day twenty-two

Am just back from a trip to one of my favourite places with some of my favourite people.  The Cathedral of the Isles, on the island of Cumbrae is the smallest cathedral in the British Isles.  My choir, Voicebeat, went for a weekend trip - we had a lovely time singing and relaxing in the peaceful surroundings.

Also, today marks the day I wore my fortieth item of clothing.  This stripy jumper is quite special.  Years ago, I was on holiday in the States, and had all my luggage stolen on the last day of my holiday.

In my luggage was a stripy jumper from Gap that I loved.  This was one of the three things I most regretted losing (the other two were my computer, and a necklace I had been given as a present).

Years later, to my delight, I found this one on eBay, and bought it, to replace the one I had stolen.

By the way, if anyone tells you I bought a new handbag in the charity shop on the island, don't listen to them...

day twenty

‘Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these.'  Luke 12:27

Halfway through, and what have I learnt so far?

1.  It is easier to get dressed for work when I have only three outfits that are work-smart.  Saves time in the morning.

2.  I do miss the fun of deciding on an outfit for going out.

3.  I like coats and shoes most of all, because I miss them most of all.

Our study group at church tonight was looking at Luke 12:13-34, and thinking about possessions - one of the questions was whether our possessions end up possessing us. 

I enjoy using clothes to express myself, which is fine.  The challenge is not to let the clothes be more than that - not to use them to project an image, or to hide behind.  God made me as I am, and if I'm not perfect, I should be growing into what God made me to be, not pretending to be something else.

Okay, only 23 days to go...

day eighteen

Okay, now I have thirty nine items.  I've lost my little black vest top.  I was looking for it this afternoon and couldn't find it anywhere it should have been.  I did wonder about taking the identical one I have in my wardrobe and wearing that instead, but I thought that would probably be considered cheating...

If anyone sees it, let me know!

Third Sunday of Lent

How can I forget what items I have in my wardrobe, when I only have forty??

Looking at my clothes last night to decide what to wear this morning (it's not being organised - it's giving myself five minutes more in bed in the morning) I came across my long brown top.  It's one of my staple items, I wear it all the time, yet not only did I forget it was in my forty items, I didn't even miss it!

Am beginning to wonder if I have too many clothes…

Oh, we've started putting our sermons online at St Margaret's, today was my first recording.

day fifteen

During the war, people needed to use not only their hard earned money to buy clothes, but also their clothing coupons.  A typical allowance was 48 coupons a year.  

Given that the outfit I am wearing today (brown jumper, jeans, and all the relevant underwear - you don't need to know the details) would use up 14 coupons, and a coat and shoes would use up another 10, I think I would have had to develop my needlework skills pretty quickly!

day fourteen

so what does domestic abuse have to do with clothes?  Not much, I would have thought.  But then I was watching a short, and very touching, dvd at work today, aimed at children who have lived with domestic abuse.  Mikey and Jools (in the picture) watch their mum being humiliated because she wears a dress that their dad does not approve of.

We don't thing about how clothes are used to control women in our society - we probably assume that is something that happens in other cultures.  But it happens in our culture too.  For some women, as in the dvd, it is very immediate.  For others, forced to wear certain clothes or make up at work, it is more subtle.

I can choose to restrict my wardrobe to only forty items.  But no-one else should be able to restrict my wardrobe to keep me in my place.

day twelve

"Buy less. Choose well. Make it last. Quality, not quantity. Everybody's buying far too many clothes."  

So said Vivienne Westwood last year at London Fashion Week.  

To be fair, my sort of buying - that is, charity shop buying - is different from Vivienne's.  I enjoy making 'a find' - clothes that prompt people to ask me where I bought them, so I can reply 'British Heart Foundation, a fiver' with a smug look on my face.  

For me, then, perhaps the most useful comment is 'choose well'.  I amaze myself how often I come home with something that I quite like, or fits not too bad.  I wear it once or twice, then it just sits in my wardrobe until my next clear out.  Really, I should only buy clothes that look great, that I love, that I'm sure I'm going to wear.

And if I had fewer clothes, I would have more room for books...

This green top and black jeans, for work today, are both recent purchases, both of which I love!