75 Lipsticks

The other day when counting all the items I own in every category, yes I have OCD, I was stunned to find out I own 75 lipsticks. 

Why is that?  I only have one upper lip and one lower lip. I don’t need 75 lipsticks, and when I die I’ll still own 40 or so lipsticks which will be tossed as no one wants someone’s used lipsticks. 

I have always admired those with a capsule wardrobe and paired down quality “stuff” who know what they look good in and don’t over buy in any category. In my first job at Simon and Schuster in NYC in 1980 the best dressed employee who was also the Art Director had the least clothes, shoes, jewelry but every day came in put together from head to toe in tailored outfits whereas I changed my look every day looking like a tramp one day in a black mini skirt and a long Soho vibe Vittadini sweater over leggings and boots the next. I had no idea what my “look” really was. Still don’t. 

 We all have more than we need or even want, depending on the category.  What a great exercise it is to count all your clothing by category and see where you over indulge and where you fall short.  For me, lipsticks, tops and shoes, way too many.  Coats, dresses and golf attire, not enough. 

So, I have this mother, to whom I’m the only daughter. She is a certified shopaholic and lives an elevator ride above Boston’s Prudential Mall where she can shop no matter what the weather, and still shops daily at age 93. She’s a compulsive buyer and an equal parts giver. She’s like the chocoholic that lives above a candy store, it’s her therapy. Luckily I am the largest beneficiary, she calls me her Barbie doll. Thus 75 lipsticks, added to 50 scarves, 50 handbags, 50 sweaters, 50 necklaces are in my closet via my mother. When she sees a mark down, she buys it, whether or not she needs/wants it. She always tells me when I ask why she bought this or that, “Need it, no one needs it, I just want it”. 

She knows that when she dies, we will all curse her, as her apartment is filled with more inventory than a Saks Fifth Avenue and MOMA combined.  She tries giving items away every time family visits, but she just restocks, so it never makes a dent. Like water, the inventory rises to the level of her closet space, which is enormous, thanks to all the wall to wall closets she has built. 

I promise my kids and myself I’ll die sitting in a single wooden chair in an empty room, having given away everything ahead of time, without restocking.