Replacing Key Pieces

Oh, le sigh.

I know you can feel me on this, boys and girls.
We all have our absolute staple pieces, our wardrobe go-to workhorses that we pull out again and again and again because they fit, they’re made well, and we feel confident in them.

For me, black pants with a slight flare are that piece, and I need to replace pretty much all of them. They’ve been loyal to me for many seasons but the seams are finally falling apart, the hems are worn, the fabric is worn and shiny in areas, and they look bad.

It is so tempting then, to go out and buy the first pair of black pants that fit, but that’s no solution. The best idea when you’re classic pieces are failing you is to try to replace them as exactly as you can. That means taking a look at the tags. First of all, does the company still make this garment? Is it made of the same material (don’t count on it, research it!)? If the store no longer carries it (as it likely won’t if your garments are more than a few years old), can you find it on-line? Check e-Bay, check the store’s web site, do some legwork.

T-shirts are another staple of most of our wardrobes and I have some rules for my own: they need to have some stretch to them, they need not to be all boxy and square, nor can they be too fitted, they have to have a generous sleeve that isn’t big and ugly and floppy, and they need to have good coverage for the bazoom area. That’s a lot of requirements! I am a pretty expert stain removing laundress by now (Zout is fantastic, but I really love the Spray n’ Wash stain stick that I can no longer find in the market — maybe they realized the ridiculosity of naming a STAIN STICK “SPRAY n’ Wash?”), but there are finally some stains that just don’t come out. When that happens, the T-shirt gets made into rags. It’s a huge pain to shop for replacements but it has to be done, as I reach for that black or white or bright pink T too often not to have one at the ready. Since manufacturers change their design and fabric and color choices constantly (not to mention price!), I can’t just rely on old favorites. The slogging through various sites to find non-frumpy plus-sized T-shirts is time I must spend unless I want to be depressed every time I pull that shirt over my head.

It’s not fun shopping, but just think about your mom taking you to the store for your back-to-school shoes. Think that was a barrel of laughs for her? No, but it had to be done because your old shoes no longer fit you or they were falling apart and your mother loved you too much to send you off for the day looking like a hobo.

L.L. Bean Care Free Unshrinkable T-Shirts (because, you know, if you wear this, you won’t have to worry about global warmings, nuclear meltdowns in Japan, war in the Middle East, or the economy)