While I’ve been away…
It’s been a couple of weeks since my last update. Ever since I cut down on shopping – yes, even more than before – I feel like there’s simply not that much to tell. I still very much enjoy this blog and will continue to post but I don’t want it to solely focus on consumerism. That said, I don’t know what I should focus on as I won’t be doing much traveling (saving to buy a house) and while I personally have a great passion for art, I totally understand if you guys don’t. So instead of going outside and live life to the fullest while overthinking my blog, grandma here decided to pick up Tumblr. I’m still trying to figure it out but it seems like fun. I’m sure some of you guys are on Tumblr as well, so please share your page below so I can follow you and waste my precious time on yet another social media platform, haha.
Also, I know that some readers have a similar blog of their own and I’m wondering how you guys feel about consistently writing about (potential) purchases, outfits etc. I enjoy reading and writing about it but I don’t want to encourage unnecessary shopping.
Jaaa eindelijk actief op Tumblr! Ik vind het zelf veel makkelijker te gebruiken dan bijvoorbeeld Pinterest.
Je moet alleen wel echt goed zoeken zelf omdat je geen afbeeldingen aanbevolen krijgt. Maar ik vind het wel leuk.
Contrary to what your post sounded like, you seem to be in a really good place. Saving for a future investment, in peace with your wardrobe, sick of consumerism, …
Since I dont believe you were ever a shopping horse, it was very nice to see your thought process in planning your purchases. Or admiring beautiful things. I quite dont know if you can have a style blog without talking about clothes or outfits. So, ,, my two cents.
I guess you’re right. And I can always talk about style related things instead of just stuff that I would like to buy.
I’m glad some people like to read about my thought process. Not too long ago someone recommended my blog on a message board and someone replied that it must be tiring to overthink every purchase. There’s more to my life than this blog though, haha.
If you don’t mind, would you share your journey of buying a new house? Since we both live in The Netherlands and I am also currently on the look out for a new house, I’d probably can learn a thing or two from you. I’m using slimmerkopen right now so it has been such a long wait to even find a house. How is your experience so far?
We haven’t had much luck so far. We’re super picky because our current rented house is just fine. So we’re not in a hurry. We found a lovely house a couple of weeks ago but someone beat us to it.
I think I mentioned Funda before right? Even if it’s in Dutch, you should be able to figure things out with Google translate. Feel free to send me an email if you have any specific questions 🙂
Exciting re: saving for a house! Good luck!
In regards to consumerism and blogging, I know what you mean. That’s also part of the reason why I was thinking about not including shops/brands in my outfit posts anymore (but most people seem to find it useful). I do love reading style blogs and seeing outfit + purchases posts, but it’s more for inspiration with how to work with what I currently own than looking for new things to buy. Also, like Archana said above, I like seeing your thought process behind purchases! I think that gives a style blog substance, and maybe even influence readers’ ways of thinking when they’re deciding on buying something new!
Thanks Jane! Buying a house is getting more difficult every year. You need to bring along some of your own savings in order to get a mortgage.
I hope I’m able to inspire people to buy less but let’s face it, you will also bring new things to their attention that they hadn’t though of before. Many bloggers that I love and do not neccessarily promote consumerism, wrote about the Isabel Marant Dicker boots years ago and of course, after seeing them on these stylish individuals I also needed them. In the end you just can’t win, I guess. Just try your best to make people look at shopping from another perspective.
Ben het eens met wat je schrijft! Sinds ik een blog heb, heb ik continue het idee dat ik nieuwe dingen moet kopen om interessant te blijven.. Onnodig natuurlijk, maar ja.
Het is wel erg verleidelijk inderdaad om nieuwe dingen te kopen omdat je toch content moet hebben voor je blog. Maar dan probeer ik de komende tijd maar wat creatiever te zijn 😉
Dear Jessica,
I normally never comment on blogs, but I wanted to let you know that I really love yours! Even if you don’t write daily. And actually I find your blog very inspiring.
