I finally had to find "polyester" clothes that more closely approximated my "cotton" ones. Luckily I don't have to wear makeup to work and my hair will not do anything but lie flat in a bob no matter how badly I heat-and-treat it, so there's no point even in trying to make it "big" (as we are wont to do in the South). I get secondhand cashmere turtlenecks cheaply from the Salvation Army in an expensive part of town and try to keep the rest mix-and-matchable and inconspicuous.

I save the bright colors and wacky stuff made from vintage patterns for weekends. I have a weakness for calico and 1940's housedresses.


I used to wear blue scrubs to my old job, day in and day out. Talk about simplifying. "What shall I wear to day? Navy blue or . . . navy blue?"