Segregation Never! Integration Now!

From the window of room D in an office building downtown, I can see buildings where people conduct business and I can see buildings where people rest their heads. I imagine how the movement of people varies depending on the time of day; morning and night they fill the residential buildings, while during the day they occupy the business buildings. Where I currently sit I see one man on the top floor wearing a suit and another below him sporting only a shirt and tie (with pants of course). Now take away the physical building and what you see are stacks of people going from one stack to the other (I thought the visual amusing and significant). Without the floors and walls separating us, there is nothing to keep us segregated.

Our clothes are as compartmentalized as our lives. Instinctively, throughout our lives we separate our clothing into categories: school clothes, work clothes, Sunday clothes and evening clothes. For those who wear uniforms, the line is even sharper.

Law: Integrate your clothing

Contrary to my usual laws phrased in the negative, I am stating this one in the positive.
Clothing deserves to be loved and worn frequently, not just to your cousin's wedding or to walk the dog.

When my mother said I could never wear that shiny brocade skirt during the day, what did I do? I paired it with an embellished t-shirt, slouchy boots and wore it to brunch.



The lesson is to wear your clothing during all events of your lives...just style the item differently depending on the occasion. That suit jacket can be worn on the weekend with jeans and that sundress can be worn to the office with a cardigan and belt. Just be aware of hemlines; the sight of inner thigh does not inspire confidence when you are arguing for a client's restraining order.

There is one building across the way which is obviously a place of work, but boosts a door with access to the roof and two lounge chairs. With the combination of leisure and work, I can't wait to see what the people who walk through that door will be wearing.