I recently declared my cobalt blouse a seldom worn item. In fact, it had gone unworn for well over a year because I went off cobalt and preferred stiff shirts over soft blouses. But I never stopped liking the blouse, so I kept it. The fabric is luxurious and I adore the fit. I assumed I’d wear it again when the mood struck me.
No sooner had I declared the piece “seldom worn” than it came back into frequent rotation. Suddenly I found myself missing the blouse whenever it was at the cleaners. That’s how frequently I’ve been wearing it over the last few months.
It’s interesting how your feelings about a certain item in your wardrobe can change over time. In this case, our unseasonably mild weather has been particularly blouse-friendly. My increased need to incorporate soft and pretty pieces into my outfits has shifted me away from my masculine shirts and towards my blouses. Wearing the blouse with a refreshed jeans capsule has made it feel new. And I have fallen back in love with cobalt blue.
Here are two combinations (with the exact pieces from my wardrobe) that I was wearing most frequently with the blouse before the weather turned cold. I particularly liked the cobalt paired with sour greens and warm cognac:
Combination 1
Combination 2
I think the point here is that if you love an item, you should hesitate to pass it on if it falls out of rotation. There is quite a high likelihood that items will come back into favour when there are changes in the internal and external factors that impact your style.
That’s exactly what happened here. I’m glad that I held on to the item. If I passed it on using the “purge what you haven’t worn in the last year” guideline, I wouldn’t have a favourite blouse!
