No 'new' clothes challenge, a year later
Here's how I did after a full year of not buying any new clothes
Last year, I set out to buy no new clothes.
If you’ve been with me for a while (thank you 🙏) then you may recall the newsletter I sent around this time last year, when I began a “no new clothes” challenge.
This challenge had a few exceptions, of course.
For example:
Shoes and accessories didn’t count.
Neither did protective sporting and fitness apparel.
Gifted clothes, souvenir clothes, or replacements for lost clothes were also exempt.
Always ok: vintage or thrifted clothes.
So how did I do? Surprisingly well.
Here’s how I did with my “no new clothes” challenge
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I don’t know about you, but once you commit to something, and loudly (in my case it was in the public forum of this newsletter), then the accountability piece kind of forces you to follow through.
It’s also been proven that when you physically write down a goal, you are more likely to stick to it.
This is because of neuroscience concepts like “external storage” and “encoding,” which happen when you program your brain to remember a goal or task, thus giving it a higher chance for completion.
I actually surprised myself by how well I resisted the temptation to buy new clothes.
It was incredibly freeing, and I even felt smug about not being compelled to buy, buy, buy each time I walked into malls and boutiques.
I also continued to unsubscribe from favorite retailers’ marketing emails; if I didn’t know about the sale, then did it really happen?
The challenge continues
Last year, I acknowledged I was likely in the very fortunate position of already owning something for everything: galas, weddings, business conferences, resortwear, and casual or high-end dinners, among other events.
After leaving New York City, I also consolidated three closets into two and now have separate wardrobes for two different cities: Miami and Charlotte, NC.
I also moved most of my cold weather NYC clothing to Charlotte, and have most of my pastel and colorful clothing in Miami.
Because I forget what shoes, clothes, and accessories I have between two cities I sometimes have to take pics and videos to remind myself.
But this isn’t ideal and clutters my phone pics, so I’ve resolved to create a full catalogue and inventory of my closets.
I was largely inspired by this recent Substack:
This will help me:
Better plan endless outfits from an already fabulous, curated collection
Know exactly what I have and where
Remember to whom I’ve lent clothes, so I know who to ask to get my shit back
I’ve tried logging it all with Google Sheets and Notion, but neither stuck.
I also found the dull task of logging everything incredibly tedious.
And while I’ve tried closet apps before, I’m going to try a new app called Indyx, and log my journey along the way.
Hopefully this effort will stick.🤞
What I bought in ‘24
As for what I did buy, I’m happy to say most of it fell within my “exceptions” criteria:
Sports bra from ALO Yoga
Travel tank and athleisure from Beyond Yoga (the travel tank has sadly gone missing 😢)
Patagonia T-shirt (I’m counting this as fitness apparel because it was 50% off and I do use it for workouts 😉)
Oysho lounge set in Istanbul (travel souvenir?)
2 shirts, 2 jackets, 1 blazer, and a pair of trousers from my favorites stores in Taipei, iRoo and Moma (travel souvenirs?)
A new pair of Rag & Bone Miramar “jeans” (the ones that look like jeans but are really just comfy sweatpant-like trousers, graphically printed to look like jeans), which I practically live in
A super-soft James Perse summer edition T-shirt (it was a limited edition print 😜)
Overall, I’m calling the “no new clothes” challenge of 2024 a success.🎉
In fact, I would say the challenge did so well at preventing me to buy fast and duplicate fashion, that I’ll pledge to also buy no new clothes in 2025.
Who wants to follow along?
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Until next time,
Shindy
On Instagram + TikTok
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Shindy, you’re too much! I completely agree with you that by announcing your goal via your public forum at the beginning of 2024, it absolutely would also make me feel more accountable. I recall that fitness clothes were exempt b/c they are necessary for physical and mental health! Also, like you, I write everything down; it facilitates my memory greatly b/c I can visualize those written words. I’m so proud that you’ve committed to 2025 too!
I’m a bad girl because I tell myself as a HUGE excuse that, “Life is short, buy the shoes and the handbag too!” 🤣🤣
I did lose over thirty-five pounds due to undiagnosed thyroid HELL, so I had a few different sizes.
I have given away all of the large sizes because I feel so great and feel like myself again, finally.
I never had a tummy time until being sent to nine different specialists to include a neurologist who performed pain tests as well as a neurosurgeon who had never seen one hand in his life with muscle mass loss. He said he had only seen throughout his thirty years of practice a peripheral neuropathy as opposed to a momoneuropathy neuropathy like mine whereby only one hand is affected. Of course, it had to be my right hand.😓
My PCP doc finally suggested the simplest blood test; this is the TSH Test, which is an acronym for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH). The range for a woman should be 1.0 to 3.0; mine came back at 25.8!
I was so ill by this point that I couldn’t function as the thyroid is the “compass” for the entire body. He called 911; then Ron at his dental office.
I went on Synthroid for life and have the lab test to adjust dosages if necessary. They refer to this as titration. If anyone reading Shindy’s brilliant is suffering like I was for so many years, please run, don’t walk, for this simple test. It saved my life.
Shindy, please forgive me for that completely off-topic story, but I’ll bet someone will relate and will get tested.
Shindy, I LOVE the catalog of your clothing pieces!
The photos of you modeling by putting together various combinations in creating new ensembles with clothing you already have in your repertoire is STELLAR!! Can you tell how much I loved this week’s newsletter??!!!!!