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My Quarantine Closet

Why I said goodbye to “real” clothes, leaving only slippers and sweats

My closet is my happy place. I’ll often just stand in it, flicking through the tightly packed velveteen hangers. Moving from right to left across the rail, vintage silk blouses give way to skirts (mini, then midi), then a troop of black trousers, a pack of floral print dresses and finally, an army of blazers. Above, stacks of vintage jeans are catalogued by wash, then make. 

My computer desktop is a mess of random screenshots and lazily named files. But my closet is hyper organized and obsessively edited. Twice a year, the epic event of transitioning my wardrobe for the changing season is my version of the Holy Days. My closet reflects a love of clothes that’s deep and unquestioning. The stuff within it, collected over years for a life of ambition and purpose, is a daily source of self-fulfilment. Some can name the song that played when they fell in love. I can name the dress. 

As the coronavirus forces me to spend more time at home than I ever thought possible, I’ve hardly set foot in my closet. On normal mornings, I’d slide open the frosted glass door, stand before the rails and pose the contents a question: “Who’s up next?” I’d juggle considerations of occasion, weather and mood, often planning my outfits the night before. A good outfit would make me feel pleasingly at ease. A bad one would deflate me. Now, my awaiting wardrobe feels like an affront to reality; a pointless vanity in unprecedented times. 

“It’s time to give in to sweatpants,” my boyfriend said one evening. And so I did. If my clothes are an image of the life I lead, then I had to make some changes. Just as I remove sweaters in April to make way for linen smocks, I’d transform my closet to fit my new insular life. One afternoon, I removed all the dresses, packing them into a low dresser drawer usually reserved for gym wear. The blazers moved into a coat closet. Heels, mules (my true shoe-love) and slouchy suede boots were packed into useless suitcases and hidden high above my head. I packed every purse into its dust bag, like furniture draped in old bed sheets. Out of sight, out of mind. If I can’t see that bespoke charcoal wool suit, then I won’t think of the places I can’t wear it.

work from home clothes
Liz GuberThe before (left) and after of my quarantine closet

I methodically restocked my closet with my new staples. Cotton knits replaced silk button-downs, I dedicated a quarter of the rail room to sleepwear and the shoes—so many shoes—were replaced by four pairs of slippers and three pairs of sneakers.

There’s probably a case to be made for defiance. For wearing your best stuff for just you (and your Zoom meeting); for not giving into pill-y sweats and the same T-shirt three days in a row. But it turns out that my clothes need a stage and an audience. Within the same four walls of my home, I’m content with a small rotation of simple basics. 

A few days after the big clean-out, I connected with Sammi Smith, the Toronto-based designer of the dreamy loungewear line Soft Focus. Smith’s robes, slips and sets are made of drape-y Tencel and come in crisp, encouraging shades like lemon and rosy pink. There has perhaps never been a better time to consider her wares, which Smith created when she transitioned from the corporate world to freelance. “People are struggling with so many things right now, and style doesn’t feel like it should be a priority,” she says. “But it can be a way to find your way back to yourself when life feels out of balance.”

What I lost in flash I’ve gained in comfort. Pre-quarantine, I’d willingly bind myself into leather trousers and run around the city in kitten heels until the balls of my feet went numb. I’d also spend unquantifiable units of mental energy on clothes—thinking of what to wear, what to retire, what to buy. COVID-19 has distanced me from my preoccupation with fashion. 

Like everyone else, I do think about the great “after.” When the time comes to restore my closet to its former state, will I be able to refill the summer dresses and lightweight jackets? Or will I have to revert right back to sweaters? Will I dress more casually, even out in the world? Will we all? 

For now, although it looks a little different, my closet once again serves a purpose. I wouldn’t quite call it a happy place. It’s a space I enter with intent, sliding open the door and surveying the soft, comforting contents to ask, “Who’s up next?”
 

work from home clothes
Soft FocusSoft Focus lounge shirt, $180, insoftfocus.com

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work from home clothes
EverlaneEverlane sweatshirt, $59, everlane.com

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work from home shoes
CoachCoach slippers, $248, coach.com

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