Expert explains: why we buy (and keep) clothes we never wear

Recognize it? In the store or online, you throw your entire basket full of cute items that you’re sure you’re going to wear all of. But in reality, some of it always stays on the top shelf. The key question, of course, is: so why on earth do we buy it?

Stereotype or not, many women just love to shop. From impulse purchases to carefully curated outfits – it always feels like a treat to add new garments to the wardrobe. But how often does that one dress or that perfect jacket end up in the back of the closet unworn? THIS is why we get tempted by purchases that never leave the closet.

1. Wrong mindset

“The most common reason someone buys an item of clothing that never leaves the closet is that the shopper was well-intentioned but thinking incorrectly during the purchase,” consumer psychologist and researcher Kit Yarrow tells Real Simple. “The typical scenario is as follows: there was something very special about the item, but there was also something that wasn’t quite to your taste, but because it was on sale, the shopper bought it anyway.”

According to Yarrow, this is a classic example of what she calls “choice-supportive cognitive bias. In simpler terms, we ignore information that doesn’t match what we want. For example, consider a wool sweater that is so soft that you actually want it just because it is so cuddly. The fact that the sweater is not within your personal style is dismissed. Especially when you see that the item is on sale.

2. Expectation versus reality

The reason we like shopping so much, according to Yarrow, is because it’s when we often visualize our future selves. “Shopping stimulates our imagination. When we consider buying certain items, we imagine how others will react to us, how we will feel when we wear it, and so on.” The problem, however, is that while shopping, we still sometimes visualize a lifestyle that does not exist. A familiar one: that we will lose some weight and that that one piece will look great. Or that we will go to a glamorous gala or a tropical trip.

By the time we realize that that luxury cruise is not going to happen and that the figure we had in mind is not realistic either, you often cannot return the item.

3. The item is too beautiful

Another reason why a piece of clothing ends up in the closet with the price tags still on it? Because we think it’s just too beautiful to wear. Sounds crazy, but it’s a thing, Yarrow knows. “The phenomenon is called loss aversion,” she explains. “It is especially prevalent in people who suffered losses in childhood.” The fear of the garment being ruined is then just too great. Or sometimes people save the item until they finally find a worthy occasion for it. But even under this guise, an item of clothing can sit gathering dust in a wardrobe for months, even years.

And now?

Are you standing in front of your closet and notice that you have a lot of blouses, pants, dresses, sweaters or shoes that you don’t wear? Then don’t let them gather dust even further. You could resell the items on Vinted, for example. But you can also do good by donating it to charity. The Salvation Army’s ReShare initiative is eager for your clothes and textiles. Some of the clothing collected goes to people in need and some is sold at social prices in the ReShare stores. Some is also sold to sorting companies and what remains goes to textile recycling.

And now we hear you thinking: what happens to the proceeds from the resale of the textiles? The Salvation Army uses that to carry out their work (and to be able to continue to do so) and it is used, among other things, to help people in need and to create employment opportunities for people in vulnerable positions in the labor market. A great cause, right? So what are you waiting for. Time to take a critical look at the items in your closet.

Source: Marie Claire, Beau Monde archive | Image: Adobe Stock