Could You Go On A Shopping Diet?

Posted on 28. Jul, 2010 by Karri Wells in Fashion & Beauty

In the spirit of anti-consumption a group of men and women have taken the Six Items or Less challenge. Here is how it works – you select six items, (or less) from your wardrobe and commit to wearing only those items for a month. This does not include underwear, bras, accessories or shoes.

Many of us, me included, have closets and dressers full of clothing that doesn’t get worn that often. Heck, I have a closet full of clothes plus a couple overflowing dressers, AND a storage unit back home full of even more stuff. The funny part is that it’s not like I’m some well dressed fashionista, these aren’t skirts and dresses that I’m hanging onto. I have more hooded sweatshirts than a frat boy, and enough t-shirts to wear a different one everyday for a couple months, maybe more.

I know I’m not the only one that does this! Why do we hold on to these items? And why did we buy them in the first place? Do we really NEED all this stuff?

Want to cut your clothing clutter? Here are a couple things you can do:

Commit to quality over quantity. In the past I have made many impulse purchases simply because an item was on sale. I’ve also opted to shop at places like Forever 21 and H&M where the prices are low, and the quality is not always great. In hindsight, I should have spent my money more wisely. For every five items I’ve purchased at these stores or on sale, I could have invested in a higher quality piece that would’ve not only looked better, but lasted longer.

Invest in wardrobe multi-taskers. Find items that are versatile. Think about how the same piece can be dressed up or dressed down. You can do wonders with accessories and shoes.

Clothing swaps. Trade with friends when you get bored with an item. This keeps your wardrobe fresh, saves money, and you aren’t contributing to consumption culture.

I’m not sure that I am ready for the Six Items or Less challenge quite yet, but the lessons I’ve learned from the men and women who partipated in this experiment have been eye-opening. I’m going to try and think twice before I buy, and do more with less.

What about you? Do you think you could do this challenge? What six items would you choose?