Since coming back to the US and taking up a full-time job (plus a condo!), it's been an adjustment to try to hang on to the ideas I love, while shedding objects. The desire to live lightly is strong. But I find that having to have "office appropriate" clothing is pretty different from travel appropriate clothing. One of the ways I've worked to find a balance between needs/wants/minimalism was to institute a quarterly swap (aka Naked Lady Party). No money gets exchanged. Everyone comes, brings their still good but not currently used goods, and trades for ones that might be used. We started with clothes, but it's progressed to shoes, accessories, books, housewares.... It's fun and wonderful. Plus we eat and drink and enjoy the company. It led to the following email exchange:
V:
I think I’m going to throw in the towel when it comes to heels. Ultimately, I
like the idea of them a lot, but I’m not at ease in them, they make my
calves tight (which is already a battle for me to prevent plantar fasciitis
from coming back), most are painful, and I’m too hard on my shoes to justify
spending a lot of money on comfortable but ultimately still delicate shoes. The
ideal shoe for me is one that gets better with “character” aka creasing and
scuffing.
I’ve
only worn the denim & pink bow heels once (in the office, the day you gave
them to me and I said, “of course I’ll wear these all the time!”). Would you
like to give them back to your friend so she can sell them?
I’m
going to chuck the rest of my heels into the box for the next swap. I’d try to
sell them, but wait, they’re already too damaged.
L:
Someone might want them at the swap, so toss them in there! I totally
understand btw – making life easier for yourself is wonderful. It’s one
of the reasons I like rummaging through closets. Less stuff = less
decision making = only keep what really works. Etc, etc.
V:
I really really really really liked that blog post.
My
lingering questions are:
- Is she a not-smelly person?
- Is she a not-spilly person?
Because
I am a smelly person and a spilly person. I would love to pare my wardrobe down
to 7 outfits, but not one. I like being able to do a full load of laundry at a
time. It feels inefficient (water, energy, time) to do half loads.
I
probably have about 30 outfits, and I only like 2 of them. Maybe it’s time to
figure out 5 more that I actually like and get rid of the remaining 23-28.
And you know what a lot of those outfits would have? Properly fitting
cardigans!!!!
That
would be awesome, to have 7 outfits I like, and get rid of all the rest of the
stuff in my closet that I feel like I should like but don’t actually
feel comfortable in.
L:
That’s why I think that method doesn’t work. One of my favorite items
which I could easily wear 3-4 days a week is a plum colored dress. Great
fabric, good length, just right for transitional use (work/play). But I
bought it at a thrift store. It’s from a known brand, so I looked online
to see if I could get more. They don’t have them. Damn the fast
fashion craze!
And
yes, you really do have to wear it a while to see how the fit works, if the
fabric scratches, etc. It does make you a lot more stringent in the
dressing room. If it isn’t perfect – no go. I’ve stopped buying
online because I’m so often disappointed.
I’ve
discovered how jealous I am of B. He can wear jeans to work so he
literally has three pair of pants. Envy.
No comments:
Post a Comment