Something to Wear Right Now

Lesson Number Five

This is the time of year when our wardrobes collapse under us like a house of cards.  It’s an old story but a perennial one.  No matter how bitterly we remember last year’s experience, how forward-looking we think we are being – it happens again.

Obviously in a season when most of the clothes we wear are washable ones, there are bound to be disconcerting days when all tubbables are in the tub.  Yet there is never any time when we can afford to look bedraggled.  Even with the heat at its height, our bosses expect us to look fresh and efficient, our husbands will notice any let-down in our appearance.

So we decide to get something new quickly and the thing most of us decide to get is “something to put right on now and wear into the fall.”  That is a decision I want to forestall for it is not a solution.  True, we can begin to plan our fall clothes now but – we can’t wear them.  The sleek black satin dress, the thin wool looks new and autumnal.  But when we try to wear it we’re miserable.  It is much too hot for the boggy days of August and September and we’re constantly afraid of ruining it before fall actually comes.  Furthermore, we’ve probably bought it in black, entirely overlooking the fact that all our summer accessories are navy blue so we’ve nothing to wear with it except last winter’s wintry looking hat and shoes.

I have found the solution.  Get something new you can wear right now – something that will not carry over into fall but that is so new and smart that it will provide you with a flawless ensemble to start next summer.