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- [00:01]
A
Audio for sleep by hatch. Hi, I'm Amanda. Welcome to the Nightly from Hatch, where your late night thoughts go to rest. Hello, Amanda Montel, taking over the Nightly for the week. I am the author of books including Cultish and the Age of Magical Overthinking and I host a couple of podcasts. Sorry. And I host a couple of podcasts, Magical Overthinkers and Sounds like a Cult. And I'm delighted to be here. If you want to come on the show to talk about anything that's on your mind, email us or send us a voice memo to thenightlyach co. Since we're here for a cozy late night chat, I wanted to share share a thought that I had a few years ago that recently resurfaced. I don't know how many of those listening are Shark Tank watchers, but I've watched quite a bit of Shark Tank in my day and I've never really had an idea for like a product that I would ever want to invent or sell. Except for this. A few years ago I was lamenting the fact that late at night or you know, when I'm ready to go to sleep and it's time to brush my teeth, I never want to have the taste of mint in my mouth because mint is invigorating, it wakes you up. And I don't want to like disrupt my sleepy time vibes by putting that flavor in my body. So sometimes, and I don't recommend this and a dentist wouldn't either, I like skip brushing my teeth at night because I don't want to wake myself back up. And I really think it would be better for my dental hygiene and my sleep hygiene if someone, maybe me one day would invent a line of toothpastes whose flavors are sleepy, like chamomile or I don't know, some type of sleep sleepy, maybe lavender. That might be weird, but I know similar products exist because I've googled it. But I just really think that at some point in the future some entrepreneur again, maybe me needs to, needs to claim the sleepy time toothpaste space. And people, people don't even know what they're missing. So that's what I've been thinking about. If anyone relates to this, you know, find me online. I would love to commiserate with someone, But I think now is the time to transition into our caller chat. Janine, welcome to the show. Thanks for being here. Where are you from and what's on your mind tonight?
- [03:13]
B
Hi, I'm calling in from New York and I'm Thrilled to be here.
- [03:18]
A
Tell me. Yeah. What's going on?
- [03:20]
B
What's on my mind tonight? Well, I've been thinking about how I just have too many clothes, and at the same time, I don't have enough clothes. Mm.
- [03:33]
A
So relatable.
- [03:35]
B
Yeah.
- [03:35]
A
Tell me more about what that conundrum means for you.
- [03:40]
B
Well, first of all, like I said, I live in New York, so that means I have, you know, a multitude of seasons here. So my wintertime wardrobe is extremely different than my summertime wardrobe. And even my spring and fall wardrobes are different. So you have to have, like, four different wardrobes. So I have to rotate my clothes. You know, like, I have to put away my huge, puffy winter jackets when winter is over. And, you know, during the winter, like, I don't need all my summertime bathing suits and shorts, so I rotate my clothes. And I live in an old house. I live in a house just north of New York City, and it's over 100 years old. And I guess people didn't believe in closets when they built this house, or they believed in closets, but not a lot of closets. So I have, like, one smallish closet and a smallish dresser to put all my clothes in. So I always feel like I have too many clothes. Right. And they say that you don't wear a lot of your clothing, but then, like, you know, I don't want to get rid of stuff. Like, I have, like, a lot of T shirts. You know, some of them will be sentimental, like concert T shirts, of course, things like that, you know, So I have. I feel like I have a lot of clothes. And then you have, you know, of course, like, the clothes you wear when you have to look professional versus the clothes you're wearing when you just want to be comfortable. So I always feel like I have a lot of clothes and I want to pare down because I sort of feel like I don't want to have too many clothes. I'm trying to be intentional, of course.
- [05:26]
A
And it's hard in this hyper consumerist society, is it not?
- [05:32]
B
Yes, it's hard. And I love the idea of having a capsule wardrobe. I think that's great if you don't ever have to do laundry.
- [05:41]
A
Totally.
- [05:42]
B
But, you know, like, if you have one pair of pants, like, what are you gonna do when your one pair of pants is waiting to be.
- [05:50]
A
No, I hear you. I unfortunately am not and will never be a minimalist. However, I have. Well, I have a lot of thoughts about this because I love clothes, and I feel like they are a big part of my personality. And I do think that your lack of closet space is probably definitely like a key source of this stress, of this absolute tragedy. Because I used to live in also a very, very old house and yeah, people just didn't have as many clothes back then. And I felt, I felt. Well, I. I have the weird habit of like anthropomorphizing my clothes and I felt bad about like squishing them all together. Some of them never saw the light of day. They were like in the back of my closet. And now even now I. I start to feel sad for my clothes if I don't wear them. And so like, if I haven't worn a piece of clothing in a long time, sometimes I'll just like whip it out to give it some attention. But then I realize that I don't actually like that piece of clothing and then it feels like the right thing to do to like, re home it. So. So recently, and I don't know if this would appeal to you or apply to your friend group, but I have been hosting clothing swap brunches where I invite over my friends and I get bagels and mimosas and everybody brings their like gently used clothing and we all just sort of like casually, really unsystematically swap and all the leftovers get donated and it feels like really, it feels like a really positive thing to do with our. With clothes that I myself might anthropomorphize as being abandoned in my wardrobe.
