A Take on Buying Too Many Clothes

My friends don't get it, my parents don't get it, and most of the people I see on a daily basis don't get it.  I have a major yen for awesome clothes.  Awesome doesn't mean "meant for my body shape," because nothing looks conventionally "good" on my body shape (which is rather like a very voluptuous pear), and it doesn't mean it just fits well, because Lord knows, something can fit "well" and still look awful halfway through the day.  What I mean by awesome are clothes that come in interesting fabrics like chiffon, silk and velvet, and clothes that are fun to look at, with ruffles and lace and sequins.  Of course, reading this, you'd think I like to dress like a Vegas showgirl.

I'm going online tomorrow (to One Stop Plus, which actually isn't that great for clothes if you're under 50.  I really had to dig to find the good stuff) to buy about $200 worth of awesome clothes.  Among my purchases will be:

1.  A pair of black oxford ankles boots
2.  A white poet's blouse with ruffles all down the front and bell shaped sleeves
3.  A pair of sea blue patent loafers (shoes that are easy to slip on an off at the airport but in a fun color that doesn't scream "I'm only wearing these to get through airport security!")
4.  A cropped black double-breasted vest
5.  Two pairs of skinny slacks with stud detailing - one pair in black and another in grey
6.  A black cardigan coat because I'm moving to Boston and I know I'll want it for fall and under my coats in winter
7.  A textured grey boyfriend blazer with rolled 3/4 sleeves
8.  A light-weight white "motorcycle" jacket with an asymmetrical zipper
9.  A few other tops in cool fabrics or with interesting detailing that'll look fabulous under vests or blazers

The thing is, I've learned to wait for clearance sales, and I've learned to shop online.  One website, Plus Size Now, keeps track of many of the promotions at most of the online plus-size retailers.  Which is great, because as a student I really can't afford to spend $50 on anything.  Actually, going over $25 for an item is usually pushing it.  But I'm about to get $275 worth of clothing for $200, because a website told me a code.  It feels like I'm "in the know" or something, which is stupid, because anyone can access this information.

My problem is, for so long, as a teenager and in college, I either didn't have access to plus sized clothes or had no knowledge about how to dress well with a plus-sized frame.  And so I dressed like a total frump in weird hand-me-downs from God-knows where.  Then I moved to Taiwan where there was only one store that sold ANYTHING in my size, and that stuff was so awful looking that...well, let's just say none of it survived my first closet-purge once I was back in California.  So now when I find fun clothes that don't make look like I'm in the 40+ age bracket, I buy way too many, even after savings.  I mean, I spent $40 at Torrid yesterday on two mini-skirts and a vest even though I didn't mean to, just because they were having a 50% off clearance sale at my local mall.  (Luckily I had my $50 rebate card from AT&T that finally arrived, so it felt like I was spending free money.  Actually it was money I had spent in April on replacing my cell phone, but whatever.  It feels like free money.)

I MOVE IN A WEEK!!!  I'm going to have to transport all this stuff (and pay excess baggage fees) to Boston on August 10th.  And yet, I can't bring myself to care, because I'm going to look amazing pairing that poet's blouse with a vest and my new oxford boots and grey corduroy mini-skirt from Torrid.