Why I shop seasonally for my capsule wardrobe

Do you remember being a child and getting new clothes just a few times a year?

Before online shopping, before fast fashion grew into the monster it’s become and before wearing an outfit only once became a thing. I remember shopping being a grand event, something to look forward to. I would get so excited at the prospect of new clothes because they were an infrequent occurrence. As I grew up, the novelty wore off and buying new clothes became a weekly event. Like any addiction, the thrill I got from new clothes became ever further out of my reach but still, I continued to chase it.

Switching to a less but better approach and creating a capsule wardrobe changed this for me. Owning fewer higher quality clothes I loved and wore repeatedly suited my lifestyle and budget much better. I could finally make sense of the overwhelming world of fashion. With this switch came new levels of awareness. I soon realised just how bad my shopping addiction had been, how mindlessly I’d been shopping and how that wasn’t entirely my fault as society was encouraging me to shop with every click, tv ad and magazine feature my eyes fell upon. 

Committing to a capsule wardrobe encouraged me to only buy new things when I needed them. It also fostered the habit of replacing items where necessary instead of constantly adding to my wardrobe. As my habits changed I still felt open to the ever alluring sales and marketing campaigns that know exactly how to tap into my insecurities in a bid to make a sale. As I grew more aware of my spending habits I realised that what I’d actually been doing is shopping my feelings and I wanted to try and tackle this.

I wanted to see if I could break shopping down even further. How could I become an even more mindful consumer and think about shopping even less? What if I could go back to that childhood approach I’d known and loved so well? Could shopping seasonally simplify my wardrobe even further and help me implement some structure to the chaotic consumer driven society I live in? 

How shopping seasonally works 

Shopping seasonally started as an experiment. That was over twelve months ago. Here’s how it works. 

Every three months I pull out everything (and I mean everything) I own Marie Kondo style and lay it out on my bed. I then assess each piece one at a time. Based on how the piece makes me feel, how often I’ve worn it, what condition it’s in and how excited I feel about wearing it right now, I make a decision. I decide to keep, sell, donate or trial without. I then decide if any additions are necessary for the upcoming season. I don’t always make additions and I’ve found I make more changes in Winter and Summer than I do in Spring and Summer. 

The key is that I only focus on the upcoming season. For example, say I’m doing my spring audit and I think I’ll need a new coat for next winter because the one I’ve been wearing is worn out or I really haven’t enjoyed wearing it. I might sell that coat but I won’t even think about replacing it until I do my winter audit later in the year. I will only focus on how I want my spring wardrobe to look and feel. 

Once I’ve done my audit, I will shop the pieces I want to add for spring and once that’s done, I won’t think about shopping until summer comes around. Shopping between seasonal audits is off the cards. The process is repeated each season in exactly the same way. It’s a simple approach that splits shopping up into four quarters, making curating a mindful wardrobe much more digestible. 

Why I think it’s worked for me

I realised I find shopping stressful – I never realised how stressful I actually find shopping because consumerism never wanted me to. The walking from shop to shop, the looking at myself in those awful mirrors, the quest for the piece that’s just right. It all causes me so much stress. The only part that’s enjoyable is the quick rush of dopamine I get between heading to the pay here desk and putting the new shiny piece in my wardrobe. And don’t get me started on the hassle of returns. I could be doing much more meaningful things with my time. 

Less shopping – I’ve found myself browsing and shopping the least I ever have and yet I’m the happiest I’ve ever been with my wardrobe. I thought restricting myself would increase my likelihood to binge buy but last year I didn’t buy any clothes for six months straight and I pin that on this system. It’s as if having imaginary green lights and red lights for shopping gives me permission to step away. A system to work with seems to have been the order I needed. I feel like I have healthy boundaries that allow me to breath now. The less I shop the better because I get time, money and freedom in return. Yes please! 

I’m a more mindful consumer – Shopping seasonally brings me into the here and now of what I need instead of thinking of my wardrobe as a whole. This stops me getting carried away and  reduces what’s on the menu. Curating my wardrobe feels much less overwhelming and a lot slower as a result.

Less time spent thinking about clothes – As someone with an obsessive personality I’m easily consumed. When my audit has passed I can forget about clothes and just enjoy the wardrobe I have. This boundary has helped me create so much structure and ease around my spending. Less time spent thinking about clothes feels so good. 

Suits my all or nothing personality – Habits expert Gretchin Rubin has a theory that we are either all or nothing people (me) or moderation people (definietly not me). Those of us who can have just one piece of chocolate a day for example, are moderation people and those who have to eat the whole bar at once or not have any at all are all or nothing. I think knowing which camp we sit in can be a really useful so we can create structures that work with our natural tendencies instead of working against who we are. Moderation people may prefer a one item a month approach to seasonal shopping. 

Potential pitfalls 

Shopping seasonally works really well for me but it isn’t without flaws. 

I have to be disciplined with savings. It’s no good getting excited for my summer wardrobe audit and then realising I need some new pieces only to then realise I’ve no money to buy them with. I stopped using credit cards and loans a few years ago when I finally paid them off and I’ve no plans to go back. I have a rule that when it comes to clothes I only buy what I can afford, and that it’s ok to not be able to afford everything. Shopping for clothes just four times a year means I have to ensure I keep up with my savings goals as best I can. 

I’m not sure if it would have worked when I was just starting out with my capsule wardrobe but maybe it would’ve slowed down my appetite to replace everything and given me less to focus on. If I was starting a capsule from scratch right now this is the approach I would take to spending in order to break everything down. I think it would have made the process a lot less overwhelming. 

If something wears out between audits or I find myself in need of something I just can’t wait for I obviously have to make allowances. This actually hasn’t happened yet but I’ve given myself permission to break the seasonal shopping habit if it does. I don’t think implementing structures to help us simplify should ever be about deprivation. 

Overall I’ve enjoyed this approach to shopping so much that it’s become the norm for me now and I can’t see me switching any time soon. I love being back to those once lost childhood butterflies. In just a few weeks I’ll be planning my spring audit and I’m already looking forward to it. 

Have you ever given shopping seasonally a go? Let me know if you fancy it in the comments. If you’d like to read more about how I approach a capsule wardrobe you can dive into the archives here. You can also see a full tour of my current capsule wardrobe on here.