Basic Black

Shopping is generally something you enjoy or you don’t. Some people love to shop for fun; seeing new clothes and finding something unexpected that they want is enjoyable and they can spend hours checking out different stores. Others shop with purpose; they go to stores specifically because they need something and want to be in and out of a store within ten minutes. I fall into the former category: I enjoy shopping.

Shopping for clothes is a two-step process for me. First I have to find something I want at a store, and then second I have to see how it fits into my wardrobe. I like trying my new item with my own garments and shoes and seeing what goes with what; and while this process can take some time to do, it’s fun to see different clothing combinations. Because a single clothing item can look very different depending on how you put it all together, and what you choose to wear with it can make a huge difference in the final look.

Recently I bought a black wool skirt at a thrift shop. Really, black is the staple color; a black pair of pants, a black skirt, a black dress, a black jacket, a black top or a black pair of shoes—it’s practically impossible to go wrong with the color black. Black goes with everything but I didn’t have a good basic black skirt in my closet. I had a cheap black polyester pencil skirt left over from years ago that I practically never wore, so it was time to get a nicer black skirt that I would wear. And of course after I bought my new basic black pencil skirt, I went home and tried on various tops and shoes to go with the skirt to see what would look good with it. I think it’ll be a very useful garment from here on out.