Coming into 2020, I knew the word of the year for me was INTENTION. I resolved to be more intentional about the way I dressed and I wanted to dive even deeper into intentional shopping. I asked local personal stylist Dacy Gillespie of Mindful Closet if she could offer up some tips to share on the subject. Read on for her insights! - Katie May

Maybe one of your New Year’s resolutions is to shop more intentionally. You want to know you don’t want to contribute to the fast fashion cycle. You know you want to make better choices about the things you buy. But somehow, you’re still ending up with clothes that aren’t what you need. You get home from the store and wonder what you were thinking. You think you’ll “make it work”, but you never do.

Since I see the results of this in my clients’ cluttered closets, I was so glad when Katie of May’s Place asked me to share a few of my tips about mindful shopping. Here you go - my best tips for shopping with intention:

Shop with a list.

To curb impulse buys, the best thing you can do is shop from a list. Think about it - what happens when you go to the grocery store without a list? You end up with random things that sounded good in the moment but don’t necessarily fit together to make a whole meal. When you meal plan and shop with a list, you buy the things you need to make a recipe. It’s the same with clothes. Many people wonder why they have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear, but it’s this - it’s like having a pantry full of ingredients but no meal plan. If you buy clothes based on what looks cute that day without thought to how it fits into the rest of your wardrobe, you’re going to end up with a bunch of random stuff. To continue the grocery shopping analogy, here’s what to do instead: refine your style (pick a recipe), take stock of what you already have (what’s in your pantry), declutter (clean out the fridge), and make a list of what’s missing (make a grocery list). You might get rid of all the pants that don’t fit and realize you’re only left with one pair of pants that’s appropriate for work. Put it on the list. Maybe every time you try to wear a dress in the winter, you don’t have the appropriate tights. Put them on the list. The next time you end up in a store, you’ll have a plan. If you find work pants that fit well, go for it. If they’re on the list, you must need them, and you can feel confident in your purchase!

Shop for one thing at a time.

This is specifically for those of you who get overwhelmed by all the options when you walk into a store. If you’ve been specific with the items on your shopping list (see step one), you can easily scan the racks for what you’re looking for. Let’s say you’re in need of a great pair of flared denim. You know you want a dark wash and a high waist. When you go in a store, you can automatically rule out 99% of the options because they’re not exactly what you’re looking for. There are a few options that fit the requirements on your list, you try them, either they work or they don’t, and you’re done. If you’re looking for a red sweater, pass on by anything in a different color. By isolating items this way, you can cut through the visual clutter. It’s simple and efficient. This is a great technique for shopping secondhand, since because everything’s one of a kind, there can be even more to look through. At May’s Place, you can also take advantage of the amazing store assistants who know the inventory well and can point you in the right direction.

As often as possible, shop vintage and secondhand.

By far, the most ethically and environmentally friendly way to shop is secondhand. The fast fashion industry relies on people constantly buying new stuff. If we buy less of it and switch our purchases to secondhand and vintage stores like May’s Place, we reduce the demand for fast fashion and the retailers will have to slow down their production. There are millions of garments that already exist in the world, we certainly don’t need to be producing more. There are so many benefits to buying secondhand in addition to keeping items out of the landfill: it’s easier on the budget, you don’t have to worry that someone else will show up in the same outfit, and you get to own pieces that have a story.

Try these tips and see if it helps you make more intentional purchases. And every once in a while, let the rules go and let yourself be swept away by that amazing one of a kind find.

A former classical musician, Dacy Gillespie has been in love with fashion all her life. After years of cleaning out closets, giving outfit advice, and shopping for friends and family, she decided to make her dream a reality and started her own personal styling business, mindful closet. Over the last six years, she's worked with hundreds of clients in St. Louis and virtually to pare down their wardrobes, be mindful about consumption, and take the stress out of getting dressed.