Shopping Hiatus Reflections

Draft:

Earlier Drafts:
I wore this skirt in one of my first blog posts, and Katie has this shirt in a different shade.

Composition: 
eyeglasses (Kate Spade)
black beaded necklace (NY&Co)
teal striped top (H&M)
charcoal pencil skirt (NY&Co)
teal leather Mary Janes (Seychelles via Endless)

Usage:
Ye proponents of colored shoes, I have finally joined your ranks!  You might recall that one of my back-to-school purchases was a great pair of pale yellow slice wedges, and while those are technically colored and were too versatile to resist, they didn't quell my desire to find a perfect "pop of color wedge."  I had scoured the malls and internet for the perfect pair of brightly colored wedges until I finally found this perfect pair of shoes.  However, the price was outside my comfort zone, and I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something just to satisfy the thrill of the chase. I thought it would be a good idea to take some time away from shopping to consider what my closet really needed most.  During this time, I also thought about how I might incorporate these shoes into my wardrobe. After the thirty day hiatus, I bought them with confidence because I knew that they could serve as a new staple in my wardrobe, which would make them worth the investment.  They're slightly different in appearance than a wedge, so they add a little more variety to my shoe collection than a standard wedge would have.  The placement of the heel makes them feel like a wedge, though, so it was sort of a win-win.  I also think that because they're brightly colored but closed-toe, I can wear them in all four seasons with aplomb, so that adds to their versatility.

In previous posts, I've shared my belief that a great new accessory can help you to re-think your entire wardrobe.  Before I found these shoes, which are described as "teal," I would have told you I didn't own anything teal.  I knew I wanted a pair of shoes in some hue of blue, but it wasn't until I found this specific pair online that I realized how strong my attraction is to this particular color family.

I'm looking forward to finding ways to wear these shoes with items of apparel that I already own.  While I know they'll look great with all these coordinating tops, I'm also hoping to learn to wear them as a contrasting pop of color, too.

Wardrobe Workhorse Week coincided with my shopping hiatus, and I came away from this combined experience with a new appreciation for the items currently hanging in my closet.  There were quite a few things I had on my "wants" list before I stopped shopping, but after thinking critically about my wardrobe for a month, I realized that that was definitely not a "needs" list.  The only thing I plan to purchase in the near future is another pair of skinny jeans.  As I've said, this semester calls for more casual dressing than past ones have, so a new pair of jeans will get enough wear to justify the purchase.  While the advertisers are suggesting there are new items that I "must have" this season, I don't see how any of them will fill an existing void in my wardrobe, so I'm going to pass on buying anything else until I can really conceptualize how it will benefit my closet to add it.

I also enjoyed staying away from shopping websites and stores.  I was visiting these shoes online to make sure they disappeared, but otherwise it was a complete hiatus from shopping, not just from purchasing.  This was timed nicely with the beginning of my semester and kept me from being tempted to waste precious time at online retailers.  I might try something similar at the end of the semester, too.

Prompts:

• When you want to take a break from shopping, how do you implement this strategy?  Do you limit shopping altogether or do you just limit buying?  Do you enforce a day limit like I did?  Or a dollar limit?  Or do you take a less regimented approach?  I actually broke the shopping hiatus rule one day early to snag the last pair of these shoes in my size, so I wonder if a more flexible hiatus would have been a good idea.  The hiatus had served it's purpose before the 30 days were up, I think.
• I think we've all experienced buyer's remorse, but have you ever experienced waiter's remorse? I would have hated to see these shoes go after spending a month thinking about how well they'd work in my wardrobe.
• Have you bought anything this season that is giving new life to the items you already own?  What is it?
• I love teal/turquoise with navy, so I'm looking forward to that pairing, but it's still not a "contrast."  What colors should I pair these shoes with to really make them stand out?