So I’m sure you’re curious… have I cheated??? Have I visited my boyfriends, Louis, Christian, Oscar and Roberto and let them lure me into shopping heaven? It’s been 22 days of my shopping detox… Cure for Couture.
I am proud to say that I have not relented! It feels good. I feel free and have been having fun shopping in my own closet.
Do I feel tempted… absolutely…
Like the other day, when I was packing for a trip and I wanted to replace my old and ragged LV cross body bag w a new one… A used one was only $316 on Ebay, but I didn’t buy it!!!! I’m proud of my progress and was talking about it with my dear friend and stylist yesterday.
I want to introduce you to Lori Sutherland.. or as we fondly call her, Dame Lori. She gave a workshop at my apartment several months ago and my closet and I have not been the same since. I wanted you all to have the pleasure of hearing Lori’s voice.
So here goes straight from Dame Lori’s voice….
I am so inspired by Pamela’s transparency in her 90 day Stop Shopping vow!
Our addiction to shopping is such a dirty secret and we are constantly rewarded to stay silent. Especially in NYC. Upper East Side. Cocktail parties. Fundraisers. The pressure to look perfect. Through seductive friends, sales, offers and fast fashion fixes, we feel compelled to buy more and/or get it cheap. The retailing empires prey upon our dependency to the big shame: WE ARE NOT ENOUGH and WE NEED MORE. This brainwashing diminishes our confidence and creativity no matter what we borrow, buy and wear.
As a Soul Stylist and Fashion Activist, I am always looking for revolutionary ways to free myself from conditioned perceptions about beauty and personal style. Abstaining from compulsive shopping has been an extraordinary way for me to stop squandering my time and money and invest in more sacred resources within myself (and closet) that awaken and enlighten me everyday.
What courage it takes to press pause, sit, soak and saturate in our deeper desires to uncover true inner divine beauty! By honoring this abstinence we can birth a brand new sensual sustenance that allows us to exquisitely adore and adorn our bodies in unimaginable new blessed ways. Sort of like slowing sinking a spoon into the hot molten liquid core of a chocolate soufflé; a true Flirting with Flavors image!
And isn’t that a journey worth taking for 2016?
Thank you, Pamela, for sharing your truth to deepen your pocketbook (Birkin bag or not!) with abundant love and acceptance of who you really are underneath your collection of couture!
Update: Yesterday, I had the honor and privilege to assist Pamela in styling her upcoming 7 day England trip where we frolicked through lace, suede, leather, mink and satin on her bed while charting her style through London town to country estates; a 7 star course of heavenly delicacies. As we were enjoying our digestif, we discussed the cocktail party she was attending shortly when it happened. A 911 “I Am Not Enough/I Don’t Have Enough” Emergency. While wearing an impeccable outfit, we shifted her deep to find the most important accessory necessary (yes, more important than a Chanel crossbody) which is eternally free. We started chanting “I Am The Most Beautiful Woman in This Room and I Own It”. (Insert image of strutting the runway hall is important here.) What emerged in that essential 60 seconds was a sensual radiance of her inner beauty; the priceless gift that goes everywhere and opens doors to adventures beyond our wildest dreams. Bon Voyage, Pamela! I can’t wait to see what this accessory will bring you.
Leave your comments below. I would love to hear from you. Make sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter!!
Photographer Elizabeth Stilwell
#confessionsofashopaholic
#shopaholic
#addictedtoshopping
#addictedtofashion
#myfashionaddiction
#addictedtocouture
#acureforcouture
Not sure which top you are talking about… the t-shirt?
It comes from an online site
http://mulberrypressco.com/products/you-are-so-enough-2-0
Where did you get your top at?
Dearest Pamela,
Thank you so very much for this delightful opportunity to write about this cherished subject and to experience your journey of awakening to your self adoring beauty. I am so grateful to witness your relationship to your sacred adornments deepen in more meaningful ways. I am available to romp and play and cheer you on your beauty runway everywhere you go! Here’s to deeper connections from your closet to your kitchen and to your Soul Style!
I love you! xoxo Lori
I adore shopping at beautiful stores as well. I so agree with you on all counts
about feeling we are deserving of beautiful clothes and enjoying the pleasure
of the experience… the beauty of it all and the creativity of great design.
I’m just trying to control the compulsion of not having enough and going
overboard. Love that you are sharing your feelings with me!!!
Congrats Pamela on your shopping detox! Way to go!!
I actually think shopping in beautiful (and expensive) stores IS indeed a way of saying to myself that “I am enough” and deserving of beautiful clothes. I never see my shopping habits coming from a lack of self-esteem, but rather a way to look and feel even more beautiful.
I love the process of shopping, from planning and traveling into stores, seeing all the creations and new designers, and talking to salespeople about their ideas. The whole experience is complete pleasure.
It’s the bill that comes the next month that is never much fun and that is the part I am trying to control.
But I will always and proudly live to shop.