20. Emotional durability and only 3 new clothing items
I have no shame: I think Derek Guy (the “menswear guy” on Twitter) has great taste. I also think he’s really good at explaining men’s fashion topics to a wide audience. I like his approach and have been incorporating it into my own wardrobe.
One particular tactic I’m trying: starting in April, I’ve committed to only purchasing three clothing items for the remainder of the year.[0]
I’m not doing this to save money. In fact, it might cost me more than my previous approach. I’m not putting any limit to the amount of money I’ll spend on these clothing items. The purpose of this exercise isn’t to spend less money, it’s to spend money more wisely.
Instead, this experiment is about emotional durability. I hate buying clothes and not wearing them. Or giving them away. Or letting them sit on hangers in my closet for months at a time without any use. I also hate clothes that fall apart too soon. I want to own beautiful, functional things in my life that have meaning to me. This is the “emotional durability”.
Where does emotional durability in objects come from? It often comes from creating things myself. For example, I have a few wooden cutting boards that I designed, cut, sanded and stained myself, and I love using them. Other times emotional durability comes from receiving a gift from a loved one. I have a pair of Red Wing boots that I received for a birthday in college that I still remember. Or it can come from a unique purchasing experience. One of my sweatshirts I bought at a thrift store in NYC with a close friend. It was an expensive sweatshirt ($180!) but I love the memory and I wear that sweatshirt several times per month.
I want more objects in my life like this. Objects that have emotional durability. So, my project for the remaining part of the year is to find three and only three new clothing items to add to my collection. With a positive attitude, and an artificially imposed limit, I’m hoping this will increase the chances they will be emotionally durable items.
[0] I somehow convinced my girlfriend to try this as well. Since beginning in March, she has already purchased her three items. We’ll see how the remaining six months goes :-).