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Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Clothes - Just Another Necessity

Unlike many women, fashion and fashion trends hold very little importance for me. What is this season's trend? Short, long, knee-length dresses, skirts, pants? I don't know and I don't care. I have always had my own style. And shopping for clothes is a despised chore. Mother loved to shop and would often buy my clothes as she knew I couldn't be bothered with it. This is not to say that I am a fashion dud. I know how to dress for the occasion and very tastefully at that.

To look upon my wardrobe, one would get the impression that several very different women are residing here. My clothes run the gamut from very conservative, black, wool, knee-length business suits to black, leather mini-skirts. There is one prominent theme in my clothing - black.

I must have 20 different black skirts, a whole slew of black tops and sweaters, all kinds of black dresses and suits, 20 pairs of black heels, sandals and boots. You get the picture. I like black. And white. Lots of white stuff too. And all the neutral colors in between, like taupe and grey. There are also the odd red and yellow pieces, which look good on me. Pastels do nothing for me. And mostly solids. I'm not big on prints at all. Although, there is one sleeveless black dress with little, slightly raised, white polka-dots that I just love. It has no buttons, zippers, nothing. I throw it over my head and voila! It looks great. I can run to the store in it or dress it up with accessories like a white belt, a string of pearls, red high-heels and purse for a casual, chic look. And it's made out of this thin stretchy, clingy material that never gets wrinkled. Balled up, it fits entirely in my little hand.

As convenient as this material is, it's not natural and I like natural. Give me wool, angora, cotton, cashmere, silk, linen, leather, suede - any animal skin. Raw silk is so nice for summer wear. Linen wrinkles just by looking at it, but I love it anyway.

My favorite winter coat was given to me by my mother. It's a long, grey cashmere coat from Italy with an absolutely beautiful cut. I will wear it forever. Don't need or want another. When it rains, my classic trench coat is waiting in the entrance closet . On those days, for running errands, it's quite convenient to just throw it on and not worry about what I have or don't have on underneath.

I have some pieces of clothes that I've had so long that they're like old friends. One of my favorite sweaters is a grey, Shetland wool, with a big, floppy turtleneck - had it since I was a Freshman in high school. There's another sweater from Argentina that was my mother's back from when she was in her early twenties. I like the classic styles and those never go out of style. And I like quality clothing which last a lot longer than cheap clothing.

Now, shoes are an entirely different matter. I can wear a brand-new pair of shoes just a few times and they will look like they've been through some natural disaster. I have no idea how this happens. The leather on the heels gets all messed up - like I stepped on teeny land mines. If they're made of suede or some delicate material - forget it. Thus, I do not buy very expensive shoes. But whatever style of shoe, boot or sandal I buy, it will always have very high heels or platforms. I'm 5'6" but when I'm out and about, unless I'm in my tennis shoes, I'll be looming over most people at the very minimum of 5'10". It fits my personality...

Stockings, as shoes, have a very short lifespan with me. By the end of the day, my stockings will often appear as if I've been attacked by a pack of wolves - sometimes getting runs even before I leave the house. I don't have luck with stockings.

I dress according to my mood and that varies greatly. This girl, back when I worked at an office, commented to me that she liked the way I dressed, but said that what really impressed her was how different my outfits were from one day to the next. Yep. One day I'd feel like a simple knee-length dress, the next day, blue jeans and a sweater, the next day, a suit, the next day, mini-skirt and leggings, the next day, dressy, linen slacks and a crisp, white, cotton, button-down shirt. One never knew.

Software engineers didn't have to follow any specific dress code. Although, one day we had a meeting and they gave out a dress code. A co-worker, who frequently wore mid-thigh, baggy shorts, which were now not allowed according to this new dress code, immediately complained, "But Taylor's skirts are shorter than my shorts!" Heh. Nobody paid any attention to her...

At home now, living alone, I dress very casually and am always barefoot. If I've worn my tennis shoes and socks too long after finishing my workout, my feet will feel like they're suffocating. At most, if it's cold, I will put on some socks.

Right now, I'm in a pair of maroon velvet pants and a black, sleeveless, cashmere turtleneck sweater - very comfy. The way it's going with me working from home and never getting out, I figure that I have all the clothes that I'll ever need and that's just fine with me.

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