I am writing with a confused yet enlightened mood this morning. Today was one of those days. You know, the wardrobe crisis day. I was already running late this morning, and what made me even more late (although by a sheer miracle I did make it on time to work!), is that I had a confusing morning. What does a confusing morning look like, you ask? Well let me tell you.
I asked Kyle what the weather would be like today, and he responded "A little warmer than yesterday". Ok, so I thought in my mind, it was pretty chilly yesterday morning but then it got hot in the afternoon, so it must mean that it will be warm all day. So by the time I was getting dressed, I looked out the window and saw that it was overcast and misty. It really looked like I needed to wear a coat, but didn't want to dress too bundled if it was going to warm up. Thus begins the first step of my confusion. Step two is the fact that today is Thursday, but it just so happens that I have no work on Friday. The campus is closed due to the Cesar Chavez holiday (yah, brilliant I know..) Which begs the question: is today technically "casual Friday?"
So with a combination of obscure weather and no clue of an office appropriate outfit, I sat on my bed. Completely stuck. You know the feeling when you know you should get moving but you can't seem to know where to start? Yah, that was me for about 35 seconds until I realized how silly I was! I recalled some words that Kyle told me long ago - just stick with what works. I glanced over to his side of the closet and reminded myself of how these words of wisdom really do work. Why is he able to get dressed so fast, and still look like he put a lot of time and effort into his outfit? It is because everything in his closet is a well-made, purposefully bought, quality and fashionable item. He very rarely keeps items that don't have much use-value. So in the mornings, he quickly grabs something nice and presentable, which in the end, means that everything in his closet is a winner.
I looked over to my side, and admitted to myself that some pieces are more worthy of the silver and bronze medal. The reason why we women have so many wardrobe crises in the morning is because we crowd our closets up with too many OK pieces - items that lack a certain timelessness and quality that you can wear over and over again. And frankly, more times than not, a bunch of ok items do not always add up to one great outfit. It may take you more time to put together something nice with 'blah' pieces, as opposed to having select few items that ALWAYS WORK. The more clothes you have, the more likely you will make a fashion mistake. Simple as that.
This is my advice to those of you with similar problems. If you are constantly running into issues with your wardrobe, it probably means that you have too many pieces without purpose. Your clothes should be very well thought-out, and actually have a place in your day-to-day lifestyle. Some of those things in your closet are only worn on certain occasions throughout the year - so put them away in the back of your closet. Other pieces are great, versatile items and these are the ones that you should focus on. Find different ways to put them together. Focus your energies on building a wardrobe with a goal. And when you run into a slump, just choose the outfit that you know will look work!
So to end my confused morning, I pulled a favorite dress and cardigan sweater. Easy, comfortable, and presentable. Items that are sure to be winners - all the time!
