Taste of The Week 01/14/24
Intention behind consumption, my 2024 buy and no-buy goal, and some beautiful things
Hi, hi. How’s 2024 treating you so far? I took a little break from writing last week to adjust to the new year. It’s nice to let my body and mind rest, even just for a week. I was still writing during that time (and, in fact, excited to break into my two new notebooks), but I didn’t give myself pressure to publish anything. Sooooo, how are you? I feel like 2024 is going to be a good year for us, you and me. We are going to experience some magical moments, be creative, be free, and be challenged sometimes. We are going to have time to reset and reflect, to make connections with nature and other humans. We are going to visit some beautiful places, physically or spiritually. We are going to hang out with texts written in the past and thoughts and dreams about the future. Most importantly, we’ll spend time with each other around this newsletter. Anyway, I can’t wait to see where we will go in 2024.
Nothing heavy today, just wanted to share some thoughts around consuming, fashion, and beautiful stuff.
Intention Behind Consumption.
I love things. 50% of it has something to do with me being a young woman growing up in a post-capitalist society where overconsumption is normalized and even encouraged. The other 50% is for I’m simply a human who loves things. I love their shapes, the feel and texture, the meaning behind them, and the intention that has been put into them by other humans.
This does not necessarily mean I own lots of things. In fact, when I was living alone in New York, all I had in my apartment was a small collection of clothes, a few books, a desk, a chair, a lamp, a mattress throwing on the floor, two bowls, one plate, and two pans. Being overly obsessed with things means I’m also overly picky with the things I want to own. I have certain standards; I want to make sure I would like to keep them with me for a long, long time (so being easy to move is also key). I want to see the intention behind them (therefore, I don’t like to buy random mass-produced decor from Target), and they must mean something to me (love at first sight, gifts from friends and family, items bought while traveling, items handmade by people I love, items with metaphors, art, etc.).
Building a collection is a privilege. I never really understood it until this year. Having the ability to build a collection most likely means one does not have to get through life paycheck to paycheck, one has a place to stay/store the things, one has a general sense of stability in their life. Now that I finally have the privilege, which also comes with certain responsibilities, I want to be really intentional with the things I purchase.
A few goals to share:
Shop your closet. Shopping my closet, getting dressed more often and more intentionally, and documenting the outfits (I have a TikTok account where I document my outfits. Subscribe if you would like to follow along). Inspired by Christina Mychas and Allison Bernstein, a big part of my new year consumption resolution is to spend time and pay attention to the garments I already own (I mean, we bought our clothes for a reason). Instead of thinking about “what I’m lacking”, I’ll think about “the abundance I own” and “be excited to play around with the pieces I own” instead. It is not easy with numerous “trend predictions”, “the best coat you can get”, “you need to get your hands on xxx”, “run, don’t walk to xxx” content out there bombarding your feed. So, a social media detox is also needed.
(Some recent outfits)
Buy less. I have to confess, buying mostly second-hand sometimes eased the pressure of “being sustainable” on me. However, by participating in the trend cycle, whether by buying new or second-hand, we are damaging each other’s taste and brains as well as the ecosystem. According to article “How Many Clothes Should We Own, Exactly?” from Vogue, we should only be purchasing less than 5 new garments a year in order to stay in line with the Paris Agreement goal, assuming fashion industry remain its status quo. My goal this year is to add less than 24 pieces to my closet, including second-hand items (I want to acknowledge that number 24 scares me; I don’t think any human should think buying 24 pieces a year is normal. It’s not normal, but we are all suffering from modernity to some degree, and I don’t want to set a goal that’s too aggressive that I end up hating myself because I can’t reach it. So, 24 it is. Please be patient and gentle with me).
Documenting each piece I bought and sharing it with you. This act is inspired by @devonrule, who documented each piece she purchased in 2023, including categories, price, whether it was discounted or not, the reason for purchasing, and how she felt after purchasing.
Consuming in this age often is about fulfilling a feeling more than just the need for the item, which makes documenting the “feeling” around purchasing important. Do I feel guilty after the purchase? Do I feel excited every time I reach for it? Do I think it was a good deal? Do I feel confident and comfortable when I’m in it? Have I regretted it? These are the questions I’m going to ask myself, and I encourage you to do the same.
Wish list + Delayed gratification. My thing is, I usually let items sit in the wishlist (you can use an app like Locker to manage your wishlist or simply just add it to your notes on your phone) for at least a month to avoid impulse purchases and trend influence. Some items lose their shine quite easily after a month. For certain items that you feel like you really can’t wait on, like items you come across at a once-a-year market, certain flash sales, and certain one-of-a-kind items, I suggest applying delayed gratification to your consumption. I learned this concept from one of my favorite jewelry creators @Okay______fine on TikTok. By delaying opening the package and only opening it on special occasions or days you are happy, you sustain the excitement, the sweet longing, and the feeling of “about to own.”
Three pieces I bought in the past month.
Two-tone 14k solid gold ring, bought from Etsy second-hand. I’m building a jewelry collection and I’ve always wanted a mixed-metal ring to match the watch my mom gave me, which I wear every day. I absolutely love it and haven’t taken it off since I received it. But I also want to acknowledge that “buying something to match something I own” is a dangerous practice.
Troy Burch loafer, bought from The Real Real second-hand. I don’t own many shoes (surprisingly, I own probably only ten pairs in total), so I allowed myself to add a pair of loafers to my collection. My old black leather loafers have been peeling after wearing them for six years (to be honest, a good pair should probably last you longer than that), and it’s time to replace them with something versatile but also exciting. I haven’t received the package yet, so stay tuned.
Vintage Christian Dior Men’s Blazer, bought from eBay. I do have tons of men’s blazers (what can I do, I just love the structured look) and I simply couldn’t say no to the price ($39 for a 100% wool Christian Dior blazer… come on). My justification for the purchase is, to offset the purchase, I’m going to sell a 90s Gucci blazer that I don’t wear enough.
Beautiful things
Mila Textiles’ wearable art, based in the UK, is so unique and refreshing, reminding me of coral, fungi, lichen, and so much more.
Miwa Susuda’s Instagram account: As the manager of Dashwood Books, she documents her customers and their purchases — faces young and old, holding the books and albums they’ve just acquired. There is something delicious about building a collection of human encounters. I just finished “Insomniac City” by Bill Hayes this week, where he collects portraits he took of people in New York and their encounters. Curations like these make me excited about existence
