Fashion has always been a large part of my identity, and shopping, an intrinsic ritual. I remember to this day the excitement I felt as I rode the escalator to the top floor of the H&M on 5th avenue as a kid, one of my most memorable shopping experiences. To this day, I shop when I am happy, when it feels as though everything in my life has gone wrong, and for all the emotions experienced, and occasions celebrated in between – it is both a bad habit and a cathartic release.
With that said, I have also come to understand that like so many things in life, it is when we are not searching for something, that we find it, and yet I I know I’m not alone in the seemingly eternal quest to have a new outfit for every occasion.
This theory was once again proved to me after I set out shopping in search of an outfit for New Years Eve. After scouring several stores only to find that they were overwhelmingly wiped of inventory, and searching online to no avail, I accepted defeat, realizing that it was the idea of having a new outfit for New Years Eve that excited me, rather than the outfit itself – I could have purchased any number of the perfectly adequate options that were available, but in the spirit of making small changes as we approach the new year, I reminded myself that buying something for the sake of it would have been a mistake, and that despite my constant insistence to the contrary, I did in fact have something to wear.
So with that said, my New Years look for tonight came straight from the closet, and it only took me a few minutes to find, compared to the hours I spent agonizing in stores and online. As I said before, my love for clothes and shopping will always be a part of my day to day life, but sometimes I have to remind myself that it’s not the outfit that defines me, or the experience I hope to have, but rather, what I make of each and every one of those experiences, whether I am wearing my new favorite dress, or one that is ten years old and still makes me feel amazing every time I wear it.
I hope everyone has a wonderful new year, and welcomes 2020 with open arms!
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