Hallmarks of the well planned wardrobe include the following:
- good quality basics such as jackets, pants, and foundation tees
- a few fun shirts or accessories thrown in that coordinate with the basics
- items that are are based around one or two key colors, making mixing and matching easy
- pieces that easily layer for transition from one season to the next
I’ve never managed this for myself despite years of trying. No matter how controlled I try to be, I always end up with orphan pieces that match nothing and too much black everything while never turning up the elusive perfect white shirt or light neutral shoe.
On the other hand, I do believe I’ve pulled off the perfectly coordinated wardrobe for Simon. My sartorially correct baby’s wardrobe features a “sun and surf” theme for spring/summer 2007 that includes interchangeable tees, shorts, rompers, overalls, and adjustable length pants. He has one or two outlying outlying rompers or tops thrown in for fun, which still go with everything else color-wise, and his key palette colors are khaki, brown, mid-blue, and orange. I’ve even got his Fuzzi Bunz pretty well coordinated.
How sick is that? Of course, I am helped by the fact that I dislike much of what is available for baby boys. So in a sense, I have arrived at this coordination via, as the SAT prep books used to say, POE (process of elimination). By eschewing that which is too preppy (who wants babies in structured clothes and docksiders?), that which is too sporty (false advertising based on Matt’s and my abilities) and that which is too stereoptypically tough guy-ish (until he has a pincer grasp, he cannnot use a hammer or saw.), I have ended up with scenes of Roman ruins, golphing gophers (no joke), vintage bicycles, and lots and lots of surfer stuff.
I am also helped by the fact that shopping for myself is, at the moment, much less fun that it used to be. Between nursing restrictions, a few extra pounds (groan), and working from home, I can’t wear what I like and there’s really no one to see me or care anyway. I think this is probably a healthy change for me, but I’ve instructed my mother to PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SAY SOMETHING TO ME the first time I answer the door wearing a t-shirt I picked up at a work conference and sweat pants, as that will surely be a sign of advanced mental distress on my part.
In the meantime, I plan on enjoying many fun clothes changes this summer. And with all of Simon’s urping–to say nothing of all the eating we’re gearing up for–there are sure to be many!