That Ever-Growing Bundle of Clothes

By Elizabeth Chan (she/her)

I have a confession to make, I have amassed an everincreasing bundle of clothes. Just like a black hole, it keeps growing and growing… except that it doesn’t grow by sucking in planets and stars, rather it swallows my wallet and time. It just sits there, threatening my existence, urging me to clear it out again before it grows. It continues to grow the longer I leave it there. In fact, the bundle has grown so huge it has been divided into four massive bags when I moved out. No matter how much I’ve tried clearing out that bundle, somehow it doesn’t get much smaller. How did I get stuck in this mess? Perhaps it started with my desire to stay on top of the latest fashion trends.

The Blowout Sales from Popular-Retailers-That-ShouldNot-Be-Named

I swear I’m not a shopaholic. But even as I write that, you probably wouldn’t believe me, especially after describing my black hole of clothes. It’s just that the autumn and winter sales by my nearby retailers (that-should-not-be-named) were extremely convincing.

Even though I have stayed in Aotearoa for five years, coming from a tropical country (a.k.a. a country that doesn’t have four seasons), it was hard not to be tricked by the autumn and winter sales that advertised clothes that were magically discounted by 30% that only happened “at that moment”.

To me, those discounts were worth it because they not only sold clothes that would actually keep me warm at a cheaper price, but I could look and feel stylish at the same time, too. Plus, most of the retailers advertising those discounts were considered expensive in my home country. Shopping malls were the unofficial catwalk, and university a place to showcase your aesthetic. Nabbing those discounts was essential to look and feel good. Or so I thought.

As time passed, I noticed that the shops I frequent sold the same sort of clothes in every sale. Puffers for autumn and winter, bodycon maxi dresses and skirts for summer, all while alternating different types of jeans to maximise their profits for each denim item they sold. Carpenter jeans for 2022 and reviving the boot cut for 2023. Fashion trends always repeat.

So, is there a point into buying into discounts just to stay on top of trends that will change and then be revived the very next moment? My endless mountain of clothes screams no, but sometimes, it’s not that easy to say no to trends, is it?

Keep a Capsule Wardrobe

I honestly wish I thought of this sooner, but keeping a capsule wardrobe will be extremely useful in not falling for those sales that claim to happen only “once a year”. In case you don’t know, a capsule wardrobe consists of a smaller number of items that are considered ‘staples’ in clothing. For example, a collared button-down shirt is a staple that can be worn any time of the year as a shirt, a sort of jacket in the spring or summer, or as a layer over some thermals in the colder months.

In my opinion, keeping a capsule wardrobe prevents ‘overbuying’ because staples are timeless, meaning they can be mixed and matched all year round. Tons of capsule wardrobe ideas can be found on Pinterest. However, most of the creators of these capsule wardrobes hail from the U.S. or Europe, so a lot of the items can be quite expensive in Aotearoa (and basically Oceania and Southeast Asia, in general). In fact, some of them don’t ship to or can’t even be found in New Zealand at all, which is why I suggest seeking similar items in brands that can be found locally. And if you can’t, perhaps consider thrifting.

Just Say No

Another solution to over-buying when it comes to shopping is simple. Just say no to fashion trends. It’s easier said than done for some, after all, it’s easy to feel like a bum when strolling in a mall or on-campus next to groups of people our age donned with items all from the latest trends.

But honestly, wouldn’t rejecting the latest fashion trends and going with your style automatically make you a trendsetter?