Meet the two shopaholics, Perdita (Perdy) on the left, and Alison on the right, who have made it through almost a full year of not shopping.
They’re chronicling it on their blog: 365 Fashion Rehab, and they have less than 120 days left before their year-long torture..er..experiment is over.
I must admit, I had a wee bit of an ulterior motive, as I too, am on a Shopping Ban for all of 2010, having started in mid-November.
Read all about that here, on my third blog, Style on a String.
However, I let myself have a bit of leeway, because I am allowing for 3 major items, purchased at each 3-month milestone, and any possible fashion emergencies. Like bridesmaids dresses.
Now, well past the mid-way mark, they’re here to dish it out on my blog.
So I came up with some questions to grill ask them about their experience so far and how they feel about it all, and they’re completing the answers separately so you will see 2 sets of answers.
Let the grilling interview begin! 
To give this some more perspective, how much clothing did you have BEFORE you started this project?
P:
Well, we actually did an inventory before we started and I have 600 items in my wardrobe.
This includes everything hanging in my closet and everything in my drawers and all coats and bags.
Individually I have 59 dresses and over 60 pairs of shoes including boots, sandals and sneakers.
FB: Pssst! I snagged a recent shot of P’s rolling rack wardrobe from the blog. Apparently she has a room as a closet, that we have yet to see pictures of. 
A:
I am currently out of the country so I do not have my inventory list with me, however to give you an idea I have a two-sided closet full of clothes, a double dresser, and I have taken over half of our (mine and my husband’s) hall closet to store my coats.
I have 32 coats, about 65 pairs of shoes and more than 30 pairs of jeans. Those are the numbers I can think of off-hand!
How much do you think you each spent each year in clothing?
P:
Such a scary thought… it is really hard to guess, but I would say (gulp) around $6,000 a year.
Again this includes shoes, bags and accessories.
A:
Every year is different.
For the past few years I worked in fashion as a sales rep for a contemporary clothing line so I was able to buy most of my clothes at very good prices (which obviously contributed to the problem I had of purging and restocking my closet every two months!). I would say any given year it could have been anywhere from four to six thousand dollars.
In some ways I wish I had kept track of everything and in other ways I am glad I did not.
What made each of you decide to embark on giving up shopping for a year?
A:
We were having dinner together talking about how at this point in our lives (our early 30’s) we thought we would have owned a home by now.
Then we started talking about how much money we have spent in the last 12-14 years on shopping. We used to have “Shopping Saturdays” every week and would buy a completely new outfit to wear out that night.
I also had always prided myself on how good I was at “cleaning out my closet” but then I realized I just would go out and buy more clothes to fill the spots of the ones I gave away.
I noticed, too, that I was buying quantity over quality. Too many trend items, not enough classics.
P & I talked somewhat jokingly about the possibility of giving up shopping for a year (after several glasses of sauv blanc) and how all of our friends and family would go into hysterics laughing, never actually thinking we could do it.
I think the fact that the idea seemed so impossible made the challenge that much more appealing and entertaining. So we decided on May 15, 2009, to embark on the journey and document it along the way on our blog, www.365fashionrehab.com.
P:
In the beginning it really was just to see if we could actually do it, but we both do have a ton of stuff and I definitely became more interested in WHY we shop.
Plus, it’s great to do something with your best friend even though they are so far away!
What are the exact rules, and what does “frivolous” shopping mean for both of you?
A:
Absolutely no clothing of any kind (includes underwear, socks, workout gear, outerwear etc.), no accessories, no make-up, and no “frivolous” home décor.
By frivolous we mean no candles, picture frames, decorative vases, pillows etc. We do buy shampoo and face cream etc. (our goal is still to look pretty and age gracefully during this year!).
[FB: I think you two are doing more than just fine.]
We put the “home décor” caveat in there because we thought that we would transfer our wardrobe shopping addiction to a newfound “home beautiful” addiction and that was certainly not the point.
P:
a) No clothes.
No accessories.
No makeup.
We also are not allowed to buy frivolous home decor items like candles, fancy soaps that are just for show or stationary.
b) Frivolous shopping to me means buying things you truly don’t need in any way.
Can you buy “emergency” items or a list of exceptions? What if you have a fashion emergency like having to buy a bridesmaid dress?
P:
No, there are no exceptions. In an emergency, we just have to get creative!
[About bridesmaid dress]
That’s such a good question! I feel like if that happened, we would just have to borrow from our very fashionable friends.
A:
No. We just have to make do with what we have.
If we break a heel, wear through our boots, etc. we just have to either fix the item or do without. One of my favorite belts broke in the first few weeks of fashion rehab and normally I would have just thrown it out but instead I super glued it back together.
It actually worked and I am still wearing it today!
[About bridesmaid dress]
We actually talked about this before starting the project and literally thought of all of our friends and the possibility of an engagement and a wedding happening for them within the 365 days of Fashion Rehab. At the time none of our friends had marriage plans so we figured we were in the clear. Any weddings that have since come up are in the summer after the project is over; we definitely breathed a sigh of relief over that one. We love our friends but didn’t want to have to choose!
