Back to School Shopping

I'm not going back to school. But isn't there something about fall air? That unique sunny clear feel to the air in the morning, smell of old leaves, anticipation of new friends, new classes, new clothes. This means I will need to put away my shorts (that I never wear because shorts are unflattering), my sandals, my light-as-air cardigans. I have this mental list of things that I want for fall (skinny black pants, high-waisted skirts, yet another cardigan, boots!) but I am also conflicted.

I have a feeling that this feeling, this special fall feeling and the need to buy things is directly related to my old back-to-school habits which is not actually applicable in my life anymore. Do I need to buy new clothing? Not really. If you could see my closet and my shelving system and my storage boxes and my clothing rack you would tell me that I don't actually need any new clothing. Ever again. I feel like I have fallen into a marketing ploy, like my desires have been hi-jacked by consumerism. It's similar to my feeling of desolate loneliness on Valentines' Day, my desire to live on cookies for the month of December, my desire to be thinner and tanner than ever as directed by June issues of certain lady-directed magazines. There is a reason that the September issue of Vogue is the largest of all the issues.

This year I will fight. I will not go to the mall. I will not start buying sweaters and boots with abandon. I did buy the pair you see above*, but they are it. I'm giving up on shopping.

* They're Bass. They are my third pair of Bass shoes. I don't know when I turned into an old lady, but there it is. Three pairs. To justify, I do feel like they're rebranding a bit and are slightly less stodgy than they used to be.