From Kindergarten through 8th grade, I was stuck in a typical catholic school uniform - white Peter Pan collared shirt, cardigan sweater and plaid skirt. Since most of my day was spent in school, my mother felt it unnecessary to have any "play" clothes and I think I may have had two pairs of pants, maybe 3 shirts and a few sweaters for the winter. Probably enough for a small child but I would often get jealous of my school mates who would flaunt their Guess jeans and Esprit outfits on "free dress" days.For four years in high school, I was imprisoned in a dress code that required a collared, solid shirt, tucked into solid pants or skirt and we had to wear socks and closed-toed shoes. A little more room for creative expression, but let's be honest, we all still looked like one another because we all shopped at the same stores in the small town in which I grew up.
So by the time I had my own money, car and access to some of the largest malls in the country... it was all over. I wanted and needed everything. No more was I going to limit myself to only one pair of pants when I can have it in every color. Why shouldn't I have skirts in various textures and patterns? Who knew that jackets are an accessory and not just for warmth? Why have only one pair of shoes, when the options were limitless - heels, flats, leather, suede, boots, sandals, t-strap, open-toe, peep-toe, mule, chunk heel, stiletto. Why had my mother been keeping me from all these goodies all these years? (Ok, probably fine that she kept me away from the stilettos at the time, but you get my point)
Funny enough, my mother actually knows cities by their malls - Union Square /San Francisco, Stanford Shopping Center / Palo Alto, Stoneridge Mall / Pleasanton, Arden Fair / Sacramento. Of course she'd drive me there and just tease me with all the shoppes and rarely actually buy me anything. To which I think only contributed to my ailment and initial onset of catholicschoolitis. And a few years ago, my mother did take me on a trip to see the mall of all malls.... The Mall of America in Minnesota. Yes, we actually flew to Minnesota just to go to the mall, that's it.
Ironically, since living on my own, I have always lived within walking distance to a major mall - Century City Mall / Century City, South Coast Plaza /Costa Mesa, Fashion Island / Newport Beach, Tustin Marketplace / Tustin. I'm not sure if I was drawn to the convenience or I just needed to be near a mother ship in order to sustain life.
So now as an adult, I question why I have this constant desire to have so many clothes, accessories and shoes. Growing up in a small town, I was not exposed to fashion or trends and yes living in Southern California has socialized me to be more fashionably inclined - but honestly, I think it comes down to the fact that I couldn't have anything as a child and now I want EVERYTHING.
Signs that you suffer from catholicschoolitis:
* You have been shopping for too long in one day that when you arrive home with all your packages and realize you have bought two scarves in the same exact color.
* You ask the sales person to keep the clothes on the hanger, rip off receipts in the car and tell your significant other that you just picked up dry cleaning.
* You shop in boutiques, befriend the owner, then feel obligated to make a purchase.
* You often play in your closet trying on clothes and putting together outfits.... for fun.
* You lay in bed at night wondering why you haven't seen a certain shirt in awhile and actually get up to go find it... then don't wear it for another 7 months
* Window shopping is not an option.
* Aforementioned boutique owner not only knows your name but your style, your phone number and will often hold items just for you or text you when something new has arrived.
* Buyer's remorse. You are not familiar with this expression.
* Anxiety sets in when you can't wait to wear something.
* You have bought at least 300 fabric hangers from Costco... and still don't have enough for all your clothes.
* Purchasing jackets and sweaters in the middle of summer is common.
* Sometimes you just go hang out in your closet and hug your clothes.
* You wear unique or recognizable items only once a year.
* When purging clothes, you come across items that have not seen the light of day in months, maybe years, but you hug it and squeal, "I LOVE this skirt!" then think of ways you can incorporate it in your outfits that week.
* You will conjure up events of when you'll be able to wear a piece of clothing in order to justify keeping it. For example, "I can wear this the next time I'm invited to a Sunday tea in July." Or "This will be perfect for when I attend a dinner party with friends."
* You dry clean everything except lingerie, pajamas and workout gear.
I'm not saying that these are things that have actually happened to me... but let's just say that I'm sitting here and four new pairs of shoes are staring at me waiting to be worn. Or at least taken out of the box to be petted.
I don't know, maybe I'm just a girl and love clothes. Maybe I am just bored and have nothing else to do with my time on the weekends. But I like to think being restricted in what I could wear as a child has led me to suffer from this condition as an adult. So to my fellow friends also plagued by this affliction, I say embrace your Catholicschoolitis and...
