Fall wardrobe planning: It’s not too early…

I tend to buy fairly classic clothing in multiples. For example, I have 5 blue shirts — 3 are lightish blue and 2 are a less lightish blue (oh, rebel me!) — 3 white shirts and one light reddish shirt, plus a few other colours I rarely wear — maroon, teal, midnight blue — but felt compelled to purchase for some reason.

But, as of today, I don’t have a solid black shirt, a brown shirt, a pink shirt or a blue and white striped shirt. (In addition to a bunch of other items that I have not wore in a year or so.) These are important shirts in my wardrobe planning and I feel bereft. The reason: I cleaned out my closet and donated a bunch of stuff to Goodwill.

I lost a fair bit of weight about 5 or 6 years ago and did a pretty big purge then. (And a pretty big shop, too!) But over the last few years I have gone down a further size or two in tops — but not pants, oddly enough. I’ve still wore many of the tops last season, but they are just too big and I decided it was time to take a good look at what actually fit properly.

The “good look” resulted in a much more spacious closet.

But now I am stressing about finding new shirts that meet my (very rigid) criteria. My usual suspects: Lands End, Eddie Bauer and LL Bean don’t seem to have the shirts I like in the colours I require. Well, there is a black shirt at Eddie Bauer that looks okay, but it has white buttons. I don’t enjoy that much contrast in a shirt. (I know, I know — I don’t seem this rigid in real life — and I am not — but I am indeed this difficult in matters sartorial.)

I fear now I may have to brave the shops. I rarely venture beyond The Bay in my shopping in real life — as opposed to online, where I do about 80 per cent of my clothes shopping. But The Bay isn’t Eatons (oh, how I miss you Eatons)…and The Bay seems to never have my size in anything I want. (Nothing more soul-destroying than finding something you love in all the sizes except yours…)

Talbots seems to have some shirts that might work. Yeah, I know, Talbots. I’ve also had some success with Brooks Brothers lately. I think this means something….what, I don’t want to think about any more than necessary.