It’s time for a total wardrobe overhaul — but at what cost?

T

his was the season for new clothing. Last winter, I was expecting. The clothing from the winter before didn’t quite fit this year. And I was pretty happy about that — who wants to wear old clothes?

Soon, packages from Ali and Shein landed on my doorstep, to be joined by ones from Dress Blank and Amazon and more. Some clothing made it past my doorstep to my closet, and some found their way back to the place from whence they came.

I made my rounds in the local stores, too. Zipping, unzipping, buttons and snaps, all while entertaining my baby in his Doona. One memorable trip left me panicking when I couldn’t find the headband for my fall, with minutes left to my meter and next carpool.

The results were worth the effort. I’ve been feeling good about my apparel. My shopping profile had traditionally been, “It’s cheap, so why not?” but subtle influence from my younger sister, an “Only buy what you love even if it’s pricy” shopper, had molded me into a shopper of greater discrimination. There was less novelty but overall greater wardrobe satisfaction. Life was about change, right?