3 Keepers and a Regret is a recurring series on Retail Therapy on Substack where I ask people I admire to name 3 things they’d fight to keep — bought, inherited, stolen — and 1 thing they regret.
When I suit Radio up to go for a walk, we have to clear the packages from the front porch, just so we can get outside. By the time we return, more stuff is piled up. I have a problem - for real.
Each buy is a quick hit of hope - that this will be the item that turns things around. But it never does.
That’s why I write about why I shop – I’m trying to figure it out. For myself. You won’t see me telling anyone what to buy.
British fashion journalist Tiffanie Darke spent her career in fashion media telling us what to buy. Now she’s a sustainability activist with a megaphone at It’s Not Sustainable.
Her Rule of Five is a campaign that limits us to five new items a year and four second-hand ones. Just typing these words makes me sweat with terror.
The career shift suits her. As she explained: “I only buy things I want to keep forever.”
It makes me rethink every purchase. Ever.
I only buy things I want to keep forever. - Tiffanie Darke
Three Keepers
3 things you’d fight to keep — bought, inherited, stolen
Love 3 Keepers? Restack this post so it gets in the hands of someone new.
No. 1 — black leather mini dress
A black leather A line mini dress I bought in 1995 from Joseph in London's Brompton Cross. It was half price in the sale but already twice as much as I had ever paid for anything at that point. It was also damn sexy. To my twentysomething self, it was like a butterfly coming out of a chrysalis. I still wear it now - only with tights and a blouse underneath, and a red lip. It is still perfection.
No. 2 — Miu Miu frock coat
A pinky red Miu Miu frock coat from around 2009. I was gifted it by the brand for featuring an interview with Mrs. Prada on the cover of the magazine I edited. I would never have bought it for myself which would have been a mistake as every time I wear it it makes me happy. The colour is joyous and the cut is of course exactly right. It works in those in between seasons when it's too warm for a wool coat, and then too cool for shirt sleeves.
No. 3 — A Missoni gown
A Missoni floor length, spaghetti strap, backless gown that I want to be buried in when I die, (my daughter may get in the way of this). Its beauty is heart stopping: a mottled pink and grey floating, floor length chiffon with a strip of embroidered sequins round the neckline, and a criss cross strap at the plunging back.
One Regret
now the regret
When I was sticking to my Rule of Five (only 5 items of clothing a year) I wasted one precious purchase on an over priced crochet black skirt from a vintage store. I think the fabric is a polyester cotton mix (yuk - I didn't question it at the time) and it is incredibly difficult to wear because it's see-through, so you need great pants and a thigh gap. Alas, I only have one of those two things and so I have never worn it.
Why I’m Still Shopping
I could be Tiffanie’s poster child for unsustainability. And it’s taking a toll - on me. I’m driving myself crazy with the constant buying and returning.
Tiffanie’s approach to only buying what you plan to keep speaks to me. While I’m not going to limit myself to five items – that would be insane – I do think the mindset has merit. Trying it as a mantra a few days a week is giving me pause.
Instead of thinking “maybe,” I’d be saying “highly unlikely so don’t waste your time.” I wouldn’t have to constantly organize and clean out my closet.
I’m going to sit with the idea. But I do need to get one thing off my chest. I recently bought a white skirt and white pants – both are see-through. I don’t have great panties or a thigh gap, yet I’m wearing both. Happily. Just not at the same time.
Thanks to Tiffanie Darke of It’s Not Sustainable.
Find her book, What to Wear and Why, at Barnes & Noble.
When life stops making sense, we shop. More soon.
As a non-shopper, I kind of naturally follow the rule of five— unless it’s one of those periods of my life when I am reinventing myself. Then all bets are off. I would really love to see that Missoni gown, though! (It occurs to me that I do not own anything that could be considered a “gown“… I don’t think I’ve ever had an excuse to wear one.)
Thanks Rani for championing Rule of Five. Its like a fashion diet, you dont have to do it every year, but it completely resets your buying habits and allows you to really see whats in your wardrobe already. I would suggest a 14 day cooling off period when you want to buy something. See if you can leave it two weeks before you actually buy - I bet you won't want it as much anymore. And if you do - then its yours!