Shopping is Creative

I used to be a fashion buyer in my 20's. I loved choosing fabrics and designs and creating an assortment of merchandise that would be visually exciting in the stores and entice you to buy. Now i am in retail systems and operations, but i still have the urge to create assortments, pulling together colours and styles and objects that create a cohesive whole. So i shop. A lot. A few weeks ago it was all about my wardrobe for Cabo. 20 separate outfits and 7 pairs of shoes for 7 days.
This weekend i was in Toronto for a wedding. At the last minute i decided i did not like the dress i was planning to wear, so I hit all the plus size shops in my area looking for the ultimate wedding attire. I also ordered two new outfits on line, rush delivery, to arrive just before i left. So this meant i had to buy shoes and purses for two different dresses on the CHANCE that they fit and looked good and i intended to wear them for the wedding. You get it? Just IN CASE. I found an adorable green and turq flower shaped bag for the peridot green outfit. And at another store little green flats with rafia flowers on them. Here is the rayon crinkle skirt that went with it.
Here is the peridot green shawl front cardigan with matchin camisole i ordered to match the long skirt.

Here is a similar outfit in pink that was another choice i decided against. But it shows how luxurious the three pieces come together. All these pieces are from the Newport News catalog - available online as well.

I also bought silver flats with a cluster of petals to wear with the pale blue dress shown up above. (i already own a collection of vintage evening bags - so i didn't need one in silver).
Then just before the dresses arrived i found a perfect aubergine cocktail dress at Ross. Yeah - search high and low, pay hundreds of dollars and you find the perfect dress for $19.99.
Ok - so now i need shoes and a bag for this dress too. I still need all the others, because i haven't received them yet - and i might like one of them better. Are you seeing how fun and creative this whole process is? And freakishly extravagent and stupid? Did i mention i have a perfectly good, flattering dress at home already, worn it to two other wedings, but you know, it is a brown/orange paisley print. Not a nice spring wedding colour.
My friend at work catches wind of all this and runs home at lunch and returns with 15, i mean it 15 DIFFERENT pashmina shawls for me to choose from. And three evening bags. After work wednesday i find the perfect gold/silver braided leather shoes for the aubergine dress. They'll work great with the beaded evening bag from michelle. get home and great - the stuff i ordered on line has arrived. But it is stifling hot - can't bear to try anything on until after midnight. Can't even think about packing until the dress business is sorted out. Oh and we have to get up at like 4:00am to get to the airport.
In the end the aubergine cocktail dress, the beaded bag, the fuschia and purple pashmina and the metallic braided shoes went to the wedding.
Do you see how this was just like selecting elements for a collage? Finding the right background? the right focal point? the right accessories, i mean embellishments? Shopping feeds my creative soul. Maybe I should go back to being a fashion buyer before i bankrupt ourselves....