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Check Out My New Blog!

I stopped writing “Recovering Shopaholic” in February 2017, but I returned to blogging less than a year later in a new location. If you’ve come across this site via a Google search or are a previous reader who dropped by to see what I’m up to, I invite you to check out my new blog: My Wardrobe, Myself.

my wardrobe, myself blog

About “My Wardrobe, Myself”

My Wardrobe, Myself is a blog about the intersection of clothing, emotions, and life. We often think of these three things as entirely separate zones, but they actually impact each other more than most people believe. Anyone who has spent an important life occasion wearing an outfit that just didn’t feel right, or even felt completely wrong, is aware of that fact. Our clothing matters, as do our feelings about it.

For so many of us, clothes are not simply pieces of fabric that we use to cover our bodies for the sake of modesty and not breaking the law. They’re also a means of self-expression and a way to exercise our creativity. Our clothes are heavily connected to our sense of self and our self-confidence. We often dress differently based upon how we’re feeling about ourselves and, conversely, the way we adorn ourselves can impact our moods. Our wardrobes and our lives are not two distinct topics after all!

For years, I’ve written about a wide array of subjects related to both wardrobe and life, so My Wardrobe, Myself is the perfect evolution of my interests and passions. I’ve always written about clothing from a different angle than most other bloggers in this space, as my main concern is not on the current trends, sharing my outfits, and telling people what to buy (not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with those things). I like to look at wardrobe-related topics and their relationship to our inner workings: how we feel about our clothing and how the way we dress impacts our body image and self-esteem. This exploration has become increasingly important as I get older, as I have a lot of feelings and struggles related to the aging process, as I’m sure many of you can relate to.

What I’m Writing About Now…

My essays on My Wardrobe, Myself are mostly about my wardrobe and myself, but it’s always my intention that you’ll be able to apply my insights to your closets, emotions, and lives. Like you, I’m figuring things out as I go along, so I use the blog to highlight what I’m learning as I continue to work on my wardrobe, my style, and myself. I also enjoy engaging in periodic wardrobe and style challenges to aid in my evolution and growth, and I always welcome readers joining me in these types of adventures.

Besides the primary focus on wardrobe-related topics, I also periodically weigh in on other subjects, such as personal fulfillment, intentional living, life balance, the aging process, relationships, navigating change, time management, and self-esteem. To learn more information about the topics I address on My Wardrobe, Myself, please check out my About page, or visit my Article Archive for a full listing of all of my posts.

I hope to see you soon over at My Wardrobe, Myself!

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Pressing the Pause Button

I’m grateful for the wonderful comments and emails I received on my last two posts, “Recapping Balance and Striving for Peace” and “The End Game of Project 333 and Capsule Wardrobes” (NOTE: both of these posts have been moved over to my new blog).  I’m always happy when my writing resonates with readers and I appreciate those who took the time to let me know that what I wrote was meaningful to them.  I’m actually quite proud of these two essays, as well as much of the content I’ve published in the past four years.

The Value of the “Power Pause”

I’ve often written about the “power pause” (a term borrowed from Jill Chivers of “Shop Your Wardrobe”) as a helpful technique for cutting down on mindless shopping and compulsive buying.   So many of us feel utterly convinced in the moment that we have to have a particular item of clothing, but if we push ourselves to wait for a couple of days – or even a few hours – that need often dissipates.  I use this technique as much as possible, even if it means leaving items in my online shopping cart overnight or having to backtrack to a brick-and-mortar store the next day to buy something.  More often than not, I don’t end up purchasing the item in question because the passage of time shows me that it’s just not critical to my wardrobe or my life.  I simply don’t need it as much as I thought I did, if at all.  The power pause has saved me a lot of money I might have spent on items I didn’t really need or even want.  It’s also saved me countless hours spent on making returns, as well as deep feelings of guilt regarding the sheer waste of it all.

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2016 By the Numbers: Budget, Purchases, and Purges

I hope you all liked Esther’s “story of recovery” that I published last week. I felt it was well worth interrupting my 2016 recap posts (see the first two HERE and HERE) to share such an inspiring story with you.  If you enjoyed reading about Esther’s journey and want to learn how others have been able to overcome their shopping and wardrobe management challenges, click here. What I love most about the recovery stories is how varied they are, as it illustrates that there’s no one right way to reach peace and freedom around shopping and our closets.

2016 clothing purchase and purge update

It’s time for my final “by the numbers” accountability update for 2016.   I already covered my wardrobe “all-stars” and “benchwarmers” earlier this month.  In today’s post, I’m going to look at the remaining numbers surrounding my wardrobe and shopping for last year:

  • My budget
  • My purchases
  • What I purged from my closet

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Slow and Steady Wins the Race Against Overshopping and Closet Chaos

The following is a guest post from Esther, who shares how taking on two challenges over the past year has helped her to gain control of her shopping, pare down her wardrobe, improve her personal style, and feel more at peace with herself. 

Ever since I was a teenager, I have always felt “out of step” and like I never knew how to dress. I longed for a uniform so I didn’t need to stress out about what to wear. In my search for ease, I actually started buying and buying. Ironic, isn’t it? I was always attracted to minimalism but went in the opposite direction. On top of that, I picked a profession (or it picked me) where I lived in workout clothes. Remember when those “track suits” were popular? That was the closest thing to a uniform I ever found. Meanwhile, I had tons of clothes but “nothing to wear”!

Fast forward to July 2015 when I asked my daughter to help me find a style. She suggested that I use both Pinterest and Google. It was through my online searching that I found this blog. That was the first time I realized I was a shopaholic. When Debbie’s private Facebook group started, I was “home.” I became a daily contributor, even though it took me a while to do outfit of the day (OOTD) posts.

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2016 By the Numbers: Wardrobe “Benchwarmers”

Last week, I shared the good news portion of my 2016 wardrobe review, my closet “all-stars.”  In compiling the information for that post, I was pleased to see that my frequency of wear numbers had significantly improved over my 2015 statistics.  Now it’s time for the flip side of the equation, my wardrobe “benchwarmers.”  As with my last post, I will share numbers and photos, as well as my thoughts about the lesser worn – or not worn at all – items in my closet.

2016 Wardrobe Review - Benchwarmers Continue reading →