How Do These Bad Clothing Decisions Happen?

You know when you see an item and instantly feel a deepseated urge to possess it?

Once upon a time I went to a home fashion party (specializing in lace and frou-frou) and admired a floral tapestry jacket. It was patterned blowsy pink and gold roses and green leaves and made of a stiff fabric with brass buttons.

(It was the early nineties, so let's ignore the fact that such an item is now hopelessly out of fashion. )

I wanted it. I liked the way it looked on me. I went to a second party and still wanted it. I don't recall the price tag, but back then I had very little cash to call my own so let's call it relatively expensive.

When I ended up getting the jacket as a present from Jeff I glowed with happiness!

And yet I've worn it perhaps five times in the last fifteen years. It's been sitting at the back of the closet accusingly for the past decade.

I've decided to give it away in the local charity clothing drive. It is sitting awaiting its fate in one of four big yellow garbage bags sitting out in the garage.

Why? Why did something I hankered after so much lose its shine when I actually owned it?

I just don't know, I sighed deeply to Jeff. I thanked him again for getting it for me. It made me happy once. But I just know I will never wear it.

Well, I can partially justify letting it go because it is sized XS, which I am no longer --I could wear it but it would be deeply uncomfortable to stretch out my arms or button it up properly.

But its more about I am NOT a floral-tapestry kind of person. I don't think I was even back then.

I'm afraid there are a lot of ultimately bad clothing decisions lurking in my closet even now. But I've whittled it down to fewer.

For instance, here are four bags of clothes. Jeff started the purge first and collected two bags of clothing items to give away, and I decided to match him.