28.5.12

Minimal Wardrobe: Shorts and Skirts

Today I took an inventory of my shorts and skirts.

The SHORTS I own are:

  • black knee length cotton shorts
  • purple cotton from The Limited with lined pockets (I would consider these "dressier")
  • karate pig shorts from Thailand
  • Adidas sport shorts, thicker material
  • black & white board shorts
  • red Nike running shorts, thin/quick dry material

 My SKIRTS are:

  • White stripe cotton skirt (drawstring waist)
  • khaki GAP mini 
  • black, knee length cotton pencil skirt with dragon applique
  • ROXY calf-length wrap skirt 
  • American Apparel Le Sac dress (can be worn as a skirt)
  • grey pinstripe, knee length pencil skirt (not pictured)
  • 2 Thai silk pencil skirts that are part of a 2-piece suit


To re-cap I have 6 pairs of shorts and 8 skirts.

SHORTS
I have the same problem here that I do with shoes.  4 of the 6 items basically serve the same function - athletic wear.  The thin shorts were ideal for marathon training because I can sweat my life into them and they will never chafe (they also have built in underwear which eliminates the need for excessive layers).  Board shorts are ideal for ocean and beach activities.  I'm pretty sure either the Adidas, the pink pigs, or both need to go.  But how to choose?!

The Adidas are more acceptable to wear in public than super thin marathon shorts.  Perfect for taking long walks on hot days.  The pink pigs essentially serve the same function but, whereas I love them because of their nostalgic value, my husband hates them and cringes when I wear them to the grocery store.  I find the fit more comfortable and the pockets are roomier, but the Adidas are neutral and match with more tops (do pink pigs really "match" anything?)   

SKIRTS
8 skirts, 4 of which are pencil skirts.  Are we starting to see a theme?!

The justification here is I can't bring myself to get rid of the black one because I got it when travelling in Laos and its just so unique and I love the way it fits.  I probably don't wear it as often as I could/should, but its not something I can easily replace.  I haven't worn the grey pinstripe for at least 3 years, but its perfect for job interviews and/or teaching.  Which is something I don't do now but will be doing in the foreseeable future.  The Thai silk suits are - again - something I wore when I was teaching and haven't had occasion to wear very often since. I would rather try to make better use of these as separates than completely get rid of them.

I know the answer is to get rid of at least one of these pencil skirts but that is a mighty tall order.  If I had to make a choice about skirts at this moment and never look back I would probably let go of the ROXY wrap, the purple Thai silk suit (ugh, painful)...maybe the dragon skirt...(wait! no!)...(maybe)...and I guess I should say the grey pinstripe since I never wear it.  Besides, I could probably get away with a silk skirt at a job interview, this is Hawaii not Wall Street!

3 comments:

  1. I really can't believe these are all your clothes! Did you ditch your trunks of stuff when you moved to Hawaii?

    And, what is prompting this purge?

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  2. I would have to say that the pink pigs have to go. I used to buy clothes with cartoon characters and whatnot as well, but got rid of everything a couple of years ago. I wanted to achieve a more mature look and buy editing out the "childish" clothes, I think I achieved that.

    The Thai silk skirt suits are beautiful and I think those would be great for a job interview! You might think it's too much color but I think it's better than a black suit! Don't get rid of them!

    Pencil skirts are great. I don't see a problem. You should get rid of the extra athletic wear and start wearing those skirts instead! Skirts are perfectly cool and comfortable for long walks as well! I'm a little iffy on the dragon skirt though....

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  3. I ditched the trunks! sort of...

    The purge is the result of lots of soul searching - I'm thinking that I will actually be happier and more creative if I do more with less stuff. And I don't want to appear on an episode of Hoarders: Buried Alive, which (according to my husband) was the path I had been heading down!

    Now, about the athletic wear - I can not, unless its a lacrosse kilt, exercise in a skirt. And I do run/work out quite a bit so I need some of it. I won't be getting rid of the Thai silk suits and maybe it would be better to see the dragon skirt on? The picture isn't doing it much justice.

    Mr A already voted the pink pigs out. He suggested I keep them for pajamas but took it back when he realized I wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to wear them to Foodland.

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