A ROYAL KIND OF POST - PART 2

I was recently reading the advice column of a famous magazine. A reader was asking about wearing the same outfit to different weddings, just like we have seen Kate (Pippa and their mom too!!) do over and over again. The columnist's answer was something along these lines:

 "It's a European thing that Americans haven't caught up to yet..."

Wait a minute. Double take. What what what?? A European what?

Dear fashion columnist, have you ever been to Italy? Or talked to any Italian woman/girl/infant? I officially invite you to have lunch with my friends and I. We'll be more than happy to elucidate you on the subject. Let me break this down for you:

Fashion recycling is a crime. Better said, it is humiliating!!

First of all, Italians (I cannot speak for all Europeans, as we are so different from each other-but I can of course speak for an entire nation...) would rather die than being seen wearing the same outfit twice. I'm not just talking about special occasions. I'm talking about every-day-life. Going to school, the office, the supermarket!!! Let alone going to weddings where guests may overlap. It's a big big no-no. You may turn into a social outcast... if you dare.

Also, psychologically, even when you're sure no one will actually know you've already wore that outfit, deep in your heart YOU know it, and that's all that matters. I guess something goes off in our brain, a primordial instinct of survival, and we just can't bring ourselves to do it.

And that is why, my dear columnist, my closet (much like that of many other Italian women) is filled with dresses and clothes that have only been worn once... yep. Which makes for a sad bank account, happy retailers, and a confused husband.

What do you think about fashion recycling? A go or a NO??

Baci e a presto,

CPS