- [07:46]
B
I love a clothing swap. I'm also a big thrifter and in the town that I live in, we have a really cool initiative that's run by a bunch of volunteers which is like an ongoing pop up, you know, thrift shop basically. And you can donate your clothes and you can buy clothes and all the clothes are extremely reasonably priced. And I go regularly and I both purchase clothes and donate clothes. And that's like sort of the second part of this is sometimes I also somehow feel like I don't have enough clothes because I'll feel like, you know, well, first of all, like you said, it's so easy to be tempted by things you see. Whether it's like you see somebody else wearing something or you see something online, or I'll just be trying on clothes for a certain occasion. Like, you know, I don't know, I'm going out to dinner and I'm trying on clothes and I feel like, oh my God, nothing is the right thing to wear. Like, I have nothing to wear.
- [08:43]
A
Totally relate.
- [08:44]
B
Even though I have a whole closet.
- [08:46]
A
Yes, I am. This year, I've started renting clothes. There are all these subscription services now, and I signed up for one whose options feel like they kind of fit with my general vibe. And I only rent five pieces every month. And it's like, I don't know, it's like 70 bucks or something a month for these really nice pieces of clothing. And I have felt like that has really stopped me from impulse purchasing clothes. And it's also helped with the feeling of not having anything to wear, which I also relate to so much. And I don't know if you get in your head about this, but sometimes I have my favorite outfits. Do you have a favorite outfit when you think in your head like, this is me?
- [09:36]
B
Yes. Yes. I love striped shirts. I have so many striped shirts. My go to outfit is like a striped shirt and then, like, a solid color on the bottom.
- [09:47]
A
Amazing.
- [09:47]
B
That's my go to outfit. I feel like for most occasions, that is. That is the Jeanine uniform I am known for. My love of striped shirts. Like, that's my favorite.
- [09:57]
A
I love that.
- [09:58]
B
It's.
- [09:58]
A
It's timeless French. A Breton stripe. Very chic for me. Like, I am such a. I. I love color and I love pattern. And, you know, I. I do have, like, a un. But it's not. It's not the thing that I feel most excited about wearing. But then I have a few pieces in my closet where, like, I get in my head because I'm like, oh, my God, is this dated now? Like, because it's been, like, my favorite shirt for, like, whatever, five or 10 years, but trends cycle so quickly now that I'm like, oh, shoot, this. This, you know, very specific shirt that I've had for a really long time. Like, I feel really good in it. But now, do I look like a cringy millennial, or do I look like twee in it? And so then I feel like I never want to wear it. And so that I also get in my head about that.
- [10:48]
B
I feel like a striped shirt will never go out of style completely. Maybe I'm delusional, but I feel like a striped shirt is always the right choice. Yeah. And when it comes to accessories, I like to wear, like, really teeny tiny jewelry. I call it. I call this tjl Tiny jewelry life. I love that. And I like to wear tiny jewelry, but, you know, I'll sometimes wear, like, quite a few pieces of tiny jewelry. And the only downside to tiny jewelry life is that you can lose a piece, like, if you're wearing a little teeny, tiny earring or, like, a teeny, tiny ring. Sometimes you will find yourself, you know, looking around for that little, tiny piece of jewelry.
- [11:34]
A
Oh, tell me about it.
- [11:35]
B
That's the price I pay for cjl.
- [11:38]
A
I only have, like, two pieces of jewelry that really mean something to me. Well, I have a couple necklaces that I, like, got in Europe and stuff that I love, but if I lost them, it wouldn't be the end of the world. The two pieces of jewelry that mean the most to me are also very, very tiny, but I never take them off because one of them was my engagement ring, and one of them is my wedding ring. And. But the thing is that I actually proposed to my husband, and we didn't really have. We didn't really like. I had, like, symbolic rings, but we didn't wear them all the time because they were kind of chunky and cumbersome. But I still wanted to have a ring. And so I had been wearing my grandmother's garnet. It's like a beautiful, very simple garnet ring. I don't have, like, a vocabulary for jewelry, but it's like a beautiful ring. I had been wearing it on my right hand for, like, I mean, 15 years, like, since I was maybe 19. And I just moved it to my other hand. So I was like, this is my engagement ring. Now,
- [12:38]
B
I love that. I love that. And it's so special when you can get something that is from your family and that has meaning to you. I have, you know, an engagement ring that was. We were, you know, very lucky in that my husband's grandmother had a watch that had some diamonds in it, and he was able to take the diamonds from her watch. So we didn't have to buy anything, you know, new. We just had a jeweler, like, reset them in a band. So I love that. Like, it's vintage. It's from, you know, his family. We didn't have to buy any diamonds. So it's really, you know, it's special.
