I got asked a lot of the same questions going through my two years of not buying clothes. If people have asked me these questions multiple times I figured there are others that are wondering the same things So here you go, some of the most commonly asked questions and my answers!

Do you have a massive closet?
I actually do not have a massive closet. I don’t think it’s necessarily small, however, I do feel it is smaller than most people imagine. Below are pictures of my closet, dresser, and wardrobe. These three things hold everything of mine from clothes, shoes, jewelry, accessories, underwear, purses…everything.

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Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

I share the small walk-in closet with my husband (I have to give him some space!! haha) but the picture is of only my area/clothes in the closet.

How did you do it? Wasn’t it torture to go shopping with friends? Didn’t you always want to shop?
During my challenge I consistently worked on a few things:

• I wanted to expand my creative fashion abilities. Without buying new clothes it forces you to look deep within your closet to make some magic. When I went shopping, instead of buying, I was committed to looking at mannequins and in stores to be inspired. I switched my viewpoint from “I need that outfit” to “How can I create that outfit?” (I go more in-depth in the next question and answer below).
• Changing my mindset from thinking that “I need this dress to make me feel good” to “That dress isn’t the thing that is going to make me. It’s my creativity and my confidence in my outfits that make me.” 
• And all of the other things I talked about in my last article. If you have not read it, read it HERE.

When focusing on the above, I didn’t feel tortured when I went shopping, I felt inspired and empowered!

Did you feel out of style?
Most of the time not. Your closet and clothing aren’t simply in or out…look at your clothing as building blocks… like LEGOS.

Just because LEGO comes out with a new Star Wars or Harry Potter LEGO build set doesn’t mean they reinvented each LEGO piece that came in the set. A lot of time they are using pieces they have had for years but in different combinations and for different outcomes. They might have made 1-2 new pieces for that set but they are essentially using the same blocks to create something new. That is your closet.

I have so much to say about this topic and if I were to do it all in this post it would be too overwhelming. So to learn more about that, this is the first time I am even mentioning this (eeek!), I have started a new fashion project called Wear JOY . Where I will talk about how to break down your closet into the building blocks and how to get inspiration from places like Pinterest to become more creative with your outfits. I will teach you about making the most out of your closet!
Follow here: @wearjoyproject

What was the first item you bought?
The first item was this GORGEOUS leather purse from 1.61 Soft Goods. Handmade in Japan, the leather is ridiculously beautiful, holds so much stuff, and helps support a small business. I can’t get enough of it. Find it HERE.

How much money did you save?
Hmmm… I used to spend an average of $200/month on clothes. So $200 x 24 = $4800! My main focus for the last couple of years has been building my business, SOCIAL CRAFTS, so that extra money definitely went all back into the business building.

Are you going to do another year? If no, then what?
I definitely considered doing another year however seeing that fashion is my art, I do feel it’s time to add some new pieces to my closet to make more magic. I am at the point that I got exactly what I wanted out of the challenge, actually more than I expected, where now I want to share all this magic I learned with you.

That is where my new project, Wear JOY, comes in.

It wasn’t until the end of this challenge when I felt my true voice in fashion erupted. All of a sudden I thought “Whoa, I have so much to say about fashion, and now is the time to say it! I have so much to share that will change people’s relationship with their closet!”

The Wear JOY project is just that, a project.

It is starting with an Instagram and will eventually have an online store.
It is a place where inspiration and teachings are at the forefront of what I do.
It is bridging the gap between self-love advocate and fashion blogger …because it’s rare that the same person talks about both.
It’s changing an “I have nothing to wear” attitude to an “I can’t wait to wear you” wardrobe.
The online store will be different than any boutique I have seen out there, pairing my Wear JOY teachings with pieces that help you be more adventurous in your clothing.
It is the goal to change the trajectory of fashion from a look to a feeling.

The Wear JOY project is my heart, my voice, and hopefully a place where you feel empowered. Please join me @wearjoyproject.

I hope I have answered all the questions! If you have any others shoot me an email at casey@iamcaseylum.com

THANK YOU SO SO MUCH for following this journey. I am grateful for you! Can’t wait to have you on the next.

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Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

xoxo, Casey Lum-Dautel

Wow oh wow! Has it been two years already?!
I am happy to announce that I have successfully completed two years of not buying clothes, jewelry, purses, shoes, and accessories!!! Can you believe it? I hardly can.

Crazy that these two years went by so incredibly quick and in that time I surprisingly never felt a deep desperation to go on a huge shopping spree, to buy new clothes, or even have that dreaded moment thinking “I hate my closet”.

“Why is that?” I would ask myself, “Why after all this time I still find joy when I walk into my closet? Why do I feel a sense of freedom?  And why do I feel like I have a different relationship with my closet than a lot of people do?” After two years of trying to answer these questions, I smile because it has come clear to me and I have realized why…. read on, it’s a little lengthy but worth it!

Two years ago I wrote to you this:
I’m challenging myself to not buy clothes for a whole year [which then turned into two years]! 😳 I really want to do this to appreciate what I already have and not feel the need to want more. I read a quote that said, “Happiness isn’t about getting what you want all the time. It’s about loving what you have and being grateful for it.” Although that can be applied to everything in life, I am applying it to my closet. This is my challenge to test my fashion abilities, my style abilities, and to really make magic out of my closet.

AND TODAY,  I FEEL I ACCOMPLISHED THIS.

