Guest Spinster: Alexandra Lubensky
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While I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself fashionable, I do normally put at least some minimal thought into what I’m wearing (unless I am running errands in the neighborhood, because after all of the interesting sartorial choices I have seen in Astoria, nothing I own could possibly be deemed embarrassing or inappropriate). The reason for my attention to clothing is that I assume everybody with whom I interact remembers at least (at least!) the last three outfits they have seen me wear. This is not to say that I can claim the same powers of recollection when it comes to other people. Unless you donned taffeta or neon spandex, my mind is blank. But of course everybody else keeps a detailed account of what I wear, and so I must be very strategic when planning out outfits. I am a huge fan of reusing winning combinations. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? A kick-ass jean and blouse duo tested on Thursday is very likely to be trotted out again on Saturday, provided I can guarantee not to see any of the same people. This is where having several distinct friend groups is helpful.
Problems arises when you simply cannot remember what you wore when and where. I don’t know if it is my age or past misdeeds, but my memory for small details is just not what it used to be. Last summer, I found myself spending far too much time retracing my steps and trying to piece together what I was doing on a particular day and what my outfit choice could have possibly been for the occasion. This was eating into precious spinster time that could have been spent taking long walks by myself while listening to Radiolab or catching up on Breaking Bad.
Then I remembered the magic solution to just about any life problem: Excel Spreadsheets. Whenever I feel myself overwhelmed by a task (apartment hunting, pantry management, vacation plans, grad school decisions), I create a spreadsheet. Just this simple act makes me feel accomplished, even if I don’t get any further. My outfit tracker consisted of two columns: date and outfit description. If I were less lazy (and let’s face it, I am EXTREMELY lazy), I would have taken photos every day to provide a visual supplement. Perhaps those of you who are more ambitious may choose to do so (because I know everyone is about to run to their computers and create their very own outfit tracker). I recommend using Google Docs, that way you can access your data from work or home or even on your phone. This is helpful when you’re coming home late and want to make sure you can lay out your clothing for the next day as soon as you get to your room.
All of this is to say, even a spinster needs to make a good impression on others, and you can’t do that if people think you only own one dress (no matter how amazing that dress may be). Tracking your outfits means you can squeeze maximum use out of every winning combination without fear of being called out for your thriftiness (laziness).
