Do you indulge in retail edging?
Here, an exploration of the push-and-pull shopping phenomenon, plus the 8 key pieces I’m on the brink of - nearly, nearly! - buying
It's kind of nuts how our brains react to shopping. When we spend money, especially on things we want but don’t necessarily need, our brains release dopamine - the same feel-good chemical that’s activated by fun activities like eating bad food, having sex, and drug use.
As psychologist Joel M. Young explains, “pleasurable activities stimulate the brain's reward centres, triggering the release of dopamine and evoking feelings of pleasure and reward similar to those associated with narcotic use. So, you can experience a ‘high’ without the drugs.”
Lately, I've noticed an equally cray-cray pattern in my shopping habits. As I approach a major purchase, I tend to put multiple expensive items on hold at various shops - both physical and online - and revisit them repeatedly, like a squirrel hoarding nuts for winter. This ritual serves a dual purpose: it helps me ensure I’m making the right choice of garment, while also building anticipation for the dopamine rush that comes from finally swiping my credit card (if, indeed, I do decide to use my credit card).
Moreover, it’s a process which extends the joy of shopping. As you know, I’m obsessed with clothes, and the thrill of searching for, evaluating, and trying on outfits is almost as satisfying as owning them. It’s a behaviour which reminds me of the sexual practice of edging which, according to Urban Dictionary, is “the act of delaying orgasm to achieve a more intense climax later,” which can be enjoyed solo or with a partner.
So yea, I guess you could say I’m a retail edger. HBU?
Here, to afford you a little further insight into my current fashion pathology, are the bits I’m building up (and up, and up) a taste for.
1 | The Liquid Trousers
I currently have these trousers on hold in the Bottega Veneta Bond Street flagship, at Selfridges and at Dover Street Market. They cost over £1k, which is why I’m hesitating, but they fit like a dream, they tumble down my legs like waterfalls, they’re as comfortable as pyjama bottoms and they are totally and utterly extra. I’m nearing the climax moment, but not quite yet - a few more visitations feel essential.
2 |The Slinky Little Jacket
I’ve been to Issey Miyake’s Brook Street store in Mayfair to try this jacket on at least three times. It looks like it’s made from tweed (there’s something a bit Bottega about it, in fact), but it’s as light, foamy and as easy to wear as everything else from my favourite Japanese brand. It’s not cheap but then, nothing beautiful ever is. Edging closer!
3 | The Could-Be-Old-Armani Blazer
I attended an Our Legacy fashion week dinner at Old Sessions House in Clerkenwell on Sunday, and the CEO of the brand Richardos Klarén was there wearing this jacket.
At first glance I thought it was a piece from the Swedish label’s recent sell-out collaboration with Emporio Armani, but I was pleased to discover that it’s in fact from their (very available) current collection - another item to add to the buying bank!
4 | The King of Armani Suits
Crafted from syrupy wool crepe, this single-breasted Armani suit is a modern interpretation of the brand’s classic ‘90s aesthetic and it will be mine, eventually…eventually.
5 | The Jacket I “need” for a winter wedding
I’ve been eyeing this scarlet velvet jacket from JW Anderson for a winter wedding I’m attending in December. I’m nervous that it might make me look like I work at Butlin’s but I’m willing to take the risk when I finally get round to buying it - probably the night before the wedding, at this rate - because it’s a thing of orgiastic beauty.
6 | The winter (!) boat shoes
There are several pairs of boat shoes in my wardrobe - my favourites being from Prada and Saman Amel - but they all feel too summer coded to wear in the winter. Enter, this solid pair from Jonathan Anderson at Loewe, which have been sitting in my basket since they hit the brand’s website a week or so ago. Must…not…press…”purchase”.
7 | The Shopping Bag Bomber
This lovely little blouson jacket, which resembles the oversized nylon shopping bags which litter the stalls of Brixton market, is old season Bottega, but I still crave it as much as I did when it first hit the brand’s boutiques.
Problem is, it costs around the same as an Italian holiday, so I’ll be edging towards it for a little while yet.
8 | The other Jacket I “need” for a wedding
This chocolate brown velvet jacket from Giorgio Armani has graced the pixels of this newsletter before, and for good reason - I’ve been retail edging it for weeks! If I don’t build up the balls to buy the JW Anderson, I might well take the plunge with this…an Investment, no?
Wow I feel so seen