Any tips for those of us going currently through it?
P:
Don’t become a hermit, especially if you’re a lover of fashion. You can still feel inspired, even if you can’t buy.
Go through the items you do have, get re-acquainted with things you haven’t seen in a while and try to see them in a new light.
I have this pair of brown riding boots that I didn’t wear that much before 365 Fashion Rehab.
When Fall set in and I couldn’t go on my annual Brown Boot Hunt (the right pair are basically impossible to find!), I had to wear the ones I have.
[FB: I had an annual Brown Boot Hunt too, until I found my Ecco Hobart's -- See post here..]
They’re still not quite right, but I got a ton of compliments on them and they worked out just fine.
Oh, and if at all possible: Get a buddy. In the beginning I asked Ali to be my sponsor. I really don’t know if I could do this without her.
A:
Be creative. Combine new outfits in your closet to keep things fresh.
Step out of your comfort zone and dare to wear one of those pieces that hangs in your closet unworn. Each piece in your wardrobe deserves to see the light!
Perspective is everything.
If you view it as deprivation you will only feel more miserable as time goes on, embrace the challenge and feel proud of yourself even if you only last a month.
Before the project, what were your most cherished purchases?
A:
1. Diane Von Furstenberg printed wrap dress
2. Long strand of vintage pearl beads bought at the antique market in Toronto for $10
3. Via Spiga tall slouchy black leather boots (a purchase made three years ago and I still adore them)
4. Banana Republic cream colored linen Grecian inspired dress
5. Black leather Coach hobo bag
P:
My white Coach bucket bag, my black backless mini-dress, my old school slip-on Vans…
….this great Geren Ford blouse I got from Wasteland in L.A., one of my fave stores, and my cream, down-filled coat from M0851 that I got for half price at the end of the season a few years ago.
I could not survive winter in Canada without it!
[FB: M0851 has some killer leather goods, jackets and coats.
My sister started me on the lust for the brand, because she kind of knows the owner... and is OBSESSED with the brand.]
Have you purchased anything yet?
A:
No, we have not.
P:
Most certainly not! Though, like Ali, I have been dreaming about shopping and, now that we are in the home stretch, it seems I am constantly thinking about what my first post Fashion Rehab purchase will be.
I am hoping it will be my first pair of Louboutins! Fingers crossed!
And how about you A?
Are you going to buy anything after this project finishes?
A:
I really want a chain link handbag. In my dream world it would be quilted and from Chanel, but in reality I would love a deeply discounted one from Marc Jacobs!
Is this all on the honour system? What happens if either of you lapses?
A:
It really is. Since P and I have been friends for almost twenty years we trust each other completely.
It doesn’t hurt that I have a very supportive husband who keeps me inline, either!
We haven’t had any lapses.
We both agreed that if either one of us faltered that essentially the project would be over.
How is that for pressure?
P:
a) Since Ali and I have known each other since we were 12, we don’t even need an honour system.
We may not tell each other absolutely everything, but we have no secrets.
b) No lapses allowed!
Or else, as per our poll, we have to donate 50% of our wardrobes to charity.
What are you going to do after this year is over? Go back to fashion bingeing?
P:
Hopefully not.
It’s gonna be so great to see how we will have changed once we do start shopping again.
We are going to keep writing and blogging about our experiences with a sequel – 365 Fashion Rehab – The Year We Did Shop!
[FB: Looking forward to it!]
A:
We really want to continue our blog as “the year we did shop.”
We would like to be able to use everything we have learned this year and help those who are seeking a more conscious shopping lifestyle.
I believe if we went back to binge shopping the whole project would be in vain.
[FB: Perhaps you could do a follow up after "The Year We Did Shop".]
What have been your greatest and most revealing moments of the project?
P:
Mmmm… most revealing?
This may sound strange, but I feel that I am now keenly aware of just how much stuff I have.
I hate not shopping, but I simultaneously shudder to think how over-stretched my closet might be if we weren’t in Fashion Rehab!
And the greatest? Well, that’s easy. Sharing an experience with my absolute BFF who is so far away and who I used to miss like crazy.
Now through the magic of Skype and this crazy, bananas, nuts project that is 365 Fashion Rehab, I get to “see” her almost everyday.
A:
First of all, that I have made it this far. That, to me, is an amazing achievement.
Second, that I actually am still a happy person. I thought I would have many dark days where I wouldn’t want to see people (fear of envy) or that I would just give up, wondering if there was any point to this madness.
Another revealing moment is that I absolutely still love fashion!
I thought maybe I would become resentful towards it, almost like a long-lost friend that had let me down, but instead I appreciate it more than ever.
Can’t get enough of them? Me either!
They were also featured in The Toronto Star.
Read the article here: Shopaholics go cold turkey.
They have 116 days left.. and I am 100% positive they are going to make it.
( I am just not convinced I will. Haha!)
