A Pact with Katie and the Mystery of the Forgotten Clothes

Nearly every day since I started this year, someone at work tells me, "I've never seen that top/dress before!"

And in my head, I'm like, "Yeah, neither had I - until this morning."

Welcome to my life since Katie and I made a pact to shop our wardrobes. 

Now, for the uninitiated (basically everyone I've mentioned this to), shopping your wardrobe means no new clothes. If I want something to wear, I have to go digging through what I already own. No popping to COS, no panic-buying a dress because "I've got nothing," and definitely no late-night H&M hauls.

Sounds straightforward, right?

Except, not really.

I've forgotten half the stuff I own.

My wardrobe is basically a chaotic archive of impulse buys, last-minute event outfits, and "this was cute three years ago" pieces.

And that's why I end up in this loop of where I think I have no clothes, try on three outfits that looked perfect in my head (spoiler: they weren't), and end up nearly late for whatever I'm supposed to be doing.

The reason? I never plan. I'm a morning-of-the-event, get-ready kind of girl.

This pact with Katie has forced me to change that.

And honestly, we are both really smug about it.

A couple of times a week, one of us will message the other like, "Look at me, not shopping and still looking amazing." It's almost laughable how good we feel about it.

This is also probably because not too long ago, we were each other's biggest enablers. Our routine went like this: one of us would find something online, send a screenshot,

"What do you think?"

..then place the order.

The real fun came when the clothes arrived. That's when we'd send mirror selfies for approval, checking if we should keep it or send it back. We were basically each other's personal stylists/shopping enablers.

But now?

2025?

That's all changed.

If Katie's on a shopping ban, I'm on a shopping ban. And honestly, I don't think I could do it without her. We've not put a timeframe on this, but I'm loving it so far. It's like a creative puzzle: how many ways can I style a black polo neck? (Eight. The answer is eight.)

I wouldn't have had the brain space for this last year. I was too tired, barely sleeping, and constantly running on empty. Back then, outfit planning felt like a chore.

Now, it's fun. I love bold colours, jeans that actually fit, and oversized shirts. I've even dusted off my coffee table book on Japanese street fashion for inspiration.

Am I saying I'll never shop again?

Of course not.

There are things I'll always enjoy buying. But I'm more deliberate now.

Hopefully, fewer things will end up in my wardrobe with the tags still on.

So here we are.

Shopping my wardrobe.

Smugly.

And who knows? Maybe this time next month, I'll finally have a handle on my own clothes.

But for now, I'm just enjoying those "I've never seen that top before" compliments.