LadyPeter
08-01-2010, 02:44 PM
So I happened to go through my mother's closet this weekend and I was completely appalled. She's got nothing but pilly hoodies, striped polos, flip flops and baggy khaki capris in there. Her only good clothes are things I've given her, and she's still got clothes I gave her TEN YEARS AGO.
Last year, we went through her closet and did a big purge. She asked for my help, but now I realize she hid a bunch of things from me before I got there, because some of that stuff would have never survived the clean out.
The other problem is that when she goes shopping, she buys the exact same items that we just got rid of. They're just new. She's also super-cheap. A $40 top at AT Loft is exorbitant and she feels she has to justify buying $20 shoes at Payless by saying "But I'll probably wear them forever." Um, Mom, they're not meant to be worn forever. They're disposable fashion.
My mother is not poor; she can afford nice clothes. But she's also not as successful as she could be in her career (sales) and I think it's because she doesn't project the right image.
She showed me some great photos not too long ago, of models wearing really classy, age-appropriate outfits that would look great on her. She said "This is what I want to look like." But I don't know how to break her out of the aforementioned ruts. They are, to recap:
1. She keeps clothes well past their expiration date.
2. She doesn't buy quality or well-made items in the first place.
3. She feels some sort of vague guilt about shopping.
4. She buys the same frumpy styles over and over.
How can I help her? She WANTS help. She ASKS for help. But she won't invest the necessary time or money to get the look she wants. Sometimes I buy her cute outfits, take the tags off them, and pretend they're my clothes that I've grown tired of. She'll wear them then. I honestly don't know what else to do.
Last year, we went through her closet and did a big purge. She asked for my help, but now I realize she hid a bunch of things from me before I got there, because some of that stuff would have never survived the clean out.
The other problem is that when she goes shopping, she buys the exact same items that we just got rid of. They're just new. She's also super-cheap. A $40 top at AT Loft is exorbitant and she feels she has to justify buying $20 shoes at Payless by saying "But I'll probably wear them forever." Um, Mom, they're not meant to be worn forever. They're disposable fashion.
My mother is not poor; she can afford nice clothes. But she's also not as successful as she could be in her career (sales) and I think it's because she doesn't project the right image.
She showed me some great photos not too long ago, of models wearing really classy, age-appropriate outfits that would look great on her. She said "This is what I want to look like." But I don't know how to break her out of the aforementioned ruts. They are, to recap:
1. She keeps clothes well past their expiration date.
2. She doesn't buy quality or well-made items in the first place.
3. She feels some sort of vague guilt about shopping.
4. She buys the same frumpy styles over and over.
How can I help her? She WANTS help. She ASKS for help. But she won't invest the necessary time or money to get the look she wants. Sometimes I buy her cute outfits, take the tags off them, and pretend they're my clothes that I've grown tired of. She'll wear them then. I honestly don't know what else to do.