Think About Fabrics - Maintenance, Allergies, etc.
A few years back, I ditched cotton button down shirts in favor of silk blouses, or lace blouses in rayon or cotton because I didn't want to be bothered with the chore of ironing a cotton button down shirt for at least 15 to 20 minutes to get it pressed perfectly. Not to mention that upon wear, cotton shirts would wrinkle in a few hours, so only your morning look is neat. I know that some people favor the wrinkle free shirts, but they are not health nor environmentally friendly. Now silk shirts do require ironing if you hang them in a cramped closet (further reason for me and you to de-clutter more), but the ironing is just steaming for a minute or so.
Some people may not enjoy silk as they may consider it high maintenance as you can't put it in the wash. However, I just wash my shirts in the delicate wash and then hang dry. I don't dry clean them as the chemicals damage and weaken the materials, and it is costly. The only item I dry clean is my wool coats. Another trick that I do is to buy shirts in a soft, flowy sort of cotton or rayon that doesn't require crisp ironing. There are also blouses that are made in a wrinkled material, so the ruched, wrinkled look is part of the look, and they require no ironing, except for the collar. Personally, I even stay away from collars as much as possible as I don't find them ladylike and dislike ironing them, and because it is not necessary to have another collar if you are wearing a suit jacket.
I used to wear winter wool pants, but had to wear a thick pair of tights under to stop my skin from itching, even when the pants were lined. That seemed silly as I could not wear these pants unless the weather was under 40 degrees. Not to mention, I had a few mishaps where I shrunk the pant and the lining was longer than the pant. I do have a few pants that are a small percentage of season-less wool fabric, but these don't itch due to the blend, can be washed and dried in the delicate cycle and can be worn in the winter or summer. Mostly, I choose cotton-rayon blend pants as they don't wrinkle as easily as pure cotton, and they can be washed.
I also cannot wear wool or even cashmere close to my skin even if it 5% content as I have high sensitivity (unbearable, itchy skin after just a few minutes of wear), so I am donating some brand new items. I can wear cashmere with a layer of cotton or silk under, but it take at least two layers of cothing before I can wear regular wool or merino wool. Even with layers, since I cannot wear these items in the spring or fall by themselves, it seems like just a nuisance and high maintenance to have items that can just be worn for two months in the winter season when it is very cold. It is better to layer with 3 cotton or rayon shirts, which can later be worn separately when the weather warms up. I also have some lovely velvets in rayon and polyester that are quite warm for the winter. I wash them inside out and dry on delicate or hang dry. I know that polyester is bad for the environment, but with my sensitive skin and living in NY where winter gets cold, I have to bend on this one.
Our appearance should be well thought out, but look effortless and not require most of our morning. I used to have to change my clothing several times due to sensitivity. Even rough stitching bothers me. What we wear does is an expression of ourselves, sends a message to the world, and does affect how we feel about ourselves, but if it is more stress getting dressed than feeling the benefits of a nice outfit, it is time to streamline or rethink your wardrobe. So this week, I'm coming through my storage closet to see if I have any items that are lingering that are just too high maintenance or that irritates my skin.
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