Wardrobing Function

I was going to talk about budget today, but then I started to think about ways my spending has changed significantly since I finished grad school and once again entered the grown-up world. And for the past ten months, I've got to say, clothing is one of the biggest changes. So let's talk about clothes!

Honestly, when I was in high school, I sort of tried to avoid thinking about clothes, in the same way I rejected lots of other gendering constructions. Early on, I remember just wearing leggings and baggy T-shirts a lot, or layering T-shirts over bike shorts and denim skirts. I also remember girls in high school looking at me and telling me all the ways I dressed wrong, and I remember boys laughing at me at vespers because I didn't care about what I was wearing.

High school is awful, y'all. I continue to be boggled by people who said they loved it.

Anyway, by the end of high school, I was wearing all black, and people started calling me "the feminist." I hated make-up (still do, mostly), and despised wearing any shoes outside of sandals or sneakers. And I know I changed once I got to college, but I don't know exactly how or why I changed. Maybe because around that time, my siblings and I were mobile, had part-time jobs, and could go to the mall whenever we wanted. My sister and I shopped at Forever 21 a lot, I remember. Quick, cheap clothing, with enough variety that I didn't feel like I was conforming. (And yeah, fast fashion conforms as well, but not in the way a small, church-centered community does. So.) I think that was pretty much the next ten years for me: Forever 21, or at least variations thereof. I started wearing boots with stacked, square heels, because I liked being taller sometimes. I sort of loosened my animosity towards heels, but only if they were appropriately stompy.

People still called me "the feminist," though. In hindsight, WEIRD. I mean, I am. But I couldn't have been the only one, right?

Anyway, I moved to Poland for a year, when I was 26. 27? Anyway, I sort of let go of the fast fashion and stuck to durable, layerable clothing. No time for fanciness! And then I moved to Purdue, and had to figure out my clothing ethos yet again. (I remember wandering around downtown Lafayette with my sister, and how we realized that wow, our California couture looked way out of place: Slightly shiny fabrics, sandals meant to emphasize pedicures, and, well, anything that wasn't jean shorts and a T-shirt, really.)

I meant to have more pictures of my outfits, but I actually hate taking pictures. (I am not shy, but I don't feel like I look like myself.) Also, uh, I'm not on Facebook right now, so don't have access to other people's pictures of me. In any case, my wardrobe as a grad student/young professional split into two halves: geeky grad student (jeans, T-shirts, and the occasional blazer) and fancy grad student (dresses, patterned tights, and an affection for contrasting materials). Both versions wear boots, and always will. Both versions usually wear statement jewelry. And here is the closest I can find of my usual outfit (try not to be distracted by my adorable, adorable niece):


Jeans. Boat-neck sleeveless tee from Threadless.


Statement jewelry: a snake-vertebrae bracelet from the Philippines, and an octopus bracelet that friend Emily gave to me.


GO BROWNS. I MEAN, IF YOU WANT. NOT THIS YEAR? OH. OKAY.

On my fourth day of working at my new job at Iowa State, my director very sheepishly and kindly told me that, as staff members, we're not supposed to wear jeans. OOPS. Like, I had never even thought about it. So, an entirely new wardrobe was in order. And I won't lie: the basics of my wardrobe now, the skirts and trousers and cardigans, are all from Kohl's, JC Penney, or Target. The first two are places my parents like to shop (and, thus, where parent-sponsored shopping trips happen), and they also have some good sales on comfortable-yet-office-appropriate. Plus, I was not about to spend a billion dollars on jackets and sheath dresses that I would only be wearing once every couple of years. Though I do look good in them:


This was one of my interview outfits. I'm at Macy's in this photo, for the record.
Style-wise, I think I've found a good balance. I'm never really going to wear tons of suits--my height and build don't really allow for it, budget-wise--and I'm probably not going to go back to wearing T-shirts and jeans. I do want to recommend three particular places which have consumed a healthy slice of my budget this year. They aren't cheap, but they also are fairly reasonable, as I've thought about clothing I would need to last for the next two or three years, at least.

1. Betabrand Dress Pant Yoga Pants. Super-comfortable yoga-stretchy pants, tailored to look like dress pants. I have a pair in every color offered, mostly in boot-cut. I think I have one straight-leg (possibly the taupe), because it wasn't offered in boot-cut when I ordered. Again, these aren't cheap--$88 isn't exactly pocket change--but I wear them pretty much every day of the week. (If I'm behind on laundry, trousers-wise, I'll wear Worthington petite curvy-fit pants, which are from Kohl's, and also marvelous.) The quality overall is great, though I think with one pair I'm having that weird problem where the elastic in the waistband is getting folded up. Irritating, but manageable. Overall, though, these are splendid.
   
   
2. Stitch Fix, which friend Kristen first suggested to me. (That link is a referral link, btw--I get credit if anybody signs up based on my rec.) Stitch Fix is the most wonderful and dangerous thing there is. You create a style profile for yourself, and every cycle (as frequently as two weeks, or as infrequently as two months) a stylist sends you five pieces of clothing. You keep what you like, and return the rest, postage-pre-paid. I LOVE THIS SERVICE. It lends some individuality, of a sort, to my wardrobe. Much as I dig Kohl's, or the Merona line at Target, I also like not wearing the same thing many other people are wearing. Stitch Fix, by sending only five pieces, also forces me to try on things that I wouldn't normally pick off a shelf--color-wise, material-wise, or, yes, price-wise. Many times, I've been pleasantly surprised. And I have received compliments on every single thing from Stitch Fix that I have worn. Every single one. This dress, for example:
   
   
   
   And also this brown leather jacket.
   
   
   
   The necklace, however, is from ModCloth.
   
   
3. Punjammies, by Sudara. Friend Priya led me to these, and hilariously, we both bought the same pair first. These are sort of pajama style, but pretty great if you're in a warm and/or humid climate. Again, not cheap at $44 a pop, but they're particularly made by women in India who have escaped human trafficking, which is great. Karma-wise, also, after spending so many years wearing almost-definitely-made-in-sweatshops clothes from Forever 21, H&M, etc., well. The universe and I are finding a balance.
   
   
   PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE DISASTER AREA BEHIND ME.

Anyway, I think after this slow, slow acquisition of clothing, I'm finally at a place where I don't feel I need to constantly replace things in my wardrobe. So, yay! A thing I can mostly cut out of my budget! I still don't know what to do with all these T-shirts, though. Hm.