103 Pieces. 25 Pairs. 65 Pounds.

​"Claire" - mixed media on wood, 18" x 6".  Inquiries.  Available at the Olive Stack Gallery.

A couple of familiar faces landed in the gallery yesterday.  

Beset by travel snafus, weather delays and cancelled flights, they persisted until someone by golly made sure they had a seat and pressed the GO button on the plane!  Even the weather here is testing what stuff these lads are made of, as the cold increased, rain is falling and the wind continues to smack us in the faces.  But I am a happy camper, because these ladies brought me soup. :)

This little Jack Russell is another familiar face.  We watched him from the window last August, and he is back at his post as the owner runs in to the local shop. This feisty guy is not deterred by rain and cold.  He barks at every car, but never steps into the road.  I wonder if he sees the fairies there?

I have been living out of half of a suitcase this month (the other half was art supplies).  I brought less clothing than I did last August, even though its colder.  How is this possible?

It is actually another one of the delightful secrets of Ireland (and Europe in general, I am told).  People here (even women, yes WOMEN) do not own a massive closet full of outfits.  Sure, there is less space in most homes and apartments.  Mostly it is the practice of having a few good pieces and wearing them over and over again.

When I am here, I do not suffer the same wardrobe panic that I have at home.  A few good things that all go together, a couple of scarves and jackets, two pairs of boots.  That's it.  I never feel like I have nothing to wear (like at home) and I feel perfectly put together wherever I go.  Why is that?

It isn't expected here to have a new outfit every day or for each event.  No one minds if I wore that sweater yesterday, or even the last three days.  So this got me to researching...

The average American woman has 30 outfits.  One for every day of the month.  About 103 pieces, of which includes 25 pairs of shoes.  They also donate or discard 65 pounds of clothing a year.  That's a lot of clothes!!!  And yet surveys show most American women feel stress opening their closet doors because their clothes are unwearable, too tight, too loose or too new.  And these are women in the most casual fashion country of all, where anything goes and clothing should be easy.

One blogger suggested we ask ourselves one question before acquiring a new piece of clothing: would I want to wear this in Paris?  Ouch.  Out go my comfy weekend pants and that baggy sweatshirt I love.  But it does bring up a great point - how many of us really, really love the clothes in our closet?  Maybe a few stellar pieces (and fewer items in general) would help us answer yes​ to that question.  In the meantime, I am going to wear this sweater one more day.