Drunk Shopping: A Surprising Sartorial Success Story

Driving. Putting on makeup. Starting fights. Talking to very attractive men. There are certain things that you really really should not do after drinking. Shopping, however? Well, I’m here to argue the case for splashing the cash after a glass (or five) of vino.

See, let’s take it way back to last Friday night. Having been waitlisted for this ridiculously cute Reformation Not Your Baby jacket for what felt like an utter eternity, an email slid into my inbox to tell me it was finally in stock. At that moment in time I was sitting in the bar sipping on my first glass of post-work Prosecco and figured, this jacket is expensive ($230, I think) and I although I love it, I really don’t need it. Apparently, sober Sophie is a sensible Sophie. And I would have been so proud of her for overcoming this sartorial lust if it wasn’t for 6 hours later, four large glasses of wine down, two espresso martinis, one All American Breakfast at The Breakfast Club (brunch for dinner – or brinner – is always a winner) and a £15.57 Uber journey from Shoreditch to Clapham, I sat frantically trying to type in my debit card details and order the jacket.

You see, the journey from East to South West London is long, and feels even longer and lonelier when your Uber driver doesn’t want to discuss the Brexit or his favourite Taylor Swift songs with you, so I checked my emails for last resort entertainment, and found myself back on The Reformation’s site looking at the adorable jacket again. Within these six hours it had sold entirely out of stock in all sizes but a small. And nothing makes you want something more than the thought of maybe losing out on it. Cue a battle against my bleary eyes to type in my bank deets, and the rest is history.

Yes, drunk Sophie thought “to hell with sensibility! Buy the jacket!” I may be more out of pocket, but boy, am I glad I did it. Sometimes you find items of clothing you can’t help but feel happy in, and this most certainly brings a smile to my face every time I slip it on. Perhaps we should learn to let go and listen to our drunk selves more often? We could come out the other end a lot happier. Or at least with more playful clothes (and a few more sore heads.) Sure it was expensive, but was it worth it? Yes.

The great Blair Waldorf once recalled whoever said money doesn’t buy happiness clearly didn’t know where to shop. But it seems that they don’t know how to drink, either.

Photography by Carl Thomspon