FULL REPORT OF THE PAST TWO YEARS:
• I did accept a few pairs of shoes I was gifted: during the challenge, I tried not to accept gifts however here and there I would. My friend had a few pairs of shoes left over from a clothing exchange. She brought them to me and I accepted!
• I DESIGNED AND MADE MY WEDDING DRESS! Yes, my friends, I did not buy my wedding dress, I made it.
• I did buy my wedding shoes. I cannot make shoes, and come on a girl deserves a new pair of sparkling shoes for her wedding!!
• I didn’t buy any new clothes for any of my wedding festivities: bachelorette party, two showers, rehearsal dinner, etc. I came close and in the end, I am VERY surprised at my self for not buying new clothes during this time.
• I did replace my black strappy heels and black classic purse with new ones. In year two I changed the rules that if anything in my closet becomes horribly worn out I could replace it. Well, those two things were falling apart so I treated myself to some new ones.
• I did except Christmas gifts. My mom got me a few pieces of clothing over the last two Christmas and I kindly accepted.

And that’s it! In the past two years that is my report! Pretty impressive I think.

When I look at my clothes today (two years after not purchasing anything new) I still have this overwhelming sense of gratitude. Why? It’s because of how I choose to treat my clothing. That each and every piece is a gift in my life, not something that is disposable. We each specifically chose our clothes to be on this journey with us and now have to choose to honor each of those pieces for that. I do not look at my clothes as possessions of mine and then, in turn, simply have whatever feelings I want about them (oftentimes for people that might be hate or frustration, or being sick of that piece) instead I look them as a gift in my life and treat it as so… with kindness.

As the  Marie Kondo craze carries on, there is an important method she goes by to declutter your closet. It’s to hold each piece of clothing and ask “does this bring me joy?” If it does, keep it, if it does not, thank it for its service and put it in the giveaway pile. I realized I had been doing this for years (in my own way) before Marie Kondo had put it into words AND IT WORKS!

Believe it or not, you have an energy exchange with everything in your life…including your closet. If you are filling it with things that you semi-like or holding on to just for the heck of it and not filling your closet with items that you enjoy, there is a negative energy exchange when you get to your closest. It is going to be one of semi-like, hate, and/or frustration… but definitely not joy and you will carry that energy with you throughout the day. I feel like using this method is a huge reason I still love my closet after accomplishing not buying clothes for these past two years.

However, let’s rewind a little bit.
Marie Kondo talks about the declutter of your closet, I’m going to talk about how to not get there in the first place. I realized I use a method similar to this when I shop. When I am in a store I practice intentional shopping, I don’t just shop for retail therapy. Instead, I shop with intention. When I see a piece I like, I ask myself :

• Why do I like it?
• Does this bring me pure joy?
• Would this add to my closest or do I have something so similar that it will just create clutter?
• What is my initial and true feeling when I try it on?
• What do I already have (shoes, accessories, etc.) that I can imagine wearing this with?
• Is this a big fat YES with no other doubting thoughts?

I go with my gut and don’t just aimlessly buy. I look at my closet as my close girl gang. We do not allow new members in without a deep cross-examination before they can join 😉 We ask, what are they going to bring to the table? OR, are they just going to take energy away from the other members? Silly to think, but I swear, think this way and the relationship with your closet will change.

I have a lot of rules for my closet and hold it to its utmost respect because that is where I start my day. I want my morning’s energy to be full of joy and gratitude and give my day a chance to start off right.

So think about how you treat your closet? What is your relationship with it? I believe to have a good relationship with it is also a very important positive step to an even bigger topic… great confidence…. but we will get into that another day 😉

Today is the day to celebrate my two-year anniversary of not buying clothes! Hip hip hooray! I hope me sharing my philosophy on my closet inspires some of you to rethink the relationship with yours.

Thank you for joining me on this journey and stay tuned for what is to come next!

XOXO,
Casey Lum-Dautel

The jacket was my dad’s when he was in his 20’s and the shirt was my Grandma’s.
Pants are Zara, shoes a thrift store, and glasses from my old boutique.

It has been a while since I’ve written. I think May 2018 was the last update. I had put my posts on hold for a bit because prepping for a wedding is NO JOKE! The aftermath of a wedding is ALSO NO JOKE!

We got married in October (which I will post pictures of the dress I made soon) and boy was it amazing. It was worth every bit of effort we put into it and I could not be happier. However something had to give, and writing on this blog was one of them (sadface).

I am happy to report that my #365nobuy 2nd year is still going STRONG! These are the only new things I have added to my closet:

• I have accepted a few clothing gifts around Christmas time
• I bought 2 pairs of shoes for the wedding (because I cannot make shoes!)
• I have excepted a few items of clothes that people were giving away
• I have replaced my black strappy shoes and black purse with new versions (remember, I could replace things that were wearing out)

AND THAT’S IT!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

I also have a bunch of pictures piled up that I have not posted yet! So stay tuned, some posts are coming your way! Ok, enough with the talk…on with the pics!

Let’s talk about this outfit. The top is this super cute crisscross front sweater that my friend wanted to give away (yes, please!), basic blue jeans, and then THE BOOTS!!!! These boots are a statement on their own. It’s a twist on a classic black boot only with an artistic wooden heel.

If you have noticed a theme about my closet, I buy interesting statement pieces that aren’t technically “in” or “out” of style. That way they are in a class of their own and never really go “out” of style. There are items in my closet that I consider complete art… and these boots are one of them.

When you are selecting clothes, shoes, and accessories for your closet really think who you are buying it for. Are you buying it only because it’s what the magazines and blogs are saying is in style? Or are you buying it because you think its amazing, because when you put it on you feel happy, you feel joyful?

Aim for the latter…

When I tried these boots on years ago, I said out loud “YES!” They made me so excited and still, to this day, make me just as excited.

Find those pieces that make you overjoyed, that make you think “Damn, girl you look good!” Those the clothes that will stand the test of time and make you smile everytime you open your closet doors.

xoxo,
Casey Lum-Dautel