Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the two binaries that we think our wardrobes should fall into.

Either it’s cheap fast fashion and falls apart after two wears, or it’s an “investment” and needs to be something we must wear for the next twenty years.*

The truth is that most things will fall somewhere in between and we could stress a little bit less about our clothes if we didn’t expect perfection from every clothing item.

Yes, you want things you like and that fit and that feel good, but can you take the pressure off of everything to be a perfect purchase that lasts forever?

This makes me think of my favorite designer, Elizabeth Suzann.

She always talked about how she wanted her clothes to last, but not FOREVER. Clothes that actually last forever are the cheap plastic fabrics that will never decompose.

When we put pressure on ourselves to find clothes that we’ll wear forever, we don’t allow for change.

For our bodies to change, for our lifestyles to change, for the climate we live in to change, for our preferences and tastes to change.

This is coming up a lot for several of my one-on-one clients right now. They’re wondering if it’s worth spending money on clothes if their bodies will be changing in the next year.

My answer is yes. It doesn’t have to be a lot and you don’t have to buy many pieces. But committing to spending money on clothes that fit the body you have right now is an important part of body acceptance.**

Y’all know me. You know that I’m a proponent of ethical fashion. I’m not advocating for wearing things once and discarding them. I just want to move away from more pressure to make perfect choices which often stops us from making any decision at all.

What do you think? Could you start to think of clothing as what works for you right now?

*Hate to take this shopping excuse away from you, but clothing is never an investment. Unless it’s one of a very few designer bags, no fashion purchase is ever going to make you money, you just may be able to recoup a little bit of what you spent if you resell it later.

**Acknowledging that this is a privilege and not available to everyone based on financial needs.