What I Bought in March
"Never buy a problem" is put to the test
My low-buy “rules”
This is my third year shopping this way, and the “rules” I’ve personally settled on are:
I’ll only buy 12 new pieces of clothing in 2025
Secondhand doesn’t count
Accessories (bags, shoes, jewelry, etc.) also don’t count
This works well for me and my goals, which are to 1. generally keep a lid on things to prevent overconsuming and 2. curate a wardrobe of things I actually love.
THE LIST as it stands:
What I didn’t buy:
Things that caught my eye enough to justify a screenshot or Pinterest save, but that I talked myself out of one way or another. Read on for my self-deinfuencing train of thought.
On the list? ❌
Boxer shorts seem like they should be my vibe, and I think this is an interesting color combination. But in practice, they always feel like underwear to me. All my love and respect to those who pull it off. I wish I could! But I just can’t leave the house in these.
On the list? ❌
I already have a pair of baggy-ish off white jeans (see: the outfit spread up at the top), so if I am to be tempted by a potentially duplicative pair then I am holding out for a re-stock of the Tibi Tuck Jeans. Which, I only just realized when putting this post together, are back in stock…
On the list? ✅
I think these qualify as “fancy sweatpants” from THE LIST. I could definitely use more easy go-to options for working from home and walking the dog that aren’t my trusty Lululemon Aligns (which you can pull from my cold, dead hands).
But, idk this length just isn’t doing it for me. The model is probably tall, and they might be perfectly great on me, but they aren’t pulling on me enough to go through the buy/try/return rigamarole.
On the list? ❌
THIS COLOR!!! Gorgeous. So down my alley.
I hope to one day be someone who casually drops $2.5k on a bag. Alas, I am just not that woman (yet?), so this remains a simple fantasy.
On the list? ❌
Do I have a vacation coming up where this is the vibe? Yes. Does this also feel like a dress I’ll realistically wear three times in two years and never feel all that excited about? Yes.
Inevitably, another “it” silhouette will come along before I’ve even gotten a good chance to wear this one. This is novelty for the sake of novelty, and I just don’t need to go on this particular ride.
What I bought (and returned!):
On the list? ❌
I don’t know what overtook me! Actually, I do know: I was browsing on a Friday night with a glass of wine. I’ve been eyeing Alemais for a year or two now, wishing to be a girl who wears things as fun and flirty as this. It was 60% off with only one left in stock and it just happened to be in my size. A perfect storm.
And I liked it! It fits, and it’s super cute. Me from three years ago probably would have kept it. But present-day me was wise enough to realize that it just didn’t feel like “me”.
I dutifully added it in my digital wardrobe on Indyx, and even though I could technically make 3+ outfits with it (a good test!), I could see how visually disconnected it was from the rest of my wardrobe. And looking in the mirror, it felt just a liiiiittttle too much like a costume. A very cute costume, but a costume nonetheless.
On the list? ✅
This was a much tougher one, and lord help me, I hope I don’t regret sending it back.
It hit all of my head-criteria for that “navy maxi slip skirt” on THE LIST. It was 100% silk. It was a true maxi (I quite dislike that now-ubiquitous mid-calf length on me). I’d waited for it to go on sale. I had SO many on-brand outfit ideas for it in Indyx!
But, there were two big problems:
There were already unraveling, loose threads at the waistline. Super disappointing, right? One voice in my head said “oh, no problem, you can just take it to the dry cleaners to get it reinforced!” but another said “do NOT buy a problem!!!”. Besides, if we want brands to prioritize quality, we can’t keep rewarding them for cutting corners. Even still I wasn’t sure.
So I hung it on my closet door in full sight. For a whole week. And not once did I feel excited to reach for it. RED FLAG. Big waving red flag. If you don’t feel excited to wear something right when you buy it, it ain’t ever happening, babe.
I can’t quite diagnose why I didn’t get that feeling. But I didn’t. So, back it went - and, I think “navy maxi slip skirt” will come off THE LIST.
What I bought:
On the list? ❌
Ah, ye ‘ol Tibi sale. I cannot escape your sweet embrace. These had hung around my Pinterest holding zone since they were new last summer, and I grabbed them at “last call!” before Tibi pulled down sale.
I love that they’re a sandal, but still feel a little more covered. They almost give the same feeling as a white mesh flat peeking out the bottom of pants, but are different enough not to give the same hyper-trendiness as a mesh flat. They have a slight grandma-ish quality, but the square toe keeps them cool. I use a white sneaker quite a bit in my closet, so a white sandal feels quite useful as a tool. I’m happy.
But remember: shoes don’t “count” (per my own damn rules!!!). This means that after a hot start to the year, we’re officially ahead, folks! I love the feeling of a bit a breathing room.
If you’re ever curious, you can see all the details of my real closet on Indyx. The web link will let you spy on my items, but you need the app to see aaaalllllll the outfits I’ve styled with those items. See you there
I love the simplicity of "The List" - my wishlist has turned into a multi-tab Notion database (which I LOVE but maybe I'm overcomplicating it...). I also totally get the whole boxer shorts thing too - maybe the rest of my wardrobe is just too casual to support it because I too just end up looking like I wore my pyjamas out of the house...
So many thoughts! First off, thanks for sharing your “self-deinfluencing” process—I live for this kind of thing.
Second: I am so with you on the boxers/pajama bottoms trend. I’ve had them on my wishlist, almost bought a few pairs at the thrift store, but frankly couldn’t conceptualize how I would wear them without looking like I was wearing pajama bottoms—a tough ask, because I would be, in fact, wearing pajama bottoms.
And finally, the silk maxi skirt. Again, I know EXACTLY what you mean about that ubiquitous calf length—that’s NOT a maxi, that’s a midi, babes. And you were right to return it because of the poor construction. I’m just starting to learn that “do not buy a problem” lesson myself.