I’ve always found the word ‘box’ to be an amusing term. True story: Almost 10 years ago, my dear friend Sasha and I were talking about our plans to hit the bars on any given Thursday night in college, and we concluded that ‘box’ was indeed a comical word. So, what did this mean past our conversation’s end?
Clearly, it meant that we needed to bring a cardboard box with us to Long Island Iced Tea night at Faegan’s. So, I strolled home from Starbucks and rummaged through the Bat Cave (aka my apartment) for a prime corrugated candidate. I spotted my roommate’s matzoh on the top of the fridge, and noticed that it was reasonably sized and wrapped in paper, so that there was a pristine label-free box underneath.
The matzoh was almost gone, and my easygoing roommate Amanda thought that although I must have lost my mind for wanting her matzoh box, if Katy wants this box then sure, why not… take said box.
So I did. That night, Sasha and I grabbed a handful of writing implements and headed out into the frigid tundra to snag ourselves a few adult beverages and ask anyone we encountered (friend, foe or complete stranger) to sign the box. Here is that box, almost 10 years later:
While I’m sure you all found that to be an incredibly funny story (not), the real reason for writing this post is to share how I’ve been doing a bit of self-reflection as far as blog content goes lately.
Stuck in the Box
Let’s declare the obvious: lululemon is pricey, even for people who take home what’s considered a healthy salary. Going into 2016, I looked at my Amex summary from the previous year and thought WOW, you do not need to be spending this much $$$ on workout clothing. ‘Twas borderline obscene.
I thought to myself, “hey Spendy, why not dial it back and redirect the funds to something a bit more meaningful, like travel.” Get out and cross another national park off your bucket list, cross an international border, maybe. So I did.
I took a solo adventure out to Moab and saw Arches National Park. I hopped on a plane to Vancouver and ran my first Seawheeze. I went along with the family to see my young nieces’ first trip to Disney World. Fourth of July Weekend in Chicago. Two more Utah national parks on the way home from Seawheeze. All of that costs money. Money that I wasn’t spending as often on lululemon.
Naturally, what happens? Fewer online orders. Fewer store trips (because I know myself well enough to know it’s rare to go in and walk out empty-handed). Believe it or not, though, that is now something I do. With less new lulu to play with and less time in the fitting room, there has been less fuel for blog content.
However, it’s still every damn day that I’m in some sort of lululemon. It dawned on me at some point last week that the ways I wear lululemon are not always in an expected fashion; often times one may consider my personal style just a tad ‘out of the box’.
What Does This Mean for Lulu & the Box?
- 5 Faves & a Dud isn’t going anywhere.
- WMTM Alerts will continue as long as lulu gets its excessive inventory under control (so I can mentally keep track of it all) and work isn’t cutting into lunch time on Thursdays (so I can actually write the posts on time).
- What you will see is an increased focus on how you can wear lululemon outside of the conventional ‘box’ (ie CrossFit, yoga, barre, etc). Work, a wedding, a rock concert? Yes, I’ve worn lulu to all of those events, and not just leggings.
I’m not abandoning lululemon by a long shot. I’ve got far too much lulu in my closet. As a result of my becoming more choosy with new purchases, I’ve been getting more creative with pieces I’ve already purchased over the past 3 years. Last night, my Mom said to me, “every time I see you you’re in an entirely new outfit.”
I was wearing the Tranquil Tight from this spring, the Under Wraps Pullover from February, a Fluffed Up Vest purchased in 2014 and a pair of Uggs that I’ve had since 2009. But… she thought the outfit looked new.
Lululemon’s meant to last for years. So, why exclusively focus on the flavor of the week?
My hope is that better incorporating lululemon gear that may be 1-2 seasons old into current looks can demonstrate the staying power of certain pieces, and will help us all make more careful (and less impulsive) decisions on buying new lulu in the future.
I’ve been selling off a handful of impulse buys on Poshmark in recent months. Certain items that I got a twitchy trigger finger on, that I just HAD TO HAVE? Sold, done, gonezo. On to a more enthusiastic home.
While I’d gotten *some* use out of the items I’ve let go, I did NOT get my money’s worth. Other pieces I can’t wait to wear the minute they come out of the laundry. Those are the kinds of pieces I want to stock my closet with. The dresses, skirts and vests and scarves that I can’t wait for winter so that I can wear them again.
Lululemon’s got versatility and staying power, and it’s about time someone showed it. Onward with showing how pieces from last week, last year and 2013 can be combined with the latest to give you a kickass outfit NOW.