Quarantine Declutter and Questionable Gym Clothes

Well, it seems it’s time to declutter already. Having gone through the Wardrobe Overhaul only a few months ago, I didn’t see this coming. But staying in the house all the time means my pajamas are taking a beating.

Three of my pajama tees were admittedly old and stretched out, but I kept on wearing them until the holes got utterly ridiculous. Every time I washed them I’d think, “Well, I’ll wear it just one more time.” And it went on that way for far too long. I’ve finally drawn a line in the sand. Here are the shirts, as well as some crime scene photos of the damage.

Then there was the black T-shirt I’d demoted from OOTH (out of the house) clothes to pajamas. It seemed a little too big at the time so I downgraded it. And then I was doing a load of white towels with bleach and I somehow got bleach on said shirt. It’s always a mystery to me how this happens- I’m so careful pouring it in, but then maybe somehow as I’m changing the load to the dryer I inevitably end up with bleach on my clothes. I’ve finally resorted to stripping down completely naked when washing whites. Anyhoo, the bleach not only stained this black T-shirt pink in spots, but it also actually burned a hole right through the fabric, rendering it too far gone, even as a pajama shirt.

My remaining 4 pajama tees are all white and do have these annoying little holes where the pocket meets the shirt, but I’m still wearing them anyway. I justify this by thinking, “Well, no one sees me anyway,” and pointing out those rising numbers of COVID cases once again (why people think the whole pandemic thing is over is beyond me).

But even with the 4 white pocket tees, I still needed a few more to get through the week between laundry sessions. Rather than buying new T-shirts (I still don’t know where my weight will settle), I decided it would make more sense to downgrade some of my OOTH tees (I’m trying to make this anagram a thing- OOTH for “out of the house”). For some reason I was paralyzed by these decisions: Which ones? How many? I’d bought these two white ones to replace those other 2 white ones, but those are still good and actually fit better. I’d downgraded one of the black ones and bleached it already- doesn’t that mean the second black one has to be downgraded, too? These are questions any normal person wouldn’t even bother asking, and yet I found myself flabbergasted.

I tried on all the T-shirts for Matt: yes, those have a nice neckline and sleeve and are newer, but those old ones seem to fit better. Maybe just downgrade 2 of them? The 2 blue ones or the 2 white ones? Or one of each? “Kristin! No one cares!” I’d scream at myself. “It doesn’t matter!” But this made it all somewhat harder. I mean, how do I decide when it doesn’t even matter?

I finally settled on moving all 4 ballet-neck tees (2 white and 2 blue) to the pajama drawer. They’re a major improvement on the ones that had holes in them, and they’re nice and oversized. I subsequently threw one in the dryer and freaked out when it shrunk a tiny bit, but I’ve recovered.

Throughout this major transition, I felt the need to reassure myself that there are, in fact, other T-shirts out there. I checked Old Navy and there were several options. I always go for the slub-knit, loose-fit, scoop or crew neck ones, and they still make plenty, some even in normal colors.

LOFT was disappointing in the T-shirt department, as they seem to have discontinued their production of “Vintage Soft” tees- the ones I love. But J. Crew has an interesting option, and I got an online ad for Pact tees, which have a slub knit and a wide neckline (and are sustainably made).

Aside from T-shirts, I have also had to address the issue of leggings. My Calvin Klein cotton ones are just too big and have to go.

So I decided to go straight to the Danskin website and seek out a pair like the other Danskins that I own and love. I checked the fabric composition of mine and couldn’t find an exact match on the site, but came up with something close. They looked right, aside from a logo on the back, so I hoped for the best and shelled out $40 plus $5.99 for shipping.

Well, they were not the right ones and had to be returned. They were thin and shiny, nothing like the heavy, matte pairs I already have. I’m sure this has something to do with the fact that mine came from Marshalls, and we all know that the stuff from Marshalls and T.J. Maxx is never the same as the real deal. I had this same experience in the past with Calvin Klein jeans and Adidas sneakers, and I just should have known.

I ordered a secondhand pair from Thredup (when I got my handbag) that have the right fabric content and no logo on the back, so here’s hoping they will be better. I got a size Medium, which seems crazy to me, but we are where we are. I have a Large and an Extra Large and they’re both getting kind of loose. With my discount, they were $9.75.

I only wear leggings to run in, so on weight-lifting days I’ve been wearing some experimental outfits. First, there’s a pair of turquoise shorts that I gave to Matt about 10 years ago and he’s only recently given back (they’ve been too small for me until now). They’re pretty silly-looking, but have come in really handy to get me through the week. I’m not sure I actually want to admit that they’re a part of my wardrobe, so we’ll just keep them between us.

My other avant-garde workout number involves a full body sweater that I used to wear for dance or yoga. It very nearly falls into the category of “I look like a giant baby,” but I’ve given it a pass. It’s all black and gives me the sense that at any minute I might launch into some gymnastics moves I saw on YouTube.

The major development, though, has been that I’ve actually started wearing sports bras to lift weights in. I wear the four larger-sized ones, which less-closely resemble tourniquets than the 4 smaller ones I wear on the treadmill. This means I have 8 sports bras at the moment. The smaller ones were set aside after coming out of storage but are now, dare I say, active.

I also started wearing the cotton pajama shorts from storage but had an incident with one pair where the drawstring broke. I plan on repairing it, but that has yet to happen.

I haven’t been wearing T-shirts to work out in because remember—I don’t see anyone anyway—and the sports bras seem sufficient. As it’s grown colder, I have pulled out my Under Armour base-layer top with the little thumb-holes in the sleeves.

In any case, workouts are still going strong despite my deep loathing for exercise. It’s really the only thing I can count on accomplishing at this point, so it’s the only thing I get dressed for. We still have a long way to go before I get to wear OOTH clothes.