Retail's overstoring problem, straight from my closet

Good morning, Tuesday. Gloomsville outside. I'm so happy to be WFH today. 

Like me, you've no doubt noticed a ton of empty storefronts in the city. My trend savvy friend Irma, whose excellent blog The Opinionator heralded big trouble for retail some time ago, was an excellent indicator of retail's big troubles. I've been reading a ton lately about brands like JC Penney, Bebe, Ralph Lauren- all closing stores while many malls are looking more like ghost towns than consumer havens.  A lot of this has to do with something called overstoring- where brands open too many stores and soaring rents and declining in-store sales (hello, Amazon) are leading to a full blown crisis. Well guess what? It ain't my fault. Because I have my very own situation not unlike big retail- I'm an overstorer in my own right. My version simply means the following- I have far too much stuff. I'm overclothed. Overshoed. Overmoisturized. And most of all, I'm over it.

So with this big move on the horizon, a big purge was in order. Bag and bags of clothes went bye bye. This weekend I held a sale and though it was not as much about making money for me, it felt amazing to share my closet with my nearest and dearest, who racked up pieces from my wardrobe and my friend Katie's amazing vintage collection, pictured above.  I was more than happy to share. I also donated a ton of pieces and even sold some stuff at the Buffalo Exchange around the block. It was a process bigger than I had ever imagined, and it was not the parting that caused me such sweet sorrow- it was the insane amount of work it took to round it all up, bag it, and lose it. 

And much like retail, I need to reassess my brand going forward. Do I need to jump on every trend bandwagon that comes through town? Nope. Do I really need another pair of yoga pants? Not really. Should I keep that tiny dress that may never get over my hips again? No way.

As we move into a lovely apartment with admittedly less storage space, I'm looking forward to fine tuning my own brand of style into an affordable and accessible collection of well edited pieces I don't just want, but need. I'm going to be tough on myself when it comes to purchases and only buy things that will either last forever or serve a practical purpose in my life. I've enjoyed asking myself the question- "Would Mary Kate or Ashley wear this?" If not, buh bye. I love their spare and strategic sense of style that is both luxe and practical at the same time. I'm going with it.

It's true I'm still going to struggle to fit all of my clothes in my new home. But I'm not going to overstore, overshop, or overdo it any more. If retail is ready for a reset, then so am I. The purge felt great and though Marie Kondo and I may never be besties, I'm trying desperately to tone it way down for 2017 and beyond. Thanks to all who came out to support me.

Cause that's what's up this perfectly stocked Tuesday in the BK. Yours, in over is, over. XO