Cleaning Out the Closet

I built this house and moved into it in August, 1990.  So, that's 21 years and counting I've had stuff hanging in the master bedroom closet!

Without fail, 3-4 times a year I receive calls from Purple Heart, Goodwill, Vietnam Veterans, Charities for the Blind, and others, all asking for donations that they will conveniently pick up if left out on the front porch.  I have obliged every year, for 21 years, always cleaning stuff out of the master closet - and the bureau and long dresser.

So why is it I am still coming across clothes out of that closet (and even in the dressers which I thought I had picked clean!) that I haven't worn in years and never will wear again - even if I could get into them!

Ridiculous!  Where have they all come from?  EEK!  And, yesterday, I added to the latest pile of clothes.  And, I got very very brave.

Yes, I actually tried on clothes I have not attempted to get into since 2002 (and a few from 2004), when I first bought them!  The shock of my life was that - some of them FIT! 

Unfortunately, in the discard pile are five beautiful and fully lined straight skirts (now they're called pencil skirts) -- two spring/fall/autumn weight; three woolen blends for winter.  They are all very long, the shortest one (a classic grey woolen flannel) was mid-calf length, the rest were nearly down to my ankles!  Holy Goddess!  Did I actually wear my skirts THAT long?  Oh my!  I would still wear those skirts today, although quite shortened to probably a few inches below knee length, but I can't get them closed around my waistline.  Sigh.

It hurt to put those barely-worn skirts into the donate pile, but after analyzing the structure of the skirts I don't think there's a chance in Hell that I can get them altered to fit me.  HOWEVER, I am going to take them to Miss Diane at P'Dia Custom Couture anyway to see what she has to say on the matter.  Who knows - maybe she can pull off some miracles!

I had more success with two spring/summer light weight A-line style floral prints from Sag Harbor.  They fit perfectly - not even a pinch tight!  But they are VERY long and need to be hemmed up at least 10-12 inches!  Again, that nearly down to the ankles look.  What was I thinking when I bought them?  I remember, I purchased them in 2004.  Ohmygoddess, was I really that damn frumpy?

One of my very favorite skirts, purchased in 2002, is an autumnal toned "circle" skirt - a beautiful tapestry look paisley in gold/orange/brown/red/olive green.  It also fit without pinching or straining of zipper!  This swirling cut on the bias skirt is nearly to the ankles and needs to be shortened, but would look fabulous with boots!  BOOTS!  I've never work boots that weren't for the purpose of mushing through snow or below zero weather in my life!  What am I thinking???  Me wearing boots to the office for FASHION? 

Am I going insane?  Where can I find boots that are (1) comfortable (2) cut in triple WWW (3) comfortable (4) affordable (5) comfortable (6) big enough to fit around my calves and (7) comfortable?

And no, just in case you were wondering, I wasn't wearing Spanx underneath - it was my natural body with just undies on and bare skin elsewhere!  All three skirts are on an "hem/alter" rack for further action.

The two light-weight A-line skirts and the circle skirt will go to Miss Diane at P'Dia for hemming - because so much material has to be removed she's going to have to pin them around while I'm wearing them, I don't see any other way to get an even hem.  It's not just a matter of taking them up by a few inches.  A good foot will be removed from the length of each skirt.
Also put on the side are two lined woolen blend A-line skirts that are tight around the waist, but I managed to get them closed - pinchy pinchy!  They have fitted waist bands (the other three skirts mentioned above have some elastic in the back of their waistbands that probably accounts for the fact that they fit comfortably).  However, because of their length I think some kind of alteration can be done by moving the waist area "down" the skirt to a wider area that fits comfortably around my current waistline, while still maintaining a length with which I will be comfortable. 

I don't know what possessed me to try those skirts on after so many years!  Or why I've ignored them hanging there taking up space for so many years -- well, that's probably because I couldn't bear to part with them after having worn them so infrequently and having paid so much for them back then.  You know the drill "someday I may fit into them again."

Well, this time, it happened to be true for at least some of those skirts!  OHMYGODDESS.  Some of them actually fit.  I wouldn't have thunk it in a million years.  The other skirts, well, we'll see what Miss Diane has to say.