Styling and fashion blogs don’t have to talk about shopping all the time! It is even – for me personnaly – exhausting and sometimes discouraging to see bloggers with all that stuff, every week a new Louis Vuitton bag. I can’t say that that have to do with jealousy, it is not that simple. I really work a lot and since I stopped spending on weekly shopping trips (for a year and a half now, and I am really relieved that I can say that), I save as lot money as I can every month. And so one day I maybe can afford the quality pieces I am dreaming of. And so I REALLY prefer to go read your blog and to read about your thoughts about your wardrobe, than to see at many blogs always that mass of the same bags and clothes… It is too much. I can’t concentrate anymore… (And: I’m not a size 0, but I cannot relate to “fullsize figure blogs”, it is really hard to find a blog with girls who are more like me… 😉 I don’t know if that is so nicely said… but anyway…)
That said I appreciate your writing about that Play Shirt for Comme des garcons or the reviews on the ACNE Scarf. Posts like that are so helpful, and it gives me so much motiviation to remain true to my principles. I really don’t need new clothes, I have way to much of them, but I can spend my money on quality pieces which will last me for e very long time.
So, I just wanted to let you know, that I would be glad to read more from you. Even if you don’t shop!
Your are a sort of role model and to think about what we are doing can’t be wrong! So, I hope you will keep on writing!
Have a nice day!
Sincerely
Nora
Hi Nora, thank you so much for your comment. I really appreciate it! One of the reasons I started this blog is because I was tired of fashion blogs where daily or weekly shopping is the norm. And indeed, like you, I need to work an actual job to be able to afford the occasional splurge.
And I totally know what you mean. I’m a size 38, sometimes if I’m lucky a 36 but most of the time I’m more leaning towards a size 40 haha. It’s hard to find bloggers with a similar body type that you can relate to. For a while I’ve been considering outfit posts but I’m still a bit hesitant about putting my face on the internet. So we’ll see 🙂
Thanks for following and don’t be shy! I would love to hear your thoughts more often.
As you know I really appreciate your blog and I think it is because of your sense of esthetics. So even though you are not shopping that much any more that doesn’t change the fact that your sense of style is wonderful and that will continue to make the blog interesting for me anyway 🙂
And also, I don’t know much about art, but I would def like to see more posts about art from you because it’s so interesting.
You’re too kind, Kirsten! I guess I feel the need to post more often to stay relevant and that’s pretty hard when you don’t shop on a regular basis. I might do outfit posts at one point because I think there’s a gap between bloggers size 0/2 and plus size.
I’m sure there’s a lot of stuff to write about, I just need to take some time and get creative 🙂
I find that when my blog focuses solely on outfits and what I’ve purchased, it does seem like there’s a pressure to buy buy buy. That’s why I’ve given myself a little more latitude to write about other subjects periodically (food, pregnancy, etc…). I don’t enjoy a lot of blogs that write solely about clothes for the same reason, I don’t enjoy feeling like the only reason they’re writing is to shill clothes. I actually really enjoy the fact that you’re thoughtful about your purchases and the fact that you don’t buy new clothes every month. If you’re looking for more things to write about, I’d love to see the occasional outfit that you wear and maybe a wardrobe overview. Also, I’d love to know more about what considerations you make when considering a purchase.
Haha yes, a couple of people have been harassing me about posting outfits (not you, haha) so I might succumb. In the meantime I’ll just keep going and we’ll see what happens. It’s nice to know that you don’t feel like I’m pushing stuff onto you. I feel that way sometimes when I’m posting collages. But they’re really helpful and I used to make them before my blog as well.
I’m relatively new to your blog, Jessica, and I stop by to catch up on (old) posts that either review a ‘splurge’ object or where you share your thought process behind buying (or not buying) something – it’s always interesting to read!
I also never got the feeling that you promoted a ‘more, more, more’ mentality, in fact; rather a mindset of being intentional with our choices and purchases.
