What's in Your Closet?

Pixabay

I might have already mentioned that I'm teaching a class this summer. It's a new experience for me in a variety of ways, one of which is wardrobe. In the summer, I'm typically a shorts, tee shirt and flip flops kinda girl -- hardly the appropriate wardrobe for teaching a group of similarly attired college students.

Knowing this was coming, I began stocking up on cool (both temperature-wise and style-wise), but casual clothing -- items that I hoped would span seasons (spring-summer-early fall) and situations (professional, yet casual and comfortable enough to wear outside of the classroom).

In late spring, I amped up my wardrobe-in-a-box subscription, requesting more frequent deliveries. In addition, I started taking the shopping emails that flood my in-box a bit more seriously, scrolling through with summer dresses and skirts in mind, rather than a random, "Hmm, what looks good here?" approach. It was the kind of shopping I could do from home at whatever time of day I had available and finding the packages when I got home from teaching or errands was a nice bonus, too.

Whether by taste or by design (most likely a lot of the former and a little of the latter), there are definitely color themes in my wardrobe. I could dress in nothing but black and white for at least a week without ever once repeating an item of clothing. When I was younger, I would have considered this cause for a serious trip to the mall. Now, I consider it both a style choice and a way of streamlining my closet and my time.

When your whole wardrobe (or a large portion of it, anyway) mixes and matches, getting dressed is easier, packing for trips is easier and even doing laundry is easier -- everything goes into a couple of loads. Since it's summer, I've been trying to pair bright tops with my dark bottoms so my outfits look less somber and more in keeping with the season at hand, but I'm not willing to let go of my basic building block pieces, no matter how black and white they may be.

Wokandapix via Pixabay

My style, which I've chosen to accept, is no fuss-no muss-no bother. Primarily consisting of black and white with splashes of color, it also includes a collection of jeans and neutral bottoms (typically, I prefer pants to skirts) that pair easily with solid tops and jazzier pieces.

If you'd suggested a wardrobe that mixed and matched to me thirty years ago, I'd've resisted, the whole idea conjuring up visions of Garanimals. Now, I not only see the value in it, I appreciate the time it saves.

How about you? Is your wardrobe mix and match or anything goes? How easy does that make your life?