Multiply your options - by buying multiples.

When it comes to getting dressed, I cheat.

I have 4 identical tee-shirts from New Zealand.

I adore them, but they are a pain in the butt to get, one of the reasons I buy several at a time. They have NZ native birds on them, a delicate black etching on a plain white tee. Hey, didn’t it used to be a thing to say “put a bird on it.”? Or was that just in Portland? 

I used to get them from a store in Ponsonby, Auckland, where there are ton of great NZ designers who hopefully will still be there when I go home again. 

Good tees in NZ are pricey - these are long lasting, soft and great quality, with art by a local artist, so they were $65 each. They never go out of style and they’re a neutral, so I can wear them with everything.

I like dramatic clothing, but a simpler tee under a silver jacket with silver pants prevents blinding your friends or being mistaken for a mirror ball. 

Then the store closed down (years ago, remember) and the owners moved to Waiheke, a chilled out island about thirty minutes from Auckland Harbor. Waiheke is known for having its own time zone, so getting the laid-back staff to send me more is a mission. No store and I think they only keep a few at their home. Sigh.

The point of this is: I can a) delay laundry (though really, you should hand wash good tees asap and lie flat, don’t hang) and b) I don’t have to think.

This is always a good thing, as I have a complicated brain.

So, do consider buying more than one of something you love, and copies are fine.

Unless you see someone every day, you won’t have to explain...

Aroha, Erin