11 Comments
User's avatar
Katie's avatar

A great read- I loved the breakdown of each item and the reflections. Thank you so much for sharing!

Expand full comment
Lan's avatar

Thanks for reading, Katie!

Expand full comment
Xue's avatar

This was a great read! I love understanding how others think about their purchases. Thank you for sharing!

Expand full comment
Lin's avatar

It was wonderful to read your reflections for the year! I relate a lot to the sense of acceptance and the feeling of clothes being “small potatoes”. I hated how something I love had become so fraught and putting the brakes on shopping helped me make my peace with it all.

Expand full comment
Lan's avatar

Thanks, Lin! Yes, I feel like I’ve graduated from being fixated on personal style and wardrobe curation to simply enjoying and appreciating beautiful clothes—which often doesn’t involve shopping at all.

Expand full comment
Sheila (of Ephemera)'s avatar

This was a fantastic article, Lan! I read every word. These resonated/made me smile:

- "my cats’ attraction to the cordage" - in my house, we call it "kitty spaghetti" and every lace/cord has to be out of cat range.

- re: the fish brooch, "the funny expression—as if it’s seen too much". Ha! Yes, that fish has Seen Things! Love it! How is it broken? If it's missing a back, you can find those at craft stores/bead shops and just glue-gun it on.

- "only the best, most special pieces I can afford" - this is such a good lesson. Always look for the best and most special...but affording them is also key.

I also appreciate your note about buying clothes to WEAR - I try to wear every single thing in my closet every year. It's sometimes hard! But it helps me to see where my style/size/life is going, because - as you note - style and life is ever-changing.

Love the green belt! Winner!

Expand full comment
Lan's avatar

Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The backing on the brooch is there, but it’s a little rusty and the pin won’t reliably stay in place. I’ll need to replace it—if only I could find the time!

Expand full comment
Sharlyn Selkirk's avatar

While this may have been tedious to write, it was actually a joy to read! I'm inspired to try the Rule of 5 myself next year!

Expand full comment
Lan's avatar

Thanks! I’ll probably give it another shot as well, but with everything I’ve learned this year in mind.

Expand full comment
Eleanor's avatar

Not tedious at all! I so enjoyed this

Expand full comment
LJ's avatar

Me too!

Expand full comment