During the early days of the pandemic quarantine, there were a lot of sales from brands I knew and loved. I took advantage of many of them for a few reasons. On a professional level, I thought I would go back to a job that would require a different level of wardrobe than my classroom teaching job. That didn’t happen. The work/school year was virtual and while I did get “dressed” most days, I was not wearing wide leg trousers and a silk button down while giving children a language assessment over Zoom. So, in the closet they sat, these beautiful semi-professional clothes that I had gotten on sale – a sale caused by the pandemic that caused the virtual work year. I also got more confident in and familiar with my own personal style, what kinds of clothes/shapes worked on me and what colors I gravitated towards… and then I had to make sure I had those things.
Then, we moved to a different state with a different climate, I left that job and I started working from home, for real. My current job is fully remote – while I will travel to see customers from time to time, I am home for the most part. Again, lots of video meetings and looking presentable from the belly button up. So, again not a lot of use for many of these beautiful clothes. I don’t want to get rid of them because I like them and I haven’t worn many of them.
My current social life also looks quite different than it used to. It’s a lot quieter, for now and that’s ok. But it does decrease my reasons to “dress” up. While I have plenty of reasons to travel to see my friends and I am so grateful for that, the truth is while I am in my new home city, I could easily go an entire week switching between different pairs of black leggings and different “nice” sweatshirts.
All this to say, my wardrobe shifted a lot in the last 2 years into something much more representative of my style and much more aligned with my values. However, it is currently something that doesn’t immediately seem to suit my current life. I need to get creative with the ways I utilize this beautiful wardrobe that I built while also remaining comfortable in the current iteration of my life.
Impossible Closet 