Comfort clothes. Baggy sweatshirts, shapeless old sweaters, mangy bathrobes. Faded colors, flaked off letters, holes, strings, missing buttons and broken zippers. Frayed collars, cutoff sleeves. Old friends. Stretched out, broken-in soft. Cozy. Non-binding, forgiving.
Everyone has a couple of these pieces. Stuff you wear on snow days. Bad days. Need-a-hug days. Broken heart weekends. These pieces won't lengthen your legs, suck in your gut or boost your bust, but they will never end up in a landfill.
I have an old cherry red terry bathrobe with strings hanging from the collar, sleeves and belt. In addition to an embroidered bouquet of daisies on the pocket it also sports a quarter-sized hole at the right shoulder seam. But it's warm and thirsty like a bath towel, always welcoming. The robe has no stories to tell, has never lead a double life. It's never traveled outside of the dryer.
I bought it many years ago to wrap myself in after summer showers. When asked if I plan to replace it, my response is "not really." I usually find wads of tissues, earplugs, tweezers, and eyeglasses in the pockets. Never a vial of Chanel No. 5 or a Cartier "Love" bracelet.
It's shabby but familiar. My old friend. I guess I could trim the strings and repair the hole, but who does it have to impress? It's here for me when I'm tired and hungry. It's here when I can't decide, when I don't want to decide, when I couldn't care less, and when I care too much.
What's your favorite piece of comfort clothing? What do you wear when you're diving into a bowl of your favorite comfort food? What do you reach for when you're recharging at home - relaxing your head? I'd love to know!
1 comment:
My old, black (now off-black) French Connection sweater...not quite turtle, not quite cowl-necked... an incredible cotton/linen/silk blend...just long enough to cover what needs to be covered. I wore it all over Paris back in '94 when it was still relatively new. I still pull it out a few times every winter.
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