Suffice to say, one week in to the project, I'm surprised at my own reaction (grumpy, narcissistic) but unsurprised by the community (smart, warm and funny). Luckily, I was saved from abject failure by a 4 year old...
***
"A week ago I chose 6 items at speed, mainly in black. Should have known from the off this was an extremely stupid choice. Okay one item is dark khaki and one item is dark grey. But as this gallery of shots shows (it's almost Freudian how I've used the usually wonderful Instagram to make them look, well, even less interesting), they're all much of a muchness.
My thinking went this-a-way: "the different textures will make up for the sensory deprivation", "I wear a fair amount of black already", "Think of the time I'll save not thinking about clothes in the morning!", "I'm mildly curious to know whether I learn something" and cliche or not, my most important reason: "I own too much. Time to prove to myself once and for all that I don't need it all."
A few days later it's a dreary-looking January Saturday and I'm on the point of giving up. After week 1. Quietly, you know, not making a fuss.
It wasn't the past week that was annoying me, it was the prospect of wearing the same clothes for the next few weeks. Forget Future Shock, Future Boredom is a *lot* worse. And what's more, I'd started having dreams about being back at school. Associations with uniforms... not good.
Then something pretty magical happened yesterday. As I pulled on two items I was already heartly sick of seeing, I must have said something aloud. Before I knew it, my eldest daughter had bounced up to me with the following items:
- a bright red and white stripey scarf
- A chunky gold necklace
- A printed silk square
- Her own bright pink and silver hair tie
Pick up any high street women's magazine and it'll tell you a few accessories can change what you wear, but in my case it took a cheerful 4 year old to point out the obvious. I've also discovered, much to my chagrin, that I'm much more easily bored and more narcissistic than I'd ever admit in public. Ah...
Oddly, I'm also thinking much more about clothes, not less. I don't diet (I like food too much), but it occurs to me this must be what it feels like to diet. Swinging from feeling virtuous to deprived to somewhere in the middle.
Whatever, I'm back in. Bring it on week 2, show me what you got."
