On a practical level, how do you buy what you love?

Here are a few strategies you can follow:

1. Buy pieces which are classic in terms of style and fit. In this way, you can wear the clothing or accessories for years. Also, focus on your favorite colors and stay away from too trendy items.

2. Take a long term view with an eye towards building a wardrobe. That may mean that given your budget, you may only be able to add 3 or 2 (or maybe only one!) piece per season. This can be frustrating in the short term, but in the long term you will build a wardrobe you can wear for years.

3. Know where to spend your money. I wouldn’t spend a lot of money on every day shoes, but I would spend money on a beautiful, glamorous pair of shoes for going out on the town. Why? Because you don’t wear out shoes that you wear on evenings out…every day shoes get beat up pretty quickly.

Why should you buy what you love? And how much money should you spend on one item? I’ve noticed that when I buy something I adore, I wear it for many, many years. I take especially good care of it. If I buy something just because it’s on sale or it’s inexpensive, I don’t get much use out of it and often I don’t take especially good care of it.
Does that mean you should save all of your money to buy a Balenciaga dress? Not necessarily, especially since a Balenciaga dress doesn’t fit most people’s lifestyle and budget.

It might mean spending $100 more than you would have wanted to on a pair of Bettye Muller shoes you adore.

Or it may mean spending twice as much as you wanted to on a coat which is the perfect color and fit for you.

This strategy might cost more in the short time, but in the long term you may actually end up saving money.

This is one of my favorite topics and I will be discussing it more in future postings.