Cheap Wardrobe Staples

I have read that Gwyneth Paltrow adores $200 t-shirts and her GOOP followers gobble them up.  The thought astounds me.  I would surmise that after one or two wearings, I would dribble some food or splash some sauce on mine and it would be forever stained.  Hence, my fondness for cheap cotton versions.


Fallah's is the store I go to in order to pick up cheap "base-wear" such as the sleeveless tanks I favor under open blouses almost every day.  Because it's so cold here, plus office heating is inconsistent, and there seems to be no universal preference you can settle on in any office, I find the only solution is to wear layers.  At my old job, I was constantly chided for taking off my blouse and working in a tank top on even the coldest days.  It would be cold to start when I got in well before others.  Then when the place filled up and my over-crowded work-space was crammed with six or so people, it got really warm.

My supply of short and long sleeved t's has been insufficient. I admit this is partly due to weight gain (which I am trying to address).  I was able to stock up this week because Fallah's is having a huge winter clearance.  Each of the t's cost $1.50 -- so I won't be too put out if I'm wearing one and my latest saute sends some grease flying.

I picked up a really cheap plaid smock type shirt/short dress.  It's ugly and I have a version in pink.  I wore the pink one almost every day on vacation.  I went swimming, then put it on to go into the cafe to eat breakfast.  It hung on the back of my lounge chair and I put it on to eat lunch.  Having spent $3.99 on it, I felt I had gotten my money's worth.  The one I bought this week was two bucks.  Both will serve the same purpose at camp.  Maybe one of these days, if I am ambitious enough, I will cut it apart at the seams and use it as a pattern to sew one in nicer fabric.

My life is very casual these days and I do like it that way.  I still have nicer stuff from my more professional office days, but I like being able to wear clothes that I can get rid of once I ruin them.  I'd like to think I am a tidy person, but my true self is a slob.  It's not intentional, but stains just seem to find me.   I'll probably keep going through my buck-fifty cheap t's and not worry about them at all.  And by the way, I do own an apron -- I just don't always remember to wear it!