De Gustibus is a relative concept - De Gustibus e' un concetto relativo

"Dress Casual!", says every store in the mall

I better stop making fun of the Bostonian fashion. In the last six months or so I've noticed a strange phenomena in my wardrobe. It slowly seemed to have changed from a well of colorful treasures to a closet that I can barely recognize. I pick one thing, then another, then another, yet I don't seem to be able to find anything I fancy wearing.

Something similar happened to me when I moved to London. After only a year I was living there, I couldn't help finding stuff that I wasn't keen to wear, mostly large, straight cut, Italian garments in black color. Although classy, they were ideally suited to old Italian widows crying behind a Saint in religious processions! "Io quella pelliccia li' che mi hai dato per Natale non la metto piu'! Guarda che vivo in Inghilterra, non in Italia! De Gustibus Mamma!" (There is no way I will wear that furry coat you have given me for Christmas! I live in England, not in Italy! De Gustibus Mom!).

Amazing how perspectives and matters of taste change relatively to the country where one lives. Winter was not winter in London without me wearing my double-breasted extra small long coat alongside my sleek black leather boots. Similarly, summer was not summer in Ireland without me wearing my Capri pants in khaki color with cargo pockets. Funny how I used to dislike those pants before moving to Ireland! Same with my pairs of bright blue pants (with rope tightened around the waist) that I was wearing constantly when I was living in India. Back in the UK, I was keeping them in my wardrobe hoping to find an occasion to wear them. Few months later, I was hiding the pants in a suitcase on top of my wardrobe.

I now look at the first shelf of my wardrobe and all I am able to find is a pile of long sleeved striped tops. If they don't have big ass stripes either in the colors or in the pattern  - not that the prep thin blue stripes on a cream color from Anthopologie look any better! - they have a washed out look from the colors fading away or some other hippie details which make my clothes look old and worn out. Then on the top shelf, I see a couple of intimidating looking polos starring at me as if they were saying: "I know I am casual but at least I am plain! Go on, wear me! ". Tired of looking at them, my eyes go to the bottom shelf of my wardrobe and I see a large collection of tee-shirts with either sport themes or comics printed on them, the sort of thing which only children would wear these days in Italy. It is cold, maybe I should just put on my North Face jacket. No, that one no! I am lost.

Buy them, wear them and chuck them away. Understood?

Yet another top with stripes, which costs three times more than the others

Here in the US I simply cannot help sticking everything in the washing machine and in the dryer constantly. As a result, the nice sweaters I used to wear (and not wash) in London have now all turned into rags for cleaning floors. How about my pretty tops and dresses from French Connection and Monsoon? Where are they? The answer is in the attic and this is the simple reason why I put them there. What is the point of wearing expensive and uncomfortable clothes to cook spaghetti al ragu', to walk in neighborhoods where there are only houses and few people jogging in sweats and to wash dirty clothes? There simply is no point.

And, to tell you the truth, now that I have a broken sesamoid in my left foot I cannot help but praising the advantages of the Bostonian fashion. Quick and easy and, above all, pain free. Now, if you would like to excuse me, I am going to the nearest mall to see if I can buy more tops with stripes to put in my wardrobe.

UPDATE ON 7 FEBRUARY 2012

At some point I discovered LOFT and Ann Taylor, stores where it is possible to find fairly nice merino wool sweaters.  I started ordering items from them online.

This is the ad they have just sent me today...

Spring Fashion from LOFT