How I’m Avoiding the Diderot Effect
My Strategy for Smarter Wardrobe Choices
I recently learned the term Diderot Effect via
(great read). I knew of the phenomenon but didn’t know it had an actual name. A quick Google search gave me this definition:The Diderot Effect, named after the 18th-century French philosopher Denis Diderot, describes the phenomenon where acquiring a new possession can trigger a desire for further purchases to create a more cohesive and desirable aesthetic or status—often leading to overspending.
This is my low-buy era, and the Indyx app has been a game-changer in keeping me accountable. Incase you aren’t super aware of the Indyx app asked ChatGPT to summarize the app, and here’s what it came up with:
Indyx is a smart wardrobe management app that helps you catalog, organize, and optimize your clothing collection. By digitizing your wardrobe, Indyx makes it easy to track what you own, plan outfits, and make more intentional fashion choices. With AI-powered insights, it encourages mindful consumption, helping you curate a wardrobe that truly reflects your style while reducing clutter and waste.
Fun fact: Back in 2016, for one of my final projects in business school, a couple of classmates (hi Kelley!) and I pitched a wardrobe app with built-in stylist recommendations - and our premise was to leverage software like Polyvore (oh boy, was I obsessed with Polyvore back in the day). The goal was to combat overconsumption and helping consumers wear their existing clothes with the help of crowd sourced stylists. And we won! While I have nothing to do with Indyx, seeing it get so much praise feels like real-world validation that we were onto something almost a decade ago.
But back to the point. I’ve uploaded about 70-80% of my closet to Indyx, but I don’t necessarily use it the way it was intended. Instead, I use it for three key things:
Packing efficiently for trips – I hate checking luggage, so I need all my outfits to fit into my Away carry-on. I pick out key pieces and use Indyx to ensure I can create enough outfits for the number of days I’ll be away. I plan based on my itinerary + weather to avoid over- or under-packing and to eliminate the dreaded "I have nothing to wear" moment while traveling.
Avoiding duplicate purchases – I recently felt tempted to buy a pair of black barrel leg jeans. A friend mentioned she’d just bought a pair, and I had seen the blue version look incredible on her. While I knew I didn’t own that exact silhouette, I wanted to take stock of all my black pants before making a decision. A quick Indyx search showed me all the black pants I already had, reinforcing that I didn’t need another pair—especially since my lifestyle doesn’t require them. A penny saved is a penny earned and all that jazz.
Ensuring new purchases integrate well into my wardrobe – If I decide I truly want something that I can’t replicate with what I already own, I challenge myself to create at least 10 outfits with it before committing to the purchase. This isn’t just about saving money—it’s about wardrobe sanity. With limited space, I really, really, really need to justify the pieces. And I do this regardless of the price point of the item I am buying. This is my decision tree:
My Most Recent Purchase & How I Justified It
I was watching fashion week recaps on YouTube and came across Vanity Fair France’s video: Deepika Padukone Gets Ready for the Louis Vuitton Show at Paris Fashion Week. In it, her stylist, Shaleena Nathani, was wearing a white sweater with 3D florals. I WAS IN LOVE. It was completely unnecessary, but the want was strong.
I assumed it would be designer and wildly expensive, so I took a screenshot and did a reverse Google image search, expecting to let go of the dream. But plot twist—it was from Zara! Affordable, yes, but from a past season, meaning it wasn’t available on the site. I managed to track down a few NWT (new with tags) listings on Poshmark—score!
Here are some links if you are also smitten like I am: Option 1 | Option 2 | Option 3 | Option 4
Now came the real test: justification. Since this was such a statement piece, I knew it wouldn’t be the easiest to integrate into my wardrobe. I even ran it by my friend who did not green light the purchase (whoops - sorry, Sasha!). So to make it worthwhile, I challenged myself to create 10 outfits using items I already own.
Here are the 11 outfits (overachiever!) I put together. I paired the sweater with pieces I grab regularly to make sure these outfits are actually wearable—not just theoretical looks that never make it out the door.
(Note: Most of the images below show the actual items from my wardrobe. In cases where I couldn’t take a good photo, I found similar-looking alternatives online. Everything is linked below1!)
Final Thoughts on the Purchase
Truthfully, I can see myself wearing nearly all of these outfits throughout the Bay Area spring and summer seasons. And while I’m not someone who buys something just because it’s on sale, the secondhand price was so reasonable that it felt like a no-brainer (I have no clue what the original retail price was).
So, I bought it. And when it arrived? I loved it (though I didn’t realize it is ENTIRELY acrylic 😭). It feels more like statement outerwear than a casual white sweater. That said, something this visually striking is bound to stand out, even after just one wear. I’ll be spacing out how often I wear it in my daily life, but I already know it’s the perfect "one and done" sweater to pack for a beach vacation—which, realistically, happens once a year at best.
Shopping this way removes spontaneity, but honestly, I’ve rarely made an impulse purchase and felt good about it in the long run. I’m not anti-consumption (if that wasn’t obvious), but I *am* anti-wasting money and tossing clothes. Taking these extra steps to justify a purchase makes me feel more confident in my decisions and more intentional about my wardrobe. It might seem tedious, but honestly? It’s *way* less tedious than dealing with returns—so here we are.
Do you have a checklist or process before making a purchase? How do you decide what earns a spot in your closet? And of the outfits above—any you’d wear? Any you wouldn’t? Let’s discuss!
There are a few affiliate links used in this newsletter which means I may get a small commission if you buy something (at no cost to you). Thank you for supporting my work and trusting my recommendations!
I just want to say that you are, in fact, using Indyx as intended! There is absolutely no "right" or "wrong" way to do it...as long as the outcome is that you feel more satisfied with your closet.
Came here via Kelly Williams and loved it! The sweater is so freaking cool