally pull the trigger and call her.  

She did a great job with the design and I am so happy with the results!  I'll show Lily's room once we're done fixing it up but here's mine.

My main goal was to have a closet that showcased my pared down wardrobe.  I think I'll do a separate post about my foray into semi-minimalism but stopping my shopping addiction back in about '07/'08 was the first step.

I love a good bargain and at the time my TJ Maxx habit was a little out of hand (It was literally across the street from us! You could see the neon sign from our living room! It was a "fancy" one that carried Prada and Helmut Lang!).  Also, my first law firm was in the Bloomingdale's mall on Michigan Ave.  I was not getting out of there alive.  

My shoes were literally pouring out of the closet so I bought about 70 plastic boxes and labeled them with polaroids of my shoes.  I was so proud of myself because I winnowed my shoe collection down from nearly 100 to 70.  I cringe at the thought of 70 pairs of shoes now!

Shortly after that I decided to go on a shopping hiatus.  I was in a bad pattern of stress shopping to compensate for being overworked and regretting becoming a lawyer.  Of course, nothing can compensate for those things. I just had to confront and work through them (and I admit, I'm still working through the latter).

My hiatus started with a kick-in-the-pants (err, jumpsuit).  Only God knows why, but I bought a designer black jumpsuit with a gold belt at some boutique on Rush Street.  In the store it looked glamorous and sophisticated... and 20% off.  As soon as I got home, I realized it was just weird, and would make it hard to go to the bathroom, but I was stuck with it since it was a final sale.  I wore it out that weekend, figuring my fierce attitude would cover up my sartorial mistake.  Then a tertiary friend who I didn't really like anyway asked me what was up with my outfit and wondered if I had bought it at Talbot's.  I laughed and played it off but I knew I would never wear that jumpsuit again.  Sure, he was a dick, but he was right; it was lame.  I felt as if I would have been better off flushing $200 down the toilet.

So for 6 months I bought no clothes, shoes, purses, or accessories and it felt amazing.  I kept going and made it to 9 months.  Christmas and my birthday felt so special because I got sweaters that I really wanted instead of having mindlessly bought them.   

Those 9 months fundamentally shifted my view of shopping.  Before, it was a hobby up there with working out, rollerblading (yes, rollerblading!) by the lake, reading or crafting.  After, it became something I do out of necessity.  

I also have a strict “one in, one out” policy.  If I buy a new pair of jeans, that means an old one has to go to Goodwill.  Same for purses and shoes.  No exceptions.

Quitting my job in '15 was the final nail in the coffin.  Overnight, I went from having over a dozen pairs of work slacks to just 3 and 20+ work blouses to about 5.  I loved my 2 dozen + work dresses (I had one like this that me feel like I could slay dragons!) but I kept about 5 of them and gave away the rest.  Same for my heels.

Even with a drastically pared down wardrobe, my closet was a mess.  I tried my best to work with the Container Store system from the prior owners, but I was just over it.  See Exhibits A & B.

 

My purses never stood upright properly with that shelving and the closet floor became a dumping ground for workout gear and other stuff.  I felt like I had nothing to wear but really it was just that nothing looked appealing in that format.

 

I really love the new system and can't recommend Melinda and CA Closets enough.  Hit me up if you want her contact info (she covers Orange County and LA) and a $50 coupon.  :)