RETAIL THERAPY OR THERAPY FOR RETAIL?

I saw this little sign and it made me smile but it also made me think about what shopping has come to mean to us. We know it ticks a lot of boxes. When we get the outfit right, we look good so we feel good. 
A compliment about our purchase raises our self esteem and we know the influence of power dressing. Affordable fashion has encouraged us to chase trends and because it's cheap, we've been told it's okay to throw it away.  It's so tempting to go out and get our next fix or satisfy our cravings. 







Shopping for clothes has become a social pastime, it helps the economy and with faster and faster broadbands the next purchase is just one click away. Shopping has a massive influence on our wallets, self image and even our storage space. However, I pose a  controversial question. Are we buying too much and are some of us in danger of becoming shopaholics needing therapy for our shopping addiction?

Aargh I hear you say! Here's someone who makes a living from selling image telling us that shopping is bad for us. Not at all,  I acknowledge all the good stuff about shopping and I love seeing people transformed by their purchases. I love dressing up and a beautiful pair of shoes can still make my heart flutter.  However, I try to practise what I preach and be selective about my purchases. When I am tempted, I ask myself this question when I'm in the changing room, "do I like this better than what I was wearing when I came in?" 

I have discovered so many times, when I've been hired to edit and review a client's wardrobe, a little gem that they had forgotten they had or didn't know what to put with it. We can lose touch with what we already have and really we should look carefully at what we need to buy before we rush out to buy more.