It's been almost 11 months since we got rid of almost everything we owned in preparation for our move to the UAE. That included getting rid of most of our clothes - you know, all those shirts hanging in our closet or clogging up our drawers that we never really wore anyway. I kept only the clothes that I loved wearing, and got rid of anything that didn't fit or was out of style (a loose definition; we're talking about ME here), or that I just didn't like wearing.
Well, of those clothes, a few shirts have recently bit the dust and I am left with two pairs of jeans, four dresses, and what you see here:
That's 10 blouses and two shirts. That's it. And I am becoming more unenamored with each and every one of them as the days go by. Let's take a look.
(Purple). I bought this one in Damascus in 2005. Its butt-covering powers are unrivaled. That's why I keep it around, because you never know when you're going to need a good butt-covering shirt in the Middle East.
My newest shirt - GAP, spring of 2010, right before we left for Egypt. I still like it but since it's my go-to travel shirt, it has taken quite the beating.
This shirt is from Japan, circa 2000. I actually love this shirt beyond all reason but I'm starting to realize that maybe, just maybe, it doesn't look so good to everyone else.
Jeremy bought me this shirt in London in 2006. He likes it (on me) more than I do. That's why I still have it.
J. Crew, 2002. I think this may be the last vestige of my J. Crew days in my possession. I almost never wear it, though - why did I keep it? Maybe because it's the last vestige of my J. Crew days in my possession.
Old Navy clearance, 2010. This shirt has a hole in it along the neckline so its days are numbered. Which is good, because I am more tired of this shirt than perhaps any other I own.
I just realized I have a white one just like it, purchased from the same clearance rack. It is so ragged and beat up from a summer of handwashing in Egypt but it is still in my regular rotation. Maybe it shouldn't be.
Mountain Hardware, 2008. I'm tired of the way this looks on me, i.e., not that good. But the pattern is pretty, so.
Another Old Navy clearance gem. I like the color and not much else about this one.
Old Navy (but not clearance! I don't think), 2008. I bought this one to wear in that awkward stage between giving birth and not fitting into any of my regular clothes...and then never gave it up. I like this shirt, but it's too big on me.
Another Jeremy's-trip-to-England gift shirt from 2006. I used to love this shirt but I have worn it to death.
The other two shirts
were purchased at Costco, 2006ish. The one on the left is one of those PregnancyWatch alert shirts because the bottom of it is very free-flowing. The black one is old but still in my good graces.
So, there you have it. I think I'm in for some new shirts sometime soon, but jeans have got to come first. Wearing two pairs of jeans for a year gets old (and stretched out and unflattering and faded in odd places) fast. Believe me, I know.
Looking at this list, which does not include old t-shirts I wear only for exercising, my oldest item of clothing that I still wear a lot is my Japan 2000 shirt, followed closely by J. Crew 2002. Not too bad. But also kind of shameful.
How long do you keep clothes for? And what criteria do you use for deciding when to get rid of them?
Well, of those clothes, a few shirts have recently bit the dust and I am left with two pairs of jeans, four dresses, and what you see here:
I just realized I have a white one just like it, purchased from the same clearance rack. It is so ragged and beat up from a summer of handwashing in Egypt but it is still in my regular rotation. Maybe it shouldn't be.
Another Jeremy's-trip-to-England gift shirt from 2006. I used to love this shirt but I have worn it to death.
The other two shirts
So, there you have it. I think I'm in for some new shirts sometime soon, but jeans have got to come first. Wearing two pairs of jeans for a year gets old (and stretched out and unflattering and faded in odd places) fast. Believe me, I know.
Looking at this list, which does not include old t-shirts I wear only for exercising, my oldest item of clothing that I still wear a lot is my Japan 2000 shirt, followed closely by J. Crew 2002. Not too bad. But also kind of shameful.
How long do you keep clothes for? And what criteria do you use for deciding when to get rid of them?