indecision - a long, skippable ramble



Had lunch today with a friend today, and we got to talking about clothes. We agreed that more and more so, we were learning that the "wardrobe must-haves" decreed by fashion magazines were becoming less and less a cliche, and more often than not, they were very useful things that make a girl/woman's life so much easier.

A smart black tailored jacket, tailored black trousers, a black pencil skirt, a white shirt, the perfect white t-shirt, a little black dress (both casual and formal), a stack of reliable cardigans, black pumps - these were things we agreed counted as necessities.

I've so far escaped actually needing any of this because I can get away with dressing like a student for my work, but a simple switch of job and I could find myself, like my friend, REQUIRING this stuff in my life to make a good impression, while looking good.

I am thinking about all this because I am right now in the middle of pondering over two things at Zara. Because I have planned for two dive trips in September, I need to mind my budget and I've decided I can only buy one. And one falls into this classic-classics category.

One is a lovely black tux jacket, narrow in the shoulder and waist, cut long in a way that somehow streamlines my hips, trimming my broad shoulders but still comfortable to move in, lightweight-ish in material. It's a very reasonable S$159, and a classic - it will look smart when I need it to look smart, and it will look pretty cool with a short dress or jeans.

The problem(s)? It's very hot here, so a jacket is never a necessity. And, in my 10 months of work (and two years of working in the same line while an undergraduate), I've never needed a jacket. A jacket is also as nowhere as versatile as one of my countless cardigans, because it can't be rolled up and tossed into a bag, and I'm on the go a lot.


But it fits, and jackets rarely fit me well. I have long arms, broad shoulders, small-ish head - a jacket that somehow harmonises all that is precious indeed. But a precious I don't need.

The other Zara gem is a denim tulip skirt - a beautiful shade of blue, made of butter-soft, well-washed denim, with delicate folds that flow but still cut with structure, and POCKETS. It sits beautifully on the waist, and hits the spot just above the knee, a good length for me.

I love tulips skirts, and have trouble finding one that fits the way I like it. Tulip + denim = ACNE/Lanvin collaboration, but at a more affordable S$125. It's a classic with a twist, something I see myself loving and wearing often, good for work days and weekends, goes well with the things in my wardrobe as it is.


Should I buy the classic-classic, which for once, fits me and I love, but I will find little occasion to wear? Or the classic-with-a-twist which I will wear often, but will not quite contribute the occasion-appropriate touch (in the conventional sense) which my wardrobe is so lacking in.

I can buy both, and then eat grass when I pay for my dive trips.

Is this one of those rare, stars-in-alignment moments where there are actually not one but TWO perfect things that I shouldn't pass up?

(By now, I am annoying myself with my inability to decide)

I can't believe I am having a shopping dilemma. I have enough and I love what I own - I want to give myself a good smack because if I go into shops and try on stuff telling myself that I just need to get it out of my system, then this sort of headache is bound to happen.

I have a feeling I'm going to end up all passive-aggressive about this and REFUSE to buy either, and then spend plenty of time regretting this later, months and years from now.

Image from xkcd

Comments

Anonymous said…
holy cow, i could have written those last 2 paragraphs myself!
Anonymous said…
Oh man, you sound like me. I think you should go for the one you will wear more... Or ask yourself if you buy one, will you regret not having the other? If yes, maybe it's time to splurge on both?

Good luck!
khaylis said…
i've often bought pieces that in theory are perfect i.e. the perfect jacket, the perfect pair of shoes, the perfect beaded blouse that will supposedly complete your wardrobe. and now they hang, perfectly, at the back of my closet. i vote for the tulip skirt. both classic and utterly wearable.
Hebden said…
I'd get the tulip skirt...it sounds like true love, the jacket sounds like a passion that will fade.
yanqin said…
k-k-khaylis and hebden: Thanks for voting :) I did think as I wrote about the tulip skirt, my love intensified. And I totally identify with the "in theory perfect" item.

unwise pedestrian: Thanks for the advice, shall think it over as I make a shopping trip next week, since I've had no time to do so this week.

up and down town: Hahaha, glad someone understood what I pretty much was me typing frenziedly trying to organise my thoughts.

To all: sorry for not responding earlier, as have been buried under work, and too exhausted to get dressed without throwing up, let alone shop.
Elizabeth said…
I vote for staying in the now. Buy the tulip skirt that you can actually use today. The thing is, you need it today. It's current today.

If you get another job that requires jackets, you can worry about getting one then, when you need it, and you can get it tailored if you need to.

Just my two cents.
Anonymous said…
my vote goes to the tulip skirt. It will be something you can wear to death and you'd have already "cover" the cost of the skirt.

As for the blazer, i do understand the need for one AT TIMES but it's not something you'd wear everyday. i've been contemplated getting a blazer too but the weather here just wont allow me to. Thou many will disagree, but i cant stand the heat! and yes a cardigan is so much easier to throw into the bag.

If u have to buy, get the one you can wear now.
yanqin said…
enc and pinktuutuu: thanks for the advice, it actually makes a lot of sense - i think i just got carried away of the notion of being sharply and chicly tailored.

I've actually made up my mind, but perversely enough, work has kept me from shopping.

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