Cut the Tags

Recently I wrote about a certain puff dress purchase that arrived with the tags still on but had food stains and pit funk that indicated it was far from NWT.  I don't want to disparage that seller because frankly, she parted with it at a price that made up for its dire need of washing, so I did what that soul should have done when she decided to wear it long enough to chow down on a churro and leave an olfactory impression; I cut the tags.

I'm a chronic tag retainer, the main reason is that I sometimes only wear something for photos and then resell it with a note that it is "NWT but worn for an hour for pics."  What I realized is that leaving the tags on has a psychological effect of making me nervous to wear anything lest it lower the resale value.  Eventually, these NWT items sit in the closet so long that I lose interest in the style and part with it, and usually for far less than I paid for it if I can get any compensation for it at all.

This, my dear friends, is no way to go through life.  Clothes should be worn and thoroughly enjoyed over and over again for as many years as possible before we finally part with them or repurpose them.  Actually, I'd rather repurpose than throw away as it allows me to get creative and gives old clothes a second life.  When my children were little we turned their favorite shirts into throw pillows for their beds when they outgrew them and I once turned an entire summer wardrobe that they had worn to shreds into a nice braided rug for their bathroom.  But, I digress.

I realized at some point during this past year that all my nicest things were sitting in my closet, made into outfits ready for photographs and never getting any actual wear because I want to keep them camera-ready or resale-ready.  Why have so many pretty things if I never actually get around to wearing them?  

To that end, I've mad a commitment to no longer buy clothes simply for the purpose of making a video or taking photos.  Taking photos is losing its draw and buying things only for that purpose is a waste of money, I don't even want to think about how much, and a waste of space as my home overflows with clothes worn for a photo shoot and now filling sale bins as they wait to find new owners.

Instead, I'm focusing on buying beautiful pieces that I will wear for years.  I immediately take the tags off and allow myself to just wear them without worrying about photos or resale values.  I'll just wear them and enjoy them until they give up the metaphorical ghost or can be reincarnated into something else.

I actually put this into practice a couple of months ago when the incident at the beginning of this post took place.  It has been incredibly freeing!  Everything is mine now and here to stay, not a prop and not in-transit from the shop, to me, to its next owner. 

I'm wearing things like pretty puff dresses to lunch dates at greasy spoons, because the clothes are mine and I can get them dirty if I want; they're not going anywhere.  I wear them to work or to a BBQ in the summer heat, then wash them and repeat.  Pretty clothes are meant to be worn and cherished, so buy the dress, cut the tags, and wear it 'til it's worn out.  It's yours; enjoy it!

Shopping Info: Selkie Baby Pinstripe French Cottage Puff dress from Boho Chic Clothing, Ivory Aria Flats from Vivaia