Wardrobe Woes

A long time ago, I turned anti-consumerist, anti-clutter and all that sort of thing. And I wrote this: http://merablogpadho.wordpress.com/2007/02/10/the-happiness-sale/

Then, a few months later, as the proud owner of a clean wardrobe, I wrote this: http://merablogpadho.wordpress.com/2007/05/19/girlie-gyan/

Now, on the verge of getting married, as a proud owner of a collection of clothes-that-have-last-through-the-ages, I write this...

Before we begin, let me hasten to add that the two posts referred to above are not contradictory. The 'ideal wardrobe' is more about essentials than about numbers. It's about knowing what you want to wear than about actually having more than you need.

This said, let me now talk about the problem at hand...

I am about to get married (those who didn't know this yet please raise your hands!). This in essence means that I shall be under public scrutiny for about three days. So, I have had to shop for saris of all kinds. From ultra heavy jhatka gold to light weight no gold please! This is a collection of about a dozen saris, none of which I shall either wear or carry with me once I move out.

I have a few weeks of vacation after that. This means I need jeans, capris, t-shirts and kurtis and all that sort of thing. All my jeans are now ripped at the hem at last. While I interpret that to mean that they've reached the most respectable phase of their career, my mother views it as an inability to provide her daughter with clothes that are not torn. Add a couple of pairs of jeans to that shopping list then...

The last t-shirt I bought was quite a few months ago. All t-shirts in the wardrobe have either been absorbed into moms collection of dusters or will be by March. Same goes for the kurti's. Add items to shopping cart.

I've had a new job for the last three months, with a new dress code of salwar kameez (formals, actually, but no one around seems to be wearing them). I wear only the cotton, run colour, need starch and hand wash variety. All salwars are worn out, and have not been replenished for a while. I need to spend a couple of weeks playing good bahu, cannot wear jeans. Add low maintenance salwar kameez to the list.

Has a pattern begun to emerge? I believe it has. No woman worth her mascara would admit it, but here I do. I need clothes, but I am in no mood to shop... Why do guys have it so easy?