Wardrobe update: Out with the old...

So I got a new suit yesterday.  And as usual, I'm suffering from post-purchase anxiety. 

I always get like this whenever I buy something that costs more than about $100.  I always freak out and wonder whether or not I made the right decision.  In this case, I had no choice but to buy a new suit, so that's not the issue.  The dissonance comes from me being insecure about having made the right choice.  And the worse my economic situation, the worse I am about it.

Then I end up 'backward-shopping' - keeping the receipt, and continuing to shop for what I just bought to make sure I'm getting the best thing for the bestprice.  It's a psychotic way to live, I know.  I'm working on changing.

Anyway, the suit is grey.  Not charcoal, like the last one.  Not flat grey, either.  It's interwoven black-and-white, producing the overall grey.  I never would have noticed it on the rack, but my salesman at Men's Warehouse (Reggie, who has fantastic taste) had me put it on, and I was (eventually) sold.  He also sold me on some shirts and ties, of course. 

The good thing about the suit is that, in general, grey matches a whole lot more stuff than my near-black prior suit did.  More colors fit wit this suit than the last one.  Also, it's a much better suit overall in terms of quality.  The pants are lined, and I got an extra lining sewn in for good measure to avoid a repeat of my recent debacle. 

The downside is that on the surface, it's extremely conservative -- which means that I have to get a lot jazzier than I have been with my shirts and ties in order to stand out.  Naturally, that means more shopping...for some of the same items that I just bought for the previous suit.  Worse, getting nicer shirts means spending more money. 

Another big downer is that the color is a bit too distinctive for me to get away with wearing it all the time -- no matter how many cool ensembles I buy for it.  Bottom line: unless I want to be wearing the same thing in 75% of the pictures I take at my friend's weddings (and unless I want to interview at the same company more than once wearing similar outfits), I'm going to need another suit.  And I don't have the cash for this one, let alone another one. 

Of course, If I get that full-time job I'm looking for (and if it's in D.C.), money will become a moot point.  I'll be making a full-time salary while living at home for at least a couple more months.  But until then, who knows?  I'll just have to be wise with what I earn now.   

On the bright side, this suit will allow me to wear many out-there colors.  For instance, I'll be able to rock pink and purple extensively for the first time.  Pink is the final frontier for me in my wardrobe; there is none.  Now there will be, and I won't even look homosexual.  That's the beauty of grey.       

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