You are staring at a closet full of clothes and yet can't find what to wear. Sounds familiar?

Social media has made it easy to move from "likes" to "bought" in seconds. We hardly stop to think if we even need what we are buying anymore. 

Giving in to our first emotion - I like it, so I'll buy it - is instant gratification. It's the immediate satisfaction you get from fulfilling an instant desire. 

No where is that gratification expressed more than in Fashion. When it comes to buying clothes, our motivation has evolved. We used to buy clothes to cover our bodies. Then we bought clothes to match what we do - work, home, sports or entertainment. 

Now we are increasingly buying clothes to fit how we want to look or feel at a particular moment in time. The moments we buy for are getting shorter and shorter. From dressing for a 2-hour dinner event to dressing for a 30 second Insta reel. Imagine splitting our days into 30 second buckets and trying to dress differently for each 30 second slot. That's a bit extreme you'll say. We will be drowning in clothes. Literarily we are. 

And that's what brings us back to your wardrobe full of clothes and yet you can't find anything to wear. The more unique the moments you want to dress for, well the more nothing you already own will fit. 

I wish we had a cure for instant gratification, but we don't. But here is a simple trick that might help you buy less of what you'll never wear again. 

Color

We all have favorite colors. Typically, they are no more than 2 or 3. These favorite colors are often the ones we instinctively gravitate toward, the ones that make us feel most confident, comfortable, or true to ourselves. 

When the desire for instant gratification strikes, pause for a moment and consider whether the item comes in any of your favorite colors. By focusing on your colors, you'll buy less of what you will never wear. 

I love lilac, olive green and pale orange. So, when a stunning red dress catches my attention, I admire it and then walk past. 

Habits

We love to think we are very adventurous, but we are creatures of habit in most things. Oh yes, I watch the same kind of shows (historical dramas), I fly the same airlines, I read the same kind of books (non-fiction) So buy clothes for your habits not for your imagined adventures. When was the last time you attended a costume party? 10 years ago? In that case, no matter how beautiful that costume gown on TikTok is, you are never going to wear it so don't buy it. 

Shoes

We wouldn't be a shoe company if we didn't talk about shoes. When it comes to shoes, choice is so much simpler. Elegance, comfort and simplicity complement every color and every habit. 

That's why we launched the Peony walker. It comes in vanilla color and a simple, elegant and comfortable design that can go with any favorite color and any habit. I always love the pleasant surprise and wide grin on people's faces when they admire my dress and then look down and see I am wearing a pair of sneakers. It’s like their brain starts out thinking “what the…” and then ends with “how cool - why didn’t I think of that!”

A final thought

The one lesson I learned from Meditation is to imagine myself seated on a bench on a busy street watching people pass by. Thoughts flowing through my head are like passersby. I acknowledge them and then let them float past. If you will not follow every passerby you meet home, you shouldn't act on every thought floating through your head. It could be a good cure for instant gratification. Just saying