While I was able to move most of my "stuff" on Saturday, I am not exactly living in my apartment yet. I made a very last minute decision to upgrade from my twin size bed, that I've been sleeping in since, let's see, I moved out of my crib 26 years ago, to a full size bed the night before the big move. So spontaneous, I know. And for those of you questioning, "why not a queen size, bed," my answer to you is "baby steps, people!" Well needless to say, I can't pick up my bed until tomorrow evening, so here I am, still at home with the parentals for another "one last night at home."
Moving on...
One of the biggest challenges of this whole move was going from a decent size closet to an incredibly tiny, hole in the wall space (literally) that would cause Carrie Bradshaw heartbreak. But, fear not, my "closet" comes equipped with a light! Something my old closet did not have. I'm attempting to see the bright side in every circumstance (no pun intended). Obviously I had to engage in some serious downsizing. In comes Saadia - not only my best friend from college, but an incredibly talented fashionista who belongs working the runway. First, we tackled my purses (to a guy, a purse may not seem like an article of clothing, but to a woman, a purse is something you actually match to an outfit and wear!). As Saadia went through each of my purses, I kind of felt a bit like a hoarder (not as bad as the people you see on TLC, but a hoarder nonetheless). Some of the bags I was holding on to left Saadia downright speechless. Being the queen of excuses didn't even help my case, and one by one, my purses went from my wardrobe into a gigantic Salvation Army box.
Just to make sure we're all on the same page, I want to insert a little disclaimer here. I am not fashion illiterate. I have a strong sense of style and I completely own it. The only problem is that sometimes I hold onto things for a bit too long. I don't suffer from separation anxiety. I suffer from what I like to call "what if" syndrome. Symptoms include the all too familiar, "what if this comes back in style in a couple years!?" or "what if I just absolutely need this one day!?"
So when Saadia and I moved from purses and accessories to my actual wardrobe, I was a bit nervous. And rightly so. The next hour went something like this:
Saadia (holding up a very tiny tank top I've probably had since high school): "Court! Really!??! Mehreen (Saadia's 10 month old niece) could fit into this!"
Me: "Well, it's a tank I use for layering!"
Saadia (presenting me with a button down): "umm...I'm not even going to ask."
Me:...silence...
Saadia (holding up a tube top circa 2006): "What is this!?!?"
Me: "umm...a tube top?"
Saadia: "Court, it barely covers your chest! this is a belly shirt! Why would you own such a thing!?"
Me: "umm...(silence)...i don't know?"
Saadia (picking up a black, bedazzled tank top Ashley bestowed upon me after she claimed it was a bad luck shirt): "Court...I could understand if you were a rocker chic, but you're not!"
Me: "Saad! I could totally be bad ass rocker chic! Blow out my hair, pair it was skinny jeans, it'd be hot!!" (clearly I was floundering for an excuse to hold onto a stupid tank top)
Saadia: "Yes, you could...but why?!?"
Me:...silence...
Saadia (picking up a pair of black dress pants that were clearly several sizes too big): "ummm....these are about a million times too big for you!"
Me: "What if I'm having a 'fat day'!?'"
Saadia: "Court!!!! You have an excuse for EVERYTHING" (told you - queen of excuses!!)
Much to my initial chagrin, many of those items (and more) went straight into the Salvation Army box. Every once in awhile Saadia would surprise me when she picked up an item and told me how fabulous it was! To give you a visual, picture me sitting on my bedroom floor for a majority of this downsizing session and sheepishly begging Saadia to understand my reasoning or cringing as she picked up an item and rightfully so gave me a look of disgust. Little did she know, there were a few cardis and tops that I snuck into the "keep" box, only because I couldn't bare to part with them. But in the end, I probably eliminated 50 articles of clothing and felt so.much.lighter!
And, while, no my teensy tiny "closet" still can't fully handle my wardrobe, I must say it's very nice to actually own less. I suppose sometimes less really is more. Letting go can be *so* refreshing. I can only begin to imagine how it would feel to tap into the notion of "letting it go" and channeling it through to other areas of my life...
PS. Thank you so much, Saadia! I can't think of another person I would have rather spent my "letting it go" process with than you! You truly are a remarkable person with an amazing, vogue sense of fashion that many should be envious of. I know I've said this before, but you truly are my Christina and I don't know what I'd do without you!
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