I never realized how many striped items of clothing I owned, until a parcel with a striped maxi skirt and a striped long sleeve shirt arrived in the mail from J. Crew. I tore open the packaging inhaling the fresh new fabric when my husband said to me: “Maggie, you’re a stripehead. It’s like a crackhead, but for stripes.” I looked up at him at first with denial, but then reality slowly set and I realized I needed help.
It started out as an innocent habit- I would just buy stripes for fun. But slowly, they started to take over my life. I would go to the mall and think- “I can handle myself. I won’t buy stripes this time.” Somehow, I always walked away with something striped. In all honesty, stripes have always been a go-to pattern for me because they are safe and in my comfort zone. I like stripes, and I like how I look in them.
With this realization that I own too many stripes, I have decided to go on a stripe diet. Like any successful lifestyle choice, it’s not about banning stripes from my life, it’s more like learning how to buy stripes in moderation. I’m taking this as an opportunity to expand my wardrobe with other patterns and textures. I’m happy to say it’s been over three weeks since I’ve bought anything striped. (The last striped thing I bought was this shirt from Banana Republic.) It’s not that I’m never ever going to buy stripes again, I’m simply learning how to shop other styles of clothing.
What is something that you own way too much of?
