Book Exclusive: Shopping versus Buying
Go to stores and look, but don’t look at price tags and don’t buy a thing. (Leave your credit cards home too). Go to a store’s or designer’s website and download photos. Pick up a bunch of fashion magazines, and clip photos and ads that speak to you. Spread your images out adn study them while shopping in your closet: “Which of these items do I already own? Would that navy blazer in my closet look better if I had it in three-quarter sleeves? What do I need more this year – a new bag or a new cashmere cardigan?”
Once you decide that a new handbag is really what you need, go for it, even if you find yourself saying that designer bag is way too expensive.
Well, it’s not, and here’s why: if you, like Susan, didn’t buy ten things at $40, you’d have $400 toward that coveted bag in no time. That name-brand bag will last for years and look fabulous. You worked hard for it. You deserve it. You are worth it.
