Boutique-ifying My Way to New Outfits

The reorg that got me feeling real jazzed about my old stuff

I haven’t bought clothes since October. Last purchase was a pair of secondhand black suede pants from Beacon’s Closet that fit like a second skin, I’m wearing them now. This wasn’t quite intentional, I didn’t consciously sit down and decide to not shop, but it kinda bubbled up at the end of the year, going into this year, as I was reflecting on the clothes I acquired. A lot of stuff. 36 pieces total (what’s your number?!), a blend of new (5), secondhand (11), hand-me-downs (18), and “street treats” (2), like the perfectly distressed jean shorts, cutoffs, 501s—the jorts of my dreams—that someone left for the taking.

I didn’t realize the quantity until I started making a mental list, then a physical “list,” pulling the pieces from my closet, laying them on my bed, trying to make sense of everything, organizing each item chronologically. It was there a story started to emerge, one that helped me see my old things with fresh eyes, and spark some excitement into getting dressed during this particularly dreary time of year.