Breaking Out of the Shelter in Place Blues
I love clothes. Obviously. Why else would I start a fashion blog. But it didn't occur to me until the pandemic hit how much I tied clothes to adventures and travel. A quilted jacket with a plaid lining is a road trip through New England in the Fall. A blue and white flowing dress, a winding stroll through the narrow walkways of Oia, Greece. A fair isle sweater a trip to the mountains on a snowy weekend. The pandemic hit and all travel plans got put on hold and my interest in creating outfits or online shopping slipped away.
At first I thought it was just because there was nowhere to go, but then I realized that clothes triggered memories of places I’ve been and reminded me of the excitement of going some place new – whether it be a trip, a celebration with friends or a special occasion out on the town. With nowhere to go (near or far), no one to celebrate with and the world on pause it became joyless to look at outfit inspiration or order new clothes. What had been my “mullet” outfits for work (blouses on top, yoga pants on the bottom) slowly started turning into full blown comfort and workout clothes (even though workouts happened far less than I’d like). My look on the outside started to reflect my feelings on the inside (although maybe less dramatically – to be clear, my workout clothes are still pretty cute and matching). This week I told Brendan I think I need to start getting dressed again. My mood has been at an all time low and I’m hoping putting myself together can reawaken some part of me that’s been dormant for the past few months and I’ll begin to feel energized and creative again. Until we can start to plan trips again, I’ll try to start small by planning outfits and looking for adventures in not-so-far-away places while revisiting our travels through photos…