- [13:18]
A
That's so special. Are there a few pieces in your wardrobe that you would, like, grab in a fire?
- [13:26]
B
Oh, gosh. You know, I'm trying to think about that. What would I grab in a fire? I would probably just panic and scoop up, like, whatever I could get my hands on. I also like a print. Like, I like a nice print blouse. Like, I have a print blouse that I got fairly recently. And it's got sort of like a floral print, and it's got, like, a little bit of a puffy sleeve I think similarly to me wearing stripes on top, I feel like I'm a little wide in the hips. So I try to do, like, a pattern on top and a solid on the bottom. So I don't know, I might grab this, like, floral blouse I wear a lot just because it's, like, a little bit. I spent a little bit more on it than I would usually spend on a top, but it's just so me and so perfect and, like, fits so well and, like, so comfortable, and I feel like you could dress it up, you could dress it down. So I think that's, like, the most versatile, like, maybe one of my most worn things that I have. Other than that, like, I don't know. I'm not. I don't get too sentimental about clothes, but, yeah, I think that's one I would probably grab in a fire.
- [14:36]
A
I feel you so hard. I love a puffy sleeve. First of all, I love a floral print. Keep that. Keep that shirt close because I want to steal it. But actually, I. I did have to grab things in a fire because I live in Southern California, and we had all those devastating fire a year and a half ago, and I. I panicked with the clothing. I was just like, if I can't take it all, I'm taking none of it.
- [15:00]
B
So I think.
- [15:01]
A
I think I grabbed. It was, like, before my wedding. So I, like, grabbed my wedding dress, obviously, and my wedding accessories and. And that was it. But I. Yeah, I do. I kind of just, like, I do love my whole wardrobe. And something that. That I also feel like is. I don't know, like, a way that. A boundary that I've set for myself that prevents me from buying way, way too many clothes is I want to be able to picture every item. Every clothing item that I own in my closet, and if I, like, can't picture every item that I own, that it's, like, time to get rid of some stuff for some reason. That's, like, my rule in my brain.
- [15:43]
B
I feel like. I feel like there are all these apps you can get that will help you, like, shop your own closet or, like, make outfits out of what you already have. But then I find, like, they're always trying to upsell you so then I don't end up doing it. Or you have to, like, take pictures of all the clothes you own and put them in, and I'm like, I don't have time.
- [16:02]
A
That does actually sound fun, though, to, like, as. As a free activity with your friends, to, like, if you have a stylish friend and. Or you know, one of my stylish friends, I could like, invite her over to my house and have her style me of my own wardrobe to, like, get ideas for pairing items that I might not naturally pair myself. That sounds kind of fun.
- [16:26]
B
Many, many years ago, I had a good friend who had his own clothing line. It was like a sort of like a streetwear, skatewear type clothing line. And he made like a lot of fun T shirts. And he used to give me like all the T shirts he made basically. And I would help him with his clothing line. Like, I would help him go to trade shows and stuff, and he would just like, pay me in free clothes. And that was pretty swee. I love that.
- [16:50]
A
Yeah. It's also fun to, like, keep clothes in the family, so to speak. So if I like an article of clothing but I'm not really wearing it, but, but there doesn't feel quite right to like, donate it, I, I sometimes I'll, like, give it to a friend. And even though I have no intention of wearing it ever again, I like knowing that my it's in my friend's hands. For some reason, psychologically, that just, like, feels better.
- [17:15]
B
Yeah, I had to get rid of a bunch of my shoes recently because I have really bad foot problems. And I just took a good hard look at my shoes and was honest with myself about a lot of shoes I had that I just cannot wear anymore. And then I had them all in a bag and I was going to donate them somewhere, and then I ran into a friend and my friend had her daughter with her, and her daughter was the same shoe size as me, and I was like, I have a ton of free shoes if you want them. And she was delighted.
- [17:49]
A
I love that.
- [17:50]
B
That's, that's a win win.
- [17:52]
A
That is such a win win. Yeah, I'm, I'm fortunate that I, I have, I have small feet, but my two best friends are my exact same shoe size. And we, we are out here borrowing each other's shoes, which feels like that is an underrated, small pleasure in life to be able to not have to go out and drop $250 on a new pair of shoes to wear to a wed because you have a friend who's your same foot size. This is a good reminder to appreciate that small gift in life. Well, Janine, thank you so much for calling into the show. And I want to tell the listeners, if you want to come on the show to talk about anything that's on your mind, email us or send us a voice memo to thenightlyach Co Janine thank you so much. I loved chatting all things wardrobe with you.
- [18:45]
B
My pleasure. Thank you for chatting with me.
- [18:47]
A
Have a lovely night.
- [20:27]
B
Sa.
- [23:08]
A
To learn more about our phone free light and audio experience, head to Hatch Co. You can also follow us at Hatch Podcasts.