Regretting what never was

"You know how sometimes you go shopping, and you're carrying around a bunch of items that you want to buy, but you end up putting one back? And then it just...haunts you?"

These were the sadly apt words of a friend of mine the other day. And it got me thinking about all the orphan articles of clothing I have "almost bought" over the years, only to return them to their shelves and then pathetically think about them far too much afterwards.

It's tough with brick and mortar stores, because the moment you slip that silky top over your head, your emotions take over. You see yourself in the mirror and you fall in love with how you look. But then it happens five more times, with five different garments, meaning that you would blow your budget by buying them all. So something's got to give.

Luckily, with online shopping, usually all you have to do is return to the site in question when regret is gnawing at you - no schlepping across town required. But sometimes it's not that easy. I'm reminded of two fabulous pairs of shoes that I found at Lulu's Fashion Lounge a few months ago. I wanted them so badly, but they were out of season at the time, and I told myself I should focus on buying practical fall/winter wear. I'm not sure if either pair is still available at Lulu's, but I can't bring myself to look, because finding out they're gone would be too painful.

It's a tough life, isn't it?



File under:
shopping