10,000 Hours

Although I often write about my dad's distaste for my shopping and spending habits, truth is, my dad has always been one of my best friends. Ever since I was little, we could go on and on for hours about random topics. Today we were watching a special on TV about Bill Gates and he started telling me about Malcolm Gladwell's theory that 10,000 hours is needed in order to achieve success. I immediately perked up and exclaimed "You see!! This is why I'm so good at shopping!!" LOL. I was giving my dad a hard time but at the end of the day, it boils down to time and practice. I really do think my shopping habits have evolved for the better:

1. Once upon a time, I thought monogram purses were the coolest things ever. I thought if I was to spend hundreds of dollars on something, everyone better know that it was expensive. Now I absolutely cannot stand purses plastered with logos. I realized that true fashionistas dont identify pieces because the designer's name is plastered everywhere in big capital letters. They know the most demure pieces because they follow each season's fashion shows and they know the style and history of each designer.

2. I used to follow trends. Everyone else had it, so should I. NOT. Trends are just that. They make a big entrance, die out, and some lucky ones get a second go at being popular. When you spend hundreds of dollars on trends, you're putting a expiration date on your money. People often stress classics. I would also like to stress the importance of having your own style - it MUST work for you. Not everyone has to love what you buy. Sometimes its even good if they dont like it. That guarantees you being the only person with it :)

3. Imitation is just as bad as fakes. Of course not everyone can afford the real thing but there are some brands out there (ie Nine West, Steve Madden) who tend to copy styles stitch for stitch. That's kinda tacky, no? I will also not even address the issue of fakes cus I'm sure you all know that there is no bigger no-no in the fashion world than condoning fakes.

4. I'm still having trouble with this but its a work in progress: just because its on sale, doesn't mean its worth it. On the flip side, if you LOVE something but think it might be a bit too much and buy something else just to save money, dont. You will forever be tortured by what could've been. Investment pieces will always be more worth your while than sale pieces. In theory this means I should be able to forgo sales in order to finally save up for a Birkin but like I said, this is a work in progress for me :)

5. Just because you know fashion and/or you buy expensive things, it will never make you better than anyone. Buy because you love, not because you want people to look at you and think "Wow she bought that? Damn she must be rich". My closet is for my pleasure, its not there to impress or to keep up with anyone or anything. I also get peeved when people try to be know-it-alls but for some reason, cannot be bothered to give other people advice or give advice in sort of the "God, I can't believe you dont know this!" way. There really is no need to be stuck up. At the end of the day, every ones fortunes can turn on a dime and karma can be a bitch.

I'll update later if I think of more points of change!