That Which is Acquired Must Also be Stored

MabelAmber via Pixabay

I have a general rule of fashion: if I was old enough to wear it the first time it was in style, I'm too old to wear it when it (inevitably) comes back around.

Recently, however, I caved in and broke that rule for an article of clothing that got me through the 80s: leggings.

I didn't break my rule lightly. I spent more than a year taking in the various incarnations of leggings, jeggings, yoga pants and sweats that are ubiquitous on a college campus (where I work), determining what sort of fashion statement I did (or didn't) want to make. I'm at least thirty years older than these young adults, and the combinations that looked youthful and vibrant on them would look out of place (to say the least) on me. Not only that, but I no longer possess the twenty-something body of a college student or the yoga-toned body of some of my peers. Coverage would be key.

Last fall, after dusting off one pair of leggings that had survived the purge of BC (before child) clothing, I began acquiring new leggings and, along with them, sweaters that offered appropriate coverage. Fashion-wise, a hit. Storage-wise, a challenge.

The leggings were easy -- at least at first. They fold flat, don't wrinkle and can even be stuffed into small spaces if necessary. The long blouses that accompanied them in the fall were easy to accommodate as well; they are the stuff for which hangers were made.

target.com

It was the sweaters. Thick, long and unable to be hung without stretching in all the wrong places, they challenged my existing (full) clothing storage. They took up more than their fair share of space in the closet or any drawer in my bedroom. Honestly, I've yet to come up with an answer that thrills me, but, in the meantime, the less bulky ones are folded over hangers in my closet (the kind with the hooks that allow vertical hanging) and the two bulky ones have appropriated the better part of a drawer, necessitating a different storage solution for the lightweight cardigans that had been there to begin with (more vertical hanging storage). They'd be perfect on a shelf....if only I had a shelf that was unaccounted for. A bit more purging and rearranging may yet yield a perfect, STYLE-based solution, but, for now, I'm happy they're put away.

The success story, though is the leggings, for which I did find a solution I love. Tune in tomorrow to see what inspired me (thank you, Pinterest) and where I ended up.