Uniform - 31 Things Day 16

≫ Layers. I always wear layers. I am usually cold, so this is very important to me when I choose my clothes each morning. Mornings in Quito are chilly, and if the sun doesn’t come out, days will be too. If the sun does decide to shine, it will be warm but cool in the shade. Most of the time I wear a long-sleeved shirt with a cardigan. Lately I feel like I never take off my cardigan.

≫ Tops. I have a few that I love. I like them to be long-sleeved, or at least have a 3/4 sleeve. I never wear short sleeves unless I am at the beach in 90 degree weather. My shirts are always colorful. I find that I have a lot of hot pinks and corals, which is interesting since I don’t think I like those colors much. But I tend to choose bright colors when I have an option. I’d like to wear more black. It feels more sophisticated, classier. But I never choose black.

≫ Jeans. I wear jeans most of the time. One reason is because I love the look and feel of them. The other is because I have wide hips and thighs and a very narrow waist in relation, so it is difficult to find pants that fit me. It is usually easier to hide a poor fit with jeans. Pants are not my favorite thing to go shopping for.

≫ Underneath every shirt I wear, there is probably a tank top. My sister got me into this some years back and now I feel naked if I don’t have one on.

≫ I almost always prefer to wear socks, but like the look without, so on many days, I don’t. When I don’t, I feel cold all day.

≫ Scarves. I have more scarves than necessary. On cold rainy mornings, though, a scarf is second best to socks. There are a few I have crocheted myself and many made by Andrés’s grandmother, but I actually prefer the lighter store-bought ones best.

≫ I never wear dresses or skirts.

≫ I am usually pretty conscious of what I wear each day, since personal image is given great importance in Ecuador. My students, my husband, his aunts and uncles (whom I rarely see), will often remember what I wore to a certain event or what I was wearing on X day, so when I am teaching I am especially aware that I need to mix up my clothes a lot. Other than that, however, I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about my clothes or fashion in general. I’d like to be more mindful about the clothes I buy and wear, but doubt this will change any time soon. I get clothes about once a year (on our U.S. trips), and am usually hunting through the clearance racks to get more for my money. 

Here is a (blurry) picture of days 14 and 15 side by side. This album is getting cuter and cuter by the day. I love it so much.