Bye Bye Clothes

I've decided not to buy any clothes for a year as of August 1st.  For those of you who know me well, you know that I'll be in for some major withdrawals the next 12 months--the rehab kind with the sweats, shakes, and minor hallucinations.  To some, clothing is just an extra layer above their skin, a protection, a uniform.  For me, though I'm a bit embarrassed to admit this, it has become my identity.  Since I can remember I've put a lot (some might argue too much) thought into what I wear. When I was in Kindergarden at Catholic school, I loved my teacher, I loved my friends, I loved everything about my experience except the knowledge that once you became a first grader you were obligated to wear the Catholic uniform.  I told my parents "no way am I going to stay there if I can't wear my jam pants and op tee-shirt"-- I hadn't yet honed my fashion tastes. And so, I went to another school where I was allowed to "express myself".  Clothes have mattered to me for a long time. I've tried to intellectualize my preoccupation by reading history books about the influence of fashion on the French Revolution and the Russian Empire.  I've watched most fashion documentaries and fashion-inspired films because I find them to be aesthetically informative. One reason I love old movies is to see how people dressed at different times and how there are reoccurring cycles in fashion (i.e. high-waisted pants).  

So I've decided not to buy clothes for a year for a few reasons: one is that I don't want to keep spending money on things that I don't really need.  There is also an ethical component to my decision.  Buying a tee-shirt that was made seas away from where it's sold seems totally absurd and wasteful.  But mostly I want to see what will become of me if I'm no longer consumed by the thoughts of what to buy next.  I'm open to how this experience may or may not change me.