I can imagine that it might be difficult to blog frequently without feeling like you’re promoting ‘shopping’, to some extent, but when you write as thoughtfully as you do, there’s always a clear message of ‘be intentional’ that speaks louder than the ‘I bought this, so maybe you should too’. Plus, and I mean it in the best way possible, I reckon your readers are a bit more nuanced and conscious than the audience at the style blogs where a new ‘it’ bag does the rounds on the daily.
Also, sometimes it’s just nice to see what you bought, where from, and to know that I have (or don’t have) enough self-control to know what I need or what I don’t. Luckily that’s never on you 🙂
I know I’d love to see a more detailed view of what you have in your wardrobe currently, how you pair them daily/regularly/normally, how you dress them up or down. Even if they aren’t pictures of you personally, I’d take flat lays. I know it’d inspire me to think creatively and get ideas for a small/well-curated wardrobe myself, because that’s where I struggle most at the moment, and tend to make impulse purchases still for the ‘just in case’ situations.
Hope we keep hearing from you around here when you feel like you have something to say 🙂
Thanks Audrika! Right after I posted this blogpost I realised that I might not be giving my readers enough credit. So if anyone reads this: sorry about that! Most style blogs have an audience that ranges from 15-25 years old but mine might be a bit older. I’m not entirely sure though but that would make a significant difference in how one approaches getting dressed in the morning and curating a wardrobe. Good point about that wardrobe overview! Someone else mentioned it as well. I’m a bit afraid to find out that there’s still a lot to get rid of, haha. But we’ll see.
Ah yes, those ‘just in case’ purchases. Most wardrobe essentials lists always mention a little black dress. So for the longest time I was on the lookout for a dress. You never know when you need to dress up, right? I finally bought one… and never wore it. I’m kinda curious to hear what those ‘just in case’ situations are for you. And before I forget, thanks for following!
Funny you mention the LBD, because mine’s always a ‘smart’ dress, as well. I’ve bought two (in the recent past), and both don’t feel all that great on me, so I never wear them! Same for a smart pair of trousers. I panic, and tend to buy things that don’t really feel all that ‘me’. Hopefully I’ll learn… eek.
How long can you go without shopping? I was recently proud of myself because I had managed to not buy anything for a month or so, not even thinking about clothes or wanting anything. Then we went to Spain for vacation, my boyfriend needed some shorts so we tried Primark for the first time. I picked some underwear that was too expensive or not available at all in our country… And the rest of story is something I’m definitely NOT proud of.
(However, everything I had bought was worth it. I’m glad I did. So it’s sort of “content guilt”, lol.)
ART. PLEASE. I would LOVE to read something from this field as I am an art lover myself, though an uneducated one.
My Tumblr is http://ziagouel.tumblr.com. 🙂
Several months actually when I keep away from online stores, haha. Don’t feel bad about it! We all go a little overboard sometimes 🙂 As long as you learn from it.
What kind of art do you like? I followed you on Tumblr by the way.
Thanks for following, I followed you, too! That’s a hard question to answer – I have no particular favourite period though I used to love the Avantgarde. I like traditional visual art mostly – painting , drawing, graphic techniques. Also sculpture but don’t know much about it so it’s simply like/dislike. What I completely don’t understand are new media, video art, happenings and performances…
Regarding aesthethics, it’s classical beauty with some twist – I don’t know how to say it in a less abstract way, maybe the Tumblr will give you the image.
What I hate is too complicated and abstract exhibition pamphlets or art description. I haven’t seen it abroad that much but here it drives me crazy. I always get from it the impression that the authors are snobbish and arrogant a***s that don’t really care about outer world. But who knows.
I checked your Tumblr and get what you mean 🙂 I work in a museum, for the education department, and one of our primary goals is to inform the visitor in an accessible way. My colleague writes the title cards and descriptions. She always makes sure that everything is understandable for visitors that may not know a lot about art. So that means that she edits a lot of – sometimes difficult to understand – texts by the curators. But you’re right, I’ve seen the same thing many times and I think it makes it harder for people to visit museums or galleries.