If you’ve been around since the beginning of the blog, this post will seem familiar. I’m trying a new blogging concept: throwing a re-run in every week or so. Perhaps it will force me to do a little (blog) “house-cleaning”. 🙂
Retail therapy. Supposedly that’s when people go shopping to make themselves feel better. In the real world, where most of us live, shopping just can’t do that anymore. It’s confusing, depressing, exhausting and, as often as not, futile. Who hasn’t spent hours looking for something that should be easy to find, only to find rack after rack of the same old not-gonna-do-it garbage?
Which brings up an important question: Where would you shop if money were no object?
(Consider that question now, and find out when to expect the lowest prices in those stores. Maybe the first week of February you can afford to shop there.)
More and more women say they seriously hate shopping for clothes. What about you? Is retail therapy or does it make you need it?
Retail therapy for me, now, is about buying cute things I don’t need. Not necessarily clothes, but sometimes clothes. Often it is kitchen or house stuff. My favorite “retail therapy” store has always been Target. Luckily, the closest one is an hour away and I only go about once or twice a year, and never alone. Sometimes I use Swain’s (local general store) as retail therapy.
Buying clothes was a lot more fun and productive when I was 40lbs lighter. Now it is just depressing (I agree with that other poster about plus sized clothing). Being a “classic” dresser, I would probably shop Talbots if money were no object. But that is strictly based on their marketing as “always classic.” I haven’t been in a Talbots store in about 15 years, and their website is not especially user friendly.
Where would *you* shop, Rebecca, if $ were no object? I have a guess; let’s see if I am correct.
Neiman Marcus maybe?
Okay, in my own small retail universe, I came up with the following, by lifestyle segment:
leisure = Eddie Bauer (although the colors aren’t always just right), casual = Banana Republic, social = Ann Taylor, business = Nordstrom.
We could go shopping together, these stores are all in a row next to Talbots.
Did you see Talbots’ magazine ad from the fall, with the four separate pictures under “What Kind of Classic Are You”? I could definitely wear the first outfit, silk blouse and straight skirt, but the last one, jeans and plush blazer, was me (in my mind, at least) everyday.
So what was your guess? Maybe you will give me yet a better idea.
Well, I guess I have been shopping with you a few times. My guesses were, in this order: Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Nordstrom.
I did not see the Talbots ad, but would be interested. And yes, let’s shop… maybe next fall. I will have to save my pennies until then!
Well I used retail therapy till I got into the uncluttering and Zen living thing. I also moved to another continent, and it was great to find out how happily I could live without the mountains of stuf I’d left behind. Since then, I have been building up a wardrobe, but I try to focus on clothes and stuff that is a joy to have, wear or use, not just joy to buy.
Besides, blogget (I think it was Fabulously Broke in the City) wrote something that tuck in my mind: we often buy things as SUBSTITUTES for things that we want to have or do. May be that’s why so many of us buy stuff that we don’t wear later on… like a SAHM that buys formal or dressy stuff, it’s her inner wish to be someone else…
And it money were no object, I’d either buy clothes from all kinds of far-off an exotic countrie, or I’d get me a personal fashion designer, preferably one of those indie ones that is not famous… like the ones I see on N.E.E.T magazine (online)
Shopping makes me go crazy! Unless it’s shopping for books.
As far as clothes, if I could shop anywhere, it’d have to be a department store so I could buy everything I needed, including intimates. I’m a terrible shopper, though, so I don’t even know any of them to name.
If the culture were different, I’d spend my day wearing mostly Indian saris or other comfortable, yet modest clothing like that. But I’m a red-headed white girl in mid-western US and I’d feel like a poser.
I agree with eternalvoyageur about RT as subsitutes. When I finally figured out what my purpose in life is, retail theraphy wasn’t important. I’ll not mention how tight our budget really is… That keeps me from shopping too much. lol
That said, I save RT for really, REALLY big stressors. lol Miss Ana & I hit the yard sales, thrift and fabric stores last month. Even though 80% of the stuff was necessary (new undies for the kids, etc.), it just didn’t seem true to me. I knew why I was out and I knew it wouldn’t solve anything. That said, I found a couple things I had been drooling over and have been blessed to use them since.
If I could afford to shop whereever I wanted? For clothing, I would definitely get a personal seamstress and a fashion consultant to work together. To save money, maybe a fashion design student who understands classic looks? If she didn’t sew, I would sew it myself with her help fitting. 🙂
For other stuff, it depends on what it is. I’ve been late yard sale-early attic for a LONG time. I get blessed most of the time. My big weakness is useful kitchen and entertaining stuff and sewing notions. I like Pottery Barn for home dec, but I don’t like PB. I would have to get out more to give a better answer. lol 😉
Hey AG, that’s what trend-setters do. I love saris.
I’m inclining more and more, especially after these comments, to the idea that I would prefer my own designs to much of what’s available. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to just have somebody make up what’s in your mind? That would be my dream, “if money were no object”. Yes, custom clothes!
If I have lots of time and lots of money, I love to shop for clothes. However, I never have lots of time or money.
I get a bigger charge out of buying a cute pair of shoes that clothes, unless it’s one of those painless accidents. I always plan my clothes shopping carefully, but a cheap pair of cute, funky flats can be more spontaneous and fun.
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