|
What Your Closet Says About You
One woman's dating history is mapped in her closet.
by Katrina Heron
In a word, I felt guilty: I could honestly say that good taste was reflected in that 20-square-foot space, and there was no doubt about how much time and money. I swooned over pictures of little suede shoeboxes with individual nameplates and Plexiglas cashmere containers and slim drawers upon slim drawers built to hold one choice item apiece.
When you’re in that stoic, confused, overwhelmed, and oddly peaceful frame of mind that so often accompanies accepting the no longer acceptable, you pretty much go with the status quo until something within you–instinct? your eternal love of pink?–suddenly hurls you in a new direction.
OK, so my closet was not in itself the unacceptable fact of my life, it was merely a symptom. I was newly divorced, struggling to balance motherhood with professional ambitions, and dressing in the past tense. In the course of the previous few years, I’d gradually forgotten what it was like to feel sexy, and then I’d forgotten that I’d forgotten.
A friend had promised that she would notify the proper authorities if I ever showed up wearing Birkenstocks with mismatched socks, but that wasn’t the problem. It was more that I’d become resigned to that thing called good taste; now and then, Vogue legend Diana Vreeland’s great line would run like a song fragment through my head: “Good taste? So what.”
How did the moment of liberation announce itself? When did I start entertaining a fashion future–more playful, more confident, much sexier? It may be a truism to say that you’re only as sexy as you feel, but where does that feeling come from–and how do you get past all the fear and self-criticism that prevent so many of us from expressing our desire and desirability?
 (No Ratings Yet) Loading ... |
Email to a Friend
Share on Facebook
Digg It
Delicious
Newsvine
Stumble
Reddit
1 Seven Weeks Away from Mr. Right? // Feb 27, 2008 at 2:24 pm
[…] to dredging up your past wounds in order to get over them, and she equates the CITO process with cleaning out your closet—after all, there isn’t room for new stuff until you toss out the old. Post Comment 1 2 3 4 […]
2 T // Jan 6, 2007 at 2:36 am
You just described the last year or two of my life. Everything in my closet was black and my rolls were plenty. When I realized that my marriage was over, I was freed in a sense that I could justify paying attention to myself as a woman - not just a wife and mother. I lost weight because I was happy. Suddenly, I was buying cute nighties to wear - even though no one saw me in them. I started borrowing clothes from my teenage daughters’ closet and now shop in the Juniors section. My closet is full - I hate to get rid of anything! But the section of cute and fashionable outfits is what I frequent - and is what makes me feel flirty and feminine again. It’s so nice to have these additions to complement my newly-found self!
3 Toni // Jan 6, 2007 at 2:36 am
You just described the last year or two of my life. Everything in my closet was black and my rolls were plenty. When I realized that my marriage was over, I was freed in a sense that I could justify paying attention to myself as a woman - not just a wife and mother. I lost weight because I was happy. Suddenly, I was buying cute nighties to wear - even though no one saw me in them. I started borrowing clothes from my teenage daughters’ closet and now shop in the Juniors section. My closet is full - I hate to get rid of anything! But the section of cute and fashionable outfits is what I frequent - and is what makes me feel flirty and feminine again. It’s so nice to have these additions to complement my newly-found self!
4 khalid // Nov 2, 2006 at 5:27 pm
sex
5 Noelia // Oct 6, 2006 at 1:13 pm
Excellent! Loved the article and totallly relate to it. I recently lost 50 lbs. have worked-out for 6 mos. and my closet has gone from prissy to pure sexy. I enjoy being a woman and I finally enjoy my sexuality.
Read All 11 Comments on What Your Closet Says About You