Confessions of a Shopaholic

Hi, my name is Leah, and I am a shopaholic.

There, I admitted it.

I've always had a love affair with fashion and shopping, but things have been different ever since I moved to New York. When I lived in Raleigh I loved browsing fashion magazines and boutique racks just as much as I do now, but since moving here I think I've taken it to a whole new level.

See, when I lived in Raleigh I was afraid to take the looks and items that I loved in the magazines and interpret them into my own wardrobe. I could fully appreciate and envy the outfits that I saw, but when it came to recreating them I never had the guts. While I feel like New York is the best place to have fun with my style, in Raleigh I always felt like I looked silly if I wore anything that was a little more "out there".  So I stuck to the basics, added a few fun pieces and accessories, and never ventured too far outside of the proverbial fashion box.

This is why I was so excited when I moved here and thought, "I can finally start dressing in a way that is more ME." I still read fashion magazines and numerous blogs as inspiration, but now when I walk in to a store I'm no longer afraid to try on pieces that are different and unique. I wear things that I never would have worn before, and instead of feeling out of place I actually feel more comfortable (and fun)!

Unfortunately that's also meant that I've done a serious overhaul of my closet, and that means I was spending too much money. I am pretty good at finding great pieces for cheap (and sometimes for really, really cheap), but it was still adding up. Another outcome of my style turn-around is that I now have a very full closet, and I'm pretty sure that if I were to try and put one more item of clothing in there the whole thing would explode. I'm not kidding.

Although all of the pretty spring items are now coming in to stores, and I'm dying to get my hands on some new stuff (like anything in mint green or tangerine, never thought I'd say it but I'd love a few pieces in those colors) I have decided to challenge myself by going cold turkey for 6 months. That's no clothes, purses, shoes, accessories, jewelry, nothing until July.

Sigh

This will be hard, but necessary.  Time to go "shop" my closet... wish me luck!

Oh, and if you need some inspiration of your own check out any one of these amazing blogs (just to name a few):

Kendi Everyday

See Jane.

Atlantic-Pacific

Brooklyn Blonde

What I Wore

J's Everyday Fashion

Gal Meets Glam

Sterling Style