Go-to Gear

I once read a fashion article that said "no matter how many clothes you have, you'll only wear 5 to 10 pieces constantly." In my experience, there is veracity in that claim.

When I moved back to Manila from HKG, 4 of the boxes I shipped out were filled with clothes. Shirts, jeans, jackets, pull overs, shorts, shoes - everything and anything that could be worn. And those 4 boxes were already whittled down since I also gave a lot of clothes to the nearby church.

Needless to say, there's a huge pile of clothes at home. And if I were patient or industrious enough, I have the option to NOT wear the same shirt or jeans for a few months.

But I haven't been patient or industrious enough the past year. So I find myself adhering to the article and wearing 5 to 10 pieces constantly. These are my "go-to gear," or clothes to wear when you don't want to think about what to wear.

Three of my favorite go-to gears are things that I wear at least once a week. They can now qualify as "investment pieces" since they've WAY exceeded their cost-per-wear.

The first one is a blue Ralph Lauren polo that I had since early 2000.



The fit is excellent, the color is neutral, and it "breathes", so it feels comfortable even under the hot summer weather. Plus, it looks good with everything - jeans, khakis, even shorts.

The second one is an Old Navy ringer tee.



Ringer tees are great! And the Old Navy types are made of soft cotton that doesn't deform easily. This particular white ringer tee already has a hole, but that doesn't stop me from wearing it constantly. One of my students called this tee my "P.E. t-shirt" since it looks like SSC's P.E. shirt.

And lastly, whenever I'm in a hurry and can't decide which pair of shoes (or Chuck's) to wear, the go-to gear is a blue checkered pair of Chuck Taylor's that look similar to this.



Nope, it doesn't have that scribble on the bottom - but the checks are similar to this one.

It's actually a new pair - less than 6 months, if I remember correctly. But it already looks weather beaten since it's on my feet about 3 times a week. In fact, it recently replaced my red Chuck Taylors as my travel companion.

Thank goodness for these go-to gear. It makes dressing up so much easier.

In fact, I'm wearing two of these gears today.