Don't ever buy anything unless you truly love it

Some of the things I truly love

Saint Laurent boots, J.Crew vest, COS jumper and Zara skirt

It's January, the happiest of all seasons looms, so of course I have been spring cleaning my wardrobe. Last week my husband shared his stern thoughts about the importance of saving money so I thought I would do a thorough check of what I have already, which will hopefully kill the urge to get more.

I have neither bought nor sold anything on Ebay or Vestiaire Collective, but started looking into the possibility of selling some shoes. After all, that's what all the smart girls do, right? They wear something for a bit, then sell it and buy new things with their fashion investment gains?

But that's not exactly how it's working for me. I have three pairs of Isabel Marant Dicker boots I wouldn't mind selling, but there are already scores of those on Ebay without any bids whatsoever. I checked what sort of price my barely worn, very expensive Lanvin sandals could fetch, and it seems $60 is about as much I could hope for before the shipping and commission costs are deducted. The unpleasant truth is that fashion is rarely an investment, unless you are talking about Hermès Birkin or Kelly bags, and Chanel classic flap bags. These bags still sell for very substantial prices even when they are old and worn.

My own sad unsold boots and shoes were once the hopeful fresh evidence of the new season's me, the me who would be more organized, who would pay all her bills on time, who would always wash her hair and put make-up on. Yet a few seasons later they are unloved reminders of money spent, or wasted, and they go back into their boxes, pushed far out of sight so that hopefully they'll be far out of mind. Finding a large amount of such reminders did actually kill the urge to shop very effectively. Too often I have bought things that I have liked enough to hand over a credit card, but not quite enough to still wear today.

So my serious January message to all you gorgeous (I LOVE) FASHION girls is this:  never buy anything unless you truly love it. I mean looooooooove it so much it makes you giggle.  Looove it so much you want to wear nothing else all season. Apply this rule to your underpants and your tank tops, and apply it to your socks and tights. Don't ever buy anything unless you truly love it.