Good-bye, Ann Taylor

I finally did it.  My garage is filled with bags and bags of dry-clean-only clothes ready for Goodwill.  For those of you who have never been a high school student of mine, I'm sure you would be shocked to learn that I have an entire (huge!) wardrobe of clothes that make it possible for me to look like I did not either just get out of bed or am on the way to the gym.  I don't even bother to dress up much for church, since I'm going to come home covered in snot and spit-up anyway.  (And, yes, I am guilty of wearing flip-flops to church!)  

As I was gazing into my overstuffed closet yesterday, I realized:

1. It is with great trepidation that I wear something labeled "hand wash"--let alone something labeled "dry-clean only."  Clothes that require dry-cleaning will not be a part of my life again for some years, if ever.
2. I own the clothes in order to look professional for high school students.  In other words, to look older than high school students.  This is no longer a problem because I now look plenty old even in my pajamas.  Besides, high school students are no longer part of my life, and thank heavens for that.  (I take it back--thank heavens ninth-graders are no longer part of my life.  The rest of them are okay.) 
3. I hate to admit it, but some of the clothes are looking a few years out of fashion and fit a little snugger than I'd like. 

So it was with sadness, relief, and wonder (that I actually used to iron!), that I stuffed into trash bags professionally hemmed wool trousers, high-maintenance cotton button-down shirts, silk sweater sets, black slacks in every cut, linen blouses, linen trousers, tailored skirts, more tailored skirts, and about eight black merino wool sweaters from Banana Republic.  (I think I must own every black merino wool sweater that Banana Republic sold in the early 2000's!)  

Among other things, I said farewell to the J. Crew pencil skirt and the Ann Taylor sweater set that I wore to my first "real" job interview (I got the job).  But I did keep the Nine West shoes I wore that day.  They look a tad outdated, but I like to pretend that at my next job interview, they'll be back in style.