for lack of a better metaphor… i am purging my puppies (yes that sounds wrong). or spring-cleaning (in mid-winter. but must we really get all technical about this?) i have been meaning to do this for a while now, mostly because this is my current wardrobe situation. and this, after clearing out a bag last night to send to the cleaners.
plus. two roomy drawers under my bed that i really cannot be bothered to pull out and take pictures of because they are so darn heavy.
back home, with chinese new year just round the corner, we would be doing this around this time as well. and mum would be getting annoyed, dad would be getting in everyone’s way, sis would be doing things in her methodical engineer way, and i would be partaking in my own personal fashion show with huge piles of clothes around me, because that is what pulling out your entire wardrobe does to you.
here, i get to do it in relative peace and a lot more method, because there simply isn’t space to pull everything out. see here. that polka dot bathmat represents the entrance to my bathroom, so you understand what happens when those drawers open. i get backed up like someone’s holding a gun to my head.
anyhow. i have some major issues with wardrobe-purging. there are any number of articles out there on blogs and style magazines that give excellent advice on must-have items, questions to ask yourself when trying to decide whether to chuck or keep, etc. but i am still at a loss.
1) items that are x years old and sort-of look it. these are the things that have gotten so comfortable they feel like your own skin. they look a little crummy but still work for casual occasions. you are afraid you may never find another piece like that again. kill or save?
2) how many sets of pjs? sleepwear always gets me. after all, they can be fugly and crummy but still serve their comfy purposes. i have a huge drawer full of old and new pjs, kimonos, sweatshirts, and t-shirts that cannot quite make it out the door. kill or save?
3) items that are still in great condition but do not fit that well. i don’t want to make it sound as if i’m boasting, but i lost a bunch of weight last year through a gastric disorder (trust me. not fun.) this means that i got to fit into certain things that had been too tight for me, but it also means that many other things became a tad too big. it takes major tweaking to wear some of that stuff, and i do not have the skills to take them in. shops that do that cost too much in japan. i am afraid that all that weight may come back someday. kill or save?
4) and finally, the biggest question of all: where do i bury the pups? back home, mum sweeps up all the purged stuff and either makes rags of them, or passes them on to relatives. in countries with a thrifting culture, you can just hand them over to thrift shops and charities. in japan? i don’t know. the few thrift shops i have been to here hold such quality stuff i am embarrassed to pass on my old clothes (neither vintage nor branded nor anything) i could wait and bring them back home next time, but that would still mean having to clear out some space to store them in the meantime, which does not solve my storage problems.
cruella’s in a jam.
this, incidentally, is the first piece of leather apparel i have ever owned in my life. i never really knew how to wear these things (and i’m still learning) but i like the cropped look of this particular one. plus – winter sales! how could i resist a bargain like this?
let’s hope the good weather holds out!
