How to Bridge the Gap Between Reality and Aspirational Style - Without Shopping

Four styling tips to dress for real life vs. the fantasy life

A week or two after landing in Milan I went to the Brera vintage market and promptly gave my new Italian number to a Tarot card reader and bought a Halston-esque silver lamé dress for EUR 10. In that order. I clearly had some delusional future me that thought she was going to get invited to all kinds of cool parties and restaurants and would need this dress. (That did not happen)

Despite me being worried about giving my number to a complete stranger, nothing happened except for the fact that when I got home and tried the dress on, I realized it didn’t suit me. I tried restyling it in so many ways, but it felt forced. After a dozen try-ons and my room looking like a clothing tornado had hit, I resigned myself to the fact that this was an impulse purchase that didn’t work out.

What is it about landing in a new place that triggers the fantasy self?