My closet

When I was little, I remember having a series of recurring nightmares and one lovely recurring dream. I had a closet growing up that was beautiful. There were two drawers underneath it, which were deep and wide with silver knobs to pull them out. The floor of the closet was atop these lower drawers about 18 inches off the ground. The left and right sides of the closet had 4 levels of shelves – each one had about a yard of depth and width. The top shelf was a U-shape with 90 degree corners that wrapped around the walls. It was the prefectheight to store the most precious or perhaps least used items. When you opened the doors and look straight-on into the closet there was a bar just below the top shelf to hold hanging clothing. I know just how I would fill the closet if I had it now.

One morning when I think I was 6 or 7 years old I lay in bed before I woke up and tried to plan my outfit for school. As I imagined the closet, I noticed that right in the middle of my bar of clothing, hung three brand new dresses.

How did these get here? How did I overlook these as options in the past?

I struggled with the decision of which dress to wear and finally selected a jewel neck, a-line, knee-length dress with puffed short sleeves. The white cotton fabric was dotted with tiny rosebuds in cherry red, sapphire blue and sunny yellow with Kelly green leaves and stems. I’d planned to pair it with a pair of black Mary-Janes and was just considering barrettes when I woke-up. I was so excited about the dress I’d dreamed of and felt so lucky and excited to get dressed. I leaped out of bed and flung open the mirrored doors of the closet and instead of the three beautiful dresses, which I just now realized had been a dream, there was my regular assortment of clothes.

As a 30 year-old woman, I often lay in bed as I break from sleep to wake and think about what to wear. Generally, I try to select from my imaginary wardrobe rather than my actual one, which is far more fun.

As the weather gets more crisp, I know just what looks I would build with my also imaginary budget –the two basic outfits that would inform the entire collection would be – feminine men’s wear and super cozy, rich, ultra feminine outfits with punky, mod details sprinkled in. 1) A Neo-Katharine Hepburn, men’s wear inspired ensemble with a creamy or fawny-colored wide leg pant and matching fitted vest, which I would pair with a pair of patent quilted heels and a fitted, tailored shirt in a poppy, punch color, and for a final touch, small pearl earrings and long loose curls. 2) Would be a tulip skirt in black and a fitted camel colored cashmere sweater, some rusty or tangeriney flats and a cream-colored cocoon shaped, knee-length coat. These two staples would build the foundation for the season – the palette is creams, camels, blacks, golds, and grays with orange and pink pops. The fabrics would be cozy cashmeres, quilted leather, wools and silks.

I'm kind of amazed when I think about the fact that I have been having these fashion (day & night) dreams for the last 25 years. Maybe I have found the business I was meant for.