The Closet Edition

So I took today and tomorrow off, expecting to spend time with Man-Child while he was home for spring break.  Silly me.

Apparently, I should have taken Monday and Tuesday off since he and his buddies decided to hit the beach (even though it's FAR too cold for the beach) for a couple of days....falling right smack in the middle of my time off.  Of course.

He's supposed to be home tomorrow, but somehow I have a feeling that it will be later rather than earlier in the day.  *sigh* I miss having him at my disposal whenever I feel the need to hang out with him.  Such is life, I suppose.  They grow up and grow away - as they are supposed to.

Anyway, since I didn't have my boy to hang out with today, I decided to see if I could finally spend some of that Christmas money/gift cards.  And I think I did pretty well, for approximately $30 I brought home two skirts and one sweater.  Now THAT'S what I'd call a deal.  The one skirt is kind of iffy though - it seems rather short - but I think if I wear it with tights and flats I'll be okay.  And by okay, I mean not looking like a lady of a certain age who is trying too hard to hold on to her youth.  I hope.

I'll have to ask Hubby what he thinks before I determine whether or not it needs to go back.  Of course, MC's opinion would be that it IS too short and that I should be dressed in a burqa every day, so I won't be asking him for his opinion, obviously.

At any rate, I've been seeing some things about the internet about having a "core" wardrobe of about ten pieces (with "bonus" items to round it all out).  And while this is intriguing to me, I don't know that I could pull that off.  BUT, after chewing on this for a while, I have come to realize that I rely on certain pieces every week - I haven't counted, but I have a feeling it might be about ten or less.

So with this thought in mind - along with feeling like I've fallen into a rut as far as my clothes go - I had decided that before anything new can enter the closet, the same amount (or more) must go (this will also keep me from having to do a whole closet clean out at one go).  So I jumped in - and in less than three minutes pulled out three dresses, one sweater and two winter vests that I never wear.  And by never, I mean NEVER.

In fact, some of the items still had tags on them.  But that is mostly Hubby's fault.  Because for some reason, every other Christmas (he must go crazy or something) he buys me one of those quilted winter vests.  Why, I don't know.  I mean I have NEVER worn one and most likely, never will.  I am of the opinion that if it's cold enough for a jacket then I want one with SLEEVES.  The best I can come up with is that he likes them, so he thinks I should too.  Which is ridiculous, because you don't see me buying him pretty shoes for Christmas just because I like them.

And yes, I know, I should have owned up lied and said they didn't fit at the time and asked for the receipt so that I could return them.  But I just didn't have the heart.  He was too enthusiastic about them.

One of the dresses I was reluctant to part with - even though I've never worn it.  It's one of those  "I love it on the hanger" items that just doesn't look right on the body.  I even tried it on again to figure out why I never wear it.  And it all became clear.  It just is not meant to be worn.  At least not by me; I think maybe it needs to belong to someone taller...and thinner.  So I packed it away for Goodwill, where I am sure it will soon find a good home and can finally be worn.

So my plan is to slowly, but surely, purge the closet of all the items I don't wear.  See what I am left with and go from there.

In my travels today, I was also on the hunt for a pair of plain, black pumps - with a modest heel; and by modest I mean no more than three inches.  And do you know what I discovered?

Actually, I discovered a couple of things.

1) When you actually have a picture of the thing you want in your head, you will NOT find it.

2) Most plain, black pumps - with a modest heel - look like old lady shoes

and

3) Apparently, my feet have shrunk.

How?  I don't know.  It doesn't seem possible to me that your feet can just randomly shrink for no good reason.  But apparently, mine has.  I found one pair of shoes that I deemed barely acceptable.  Until I tried them on.  My normal size was too large, i.e. when I walked the shoes almost fell off my feet.  So I tried the half size down only to discover that they were too small.  So I left the store without the shoes.

So apparently, when your feet shrink, for no good reason at all, it only makes sense that they wouldn't shrink down to the next size...because that would be far too easy and reasonable.

So what do you think I will be doing tomorrow, while waiting for MC to come home and play with me?  Yes, continuing the hunt for a pair of shoes that a) fits and b) is stylish.  Here's hoping, I have some success.

So tell me - do you have a core wardrobe?  And if you do, how do you keep from feeling like you are wearing the SAME THING EVERY DAY?  Or, do you have a husband that buys you random things that he thinks you should like?  Or am I the only one on both points?