Summer sale

It’s the time of the year again that shopping malls and boutiques become a danger zone. I avoid them as much as I can. I keep telling myself: Yes, many lovely pieces of clothing are dramatically reduced, but I’ve bought enough clothes this summer, thankyouverymuch. If I buy any more, I won’t be able to do them justice this year, especially since there is only another month or two of warm summer weather left. And for next year I will want to buy some items that are of the latest fashion then.

Summer or winter sale is a time of trial for me each time it comes around. I unabashedly love beautiful clothes, but I try to buy sensibly: what I need when I need it; no silly spur-of-the-moment acquisitions; consider what I’ve already got in my closet and what goes with what else; not buying too many pieces at any given moment. I go for quality clothing, as I wear most items for years.

But: When I’m faced with racks of pretty dresses and T-shirts that cost half their original price, some deep-lying instinct wants to run away with me, urges me to buy this marvellous red dress or that smart jacket. I fight it. I really do.

This year, I have given in twice. I bought two pairs of shoes I didn’t really need: a pair of magenta ballerinas (I’ll never get shoes in this particular color again) and a pair of brown sandals (always useful). I managed to tear myself away from a beautiful magenta handbag, although it would have gone well with the ballerinas.

The biggest temptation is coming around next week: I will be spending a few days in Munich, a city with the most marvellous boutiques. My solution this time is that I plan not to waste a single glance on reduced sommer fashion, but instead take a good and hard look at autumn fashion. I may even buy a piece or two. The range of choice in August is often very good, in all sizes, and if I buy something now, even at full price, if I wear it all autumn, winter and spring, it’s definitely more of a bargain than anything I buy in January and only wear for three months. And if I thoroughly research what is trendy, and what of it might actually suit me, this will help me to avoid expensive mistakes later. Really, going window-shopping is rather like reading romance reviews!

Do you love summer sale, or do you hate it? Have you bought any special pieces of clothing in the sale this year? How do you deal with the temptation of those racks of reduced clothes?

– Rike Horstmann