On Clothes

Ever since the fall, clothes have been a necessity of life. They keep us warm in the winter, protect us from the sun in the summer, and most importantly, keep our private parts private.


There are probably a bunch of other benefits of wearing clothing that I’d only realize if I had to do without clothing for any length of time. But that’s never been the case. I’ve always had clothes.

Lots of them.

Sure. There’ve been times I’ve stood in front of my closet and said, “I’ve got nothing to wear,” but that’s never really been true. I run out of hangers before I run out of clothes.

When I was a kid I had a lot less clothes than I do now. But I still had enough to put them into categories:

everyday clothes - Which we picked out on Monday and wore each day after school until Saturday night when we took our weekly baths.

school clothes - I remember how pleased I was when I started Kindergarten with 5 dresses hanging in my closet, one for each day of the week.

pajamas - Night gowns for summer and footy pajamas for winter.

church clothes - We each had one set of Sunday Clothes. Mine consisted of a dress, tights or lacy anklets, and my shiny black shoes that left scuffs on Mom’s kitchen linoleum if I wasn’t careful.

Now I have tons more clothes. And I’ve had to add a few new categories. My workout clothes, my work clothes, and my skinny clothes, to name a few. I actually have way more clothes than I need or wear. I heard a tip once that you should turn all the clothes in your closet around so the hangers hook backward. Once you wear something you can hang it back up the usual way and then after 6 months whichever clothes are still turned backwards you should get rid of. I've tried it. But as the 6 months draw to a close I look at those neglected things, hanging backwards, and make myself wear them so I won’t have to throw them out. I don’t like getting rid of clothes. Not when there's still some wear left in them.

People are often surprised (impressed or repulsed, I’m not sure) to hear that nearly every piece of clothing I own, I bought from the Thrift Store. When I first got my job at the college I went shopping and got a few new things from Kohls and Sears. But I soon realized, I like my second-hand clothes even better than the stuff I got new. They were cheaper, obviously, but they fit me better too. My body’s not flattered by the new low-cut, low-waisted styles. I like high-waisted pants. They keep my belly from sticking out, and prevent that all too common muffin-top look I despise. And I don’t have the best arms or chest so I prefer to have those areas covered as much as possible. Actually, the more of me I can cover with clothes the better. Maybe that’s why I like clothes so much. I don’t really want people to see me. With clothes I can pick what they see. Pretty colors and soft textures. Everything my aging body is lacking.

I pick out what I’m going to wear each day from my extensive wardrobe depending on my mood, as much as anything else. I like to dress in dark heavy layers when I’m feeling sad or introverted. I wear lighter, brighter things when my mood is cheery. Which works well because I generally feel more cheery in the spring and summer when dark heavy layers wouldn’t be the most comfortable choice. And if you can’t feel pretty in your clothes, you should at least feel comfortable. That’s my philosophy…

...on clothes.