There is a very deep psychology to shopping, and stores (all of them and across all industries), have you figured out. A friend of mine worked at Whole Foods and I was amazed at the levels of subconscious tweaking that exist in just about every part of the store. While produce might exceed my jurisdiction, fashion retail does not; it’s an area I want you, the consumer, to make the best decisions possible, starting with this, a shopping mantra that should echo in your head every time you browse : don’t buy the cheap shit.

The cheap shit is anything thats sole virtue is its price tag. It’s something you would never consider at a higher price point (go ahead and do the exercise, asking yourself: do I like this enough to pay double for it?) Now, cheap is not, in itself, a bad thing. There are many, many times I’ll pick a favorite piece in a client’s closet only to learn it’s from Forever 21. There is a ton of cool style to be found at very affordable prices, and I always encourage discount and consignment shopping. However, what I try to discourage among my clients (and you readers) is price-tag shopping, where you see the price (stores are very smart about this kind of visibility) before you’ve even processed the item.

When you fall into these traps, you’re reinforcing bad shopping behaviors and, most likely, wasting your money; a pair of $20 earrings can (and does) quickly become a pile of them. Aim to buy the things you truly love by asking if what you actually love is its price tag.