Wardrobe Woes

One of the hardest things about moving overseas for thirteen months has been leaving such a substantial part of my wardrobe behind. (Illustration of "substantial": I asked my little sister to bring me a certain pair of pants when she came to visit me in Denmark over Christmas and New Years. I was on the phone with her while she went into my bedroom and I tried to instruct her on likely places where she could find the pants I wanted. After looking for about ten minutes with me getting more and more desperate and irritated on the other end of the phone, she gave up. She gave a loud, frustrating sigh into the phone and remarked "Did you actually bring any clothes with you!?" Yes, I did. Three big suitcases full. And my drawers in the states were still overflowing. Like I said, substantial. Not an understatement.)

It was such a challenge to pack clothes for thirteen months and two seasons (one being the dreaded Scandinavian Winter the other being the mild Danish "rest of the year," during which the weather fluctuates between high 40s at night and mid 60s during the day) into three suitcases. (Iceland Air allows two. I enlisted my dad to come with me and act as a pack mule for the third.) But, with my best friend Michele's "expert" help, I managed the daunting (and fairly quixotic) task and, in the end, was proud of myself for being realistic in what I brought. I had to choose pieces that were classic enough to wear frequently (in other words, all trendier, bold colored or designed, or less-oft worn items had to stay stateside), well made, and capable of being worn during different times of the year (ahem, LAYERS). So far, I've been pretty satisfied with what I've brought. Yeah, of course I've bought some new stuff here, but more or less I've actually been able to create and remain entertained with a variety of outfits out of my three suitcases for the past ten months.

That's not to say, unfortunately, that I haven't missed certain items. There have been a number of occasions that I've longed for my three strand turquoise and wood necklace, knowing it would be a perfect accessory for my outfit du jour. (Check it out in the left hand picture of me in the pink cardigan. Painfully, that picture was taken last time I was in Denmark (in 2006)... a time I look back upon fondly not least because I had my fun necklace! That pink cardigan made it back for Denmark: Second Round, by the way.)

Also, I've had a number of terrible pink pants pangs. I have two pairs of pink pants stateside (who doesn't need multiple pairs of pink pants, right?). One pair is summer weight and hot pink from J.Crew (check them out in the vintage picture of me (from Sophomore year of college!) at the right. Note my bling-tastic gold belt and heels. haha. I think I was also carrying a gold clutch that night. Glam!). The other is a pair of dusty rose chinos from American Eagle Outfitters that fit like a dream (this was the pair I was trying to instruct my sister to find because it is a heavier weight and much more practical when it comes to sheer "number of times it is possible to wear taking into account the weather, etc." in Denmark). I have missed both pink pairs a number of times during my time here. Probably because they would both go great with my largely black and white top collection, though would also look great with my recent found love for brown.

Finally, I have this yellow a-line shirt with a very faint flower pattern on it. I miss this too, though I think it's largely because one of my American coworkers has the same skirt and I feel a pang of longing every time she wears it. Dumbly, I brought only one a-line skirt with me to Denmark (black). I also miss my white eyelet one. :(

The only good thing that will come from all this wardrobe woe-ing is that I know when I get back to the U.S. it will feel like I have tons of new clothes again. The options will be endless... for about two days... because after that time, the jet lag will wear off and I'll probably head straight to the mall to celebrate how rich I am on the kroner to dollar paycheck exchange. I'll spend it all, one fell swoop, guaranteed. :)