Goodbye Clothes

Now we're packing the apartment. Really packing the apartment. In some ways this is easier than the storage unit. Most of my apartment stuff is stuff that is going to San Francisco. Over the past few years, I've tried to sort through books as I go, and, bookworm that I am, those are the bulk of my regular purchases. It's the little things that aren't making the cut. A script here, a notebook there.

And the clothes.

Ah, the clothes. People say you should go through your closet once a year. Once a year! I have things I haven't touched in three! I'd like to say there's logic to what I'm keeping, that I have it down to a science, but I don't. Gone are the skirts that never fit me right, that never quite worked with my body. Gone are the sweaters I'm not sure I love, yet others I'm just as wary about stay. The jeans I can't quite fit into anymore? Some get tossed aside, others get to travel with me, waiting for the day they can be worn again. It's a quality issue; the good jeans and the good sweaters get to stay.

Then there are the clothes that still fit, and I still love, but just aren't me anymore. I'm not an ageist, I know more than a few women my own age who can still pull some of these outfits off. But sadly, I'm not one of them. Gone are my days of low cut lace up black tops and short plaid skirts.

And somehow, despite the fact that I've never considered myself a clothes horse, this is hitting surprisingly close to home. I know a lot of people who lose weight and deliberately get rid of their bigger clothes. But what if it's the opposite? What if you've been stress eating because of a big move, and hope to fit into the old clothes by March?

Today we tackle the kitchen. More Leonard's domain than my own, but I still expect some difficult decisions.

I need to go shopping

As the weather is cooling down in sunny Southern California, one thing has become abundantly clear to me. I am in no way prepared to live in a colder part of the state. I’m not talking about my wimpy Southern Californian tolerance; I did fine my year in Oregon. No, I’m talking about being prepared for cold weather in the way that counts.

My clothes.

Case in point. It’s currently a cloudy 58 degrees.

My current wardrobe is as follows:

• One zip up black sweater – A sweater that has served me well on previous trips to San Francisco. This sweater will likely get a lot of use.
• A pair of black pants – Again, no problem. These pants will work fine in San Francisco.
• A purple cotton t-shirt – Fine for a San Francisco summer (in fact, given the slightly peasant cut, it will probably help with the artsy image I hope to cultivate), but long sleeves might suit me better for the winter.
• A pair of sandals – This is the piece of my wardrobe that I’m most worried about. My shoes. I dislike socks, and 95% of my current socks are ugly, white, and used primarily to go with my ugly, white, restaurant shoes. I don’t have comfortable walking shoes, and even my every day ankle boots have recently fallen out of commission.

What do I need? I need sweaters. I need long sleeved tops. I need clothes that I can layer, clothes where the bottom layer is still warm and cozy. I could use some new socks, a new scarf, some gloves, and maybe some cute new hats. (I like hats – fun fact, I originally typed “I like hates”). I need shoes, pairs and pairs of shoes that are cute, comfortable and warm.

And somehow, I have to find things that I like, because there’s no way that I’m going to have room for even more clothes that I’ll never wear.

Side note, I have a lot of clothes that are getting donated to Goodwill this month. Why am I such a clothes packrat?