Compliments – Delight 25

I have some ‘nice clothes’ that I’ve been wearing less because I’m saving for “special occasions.” The reality is I’m not in a season of life where there aren’t many special occasions. I enjoy my small, curated wardrobe with more classic pieces than fast fashion. I ‘shop my closet’ often, which means after many years of wearing the same clothes, I still manage to come up with new combinations and every time I do that, it’s a delight!

This month reminds me that plain, everyday days are special, and so lately I’ve chosen to wear my nice clothes to work. Today I paired an orange, three quarter sleeved jacket from The Limited circa 2010 with a gifted black denim Calvin Klein dress with the most amazing swirly skirt. The office I work in chills me to the bone, so I added a long-sleeve undershirt over a tank top. I also wore wool tights. I felt comfy and stylish.

I passed a colleague in the hallway, and he said, Nice jacket! Later, on a stairway on the trek back from the third-floor café, another colleague told me she liked my dress.

It is not vanity that makes these compliments a delight. It is a sense of feeling seen in clothes that make me feel comfortable in my own skin. Thirteen-year-old Julie hadn’t achieved that sense of well-being. Shoot, 39-year-old Julie was still working on it, but present-day Julie feels good in nearly everything she wears. A few words of affirmation always help.