I Spy Something...Red???

Yes, that is a photo of my closet here on campus. And also, yes those are my winter clothes fighting for space and privilege among my spring and summer clothes even though it's April already. Such is life in Wisconsin. and the ironic thing is, is that I have more summer clothes in abundance than winter clothes. But anyway, my wardrobe ironies are for another time. On to the title of today's blog post. Which leads me to pose one question..."do you spy something red???" And no, I don't mean my robe and that short-sleeved sweater thing I wear when I wear tank tops because I have this weird phobia of bare-shoulders in public, I'm talking about regular t-shirts and even hoodies and sweaters - which are clogging up a good portion of my closet on the righthand side there. Why do I pose such a question? Well because all my life red has been my favorite color and lately I've been noticing how blatantly derived my life is of it. Take for instance my essential dorm room supplies that all college kid has: backpack, laundry basket, ottoman - doubling as a step stool for my height-challenged self :) - waste basket, iPod and iPod speaker. What do all these things have in common? They're pink! Now granted I don't hate pink all together, most of the pink stuff in my room is dark pink, but I wouldn't consider it my favorite color. Again, that honor belongs to red. So why am I surrounded by pink? and when I go to sleep at night it's dark purple, white and guess what? More pink! Now purple is a different story. I don't mind dark purple but I draw the line at purple clothes, at least I think I do. Now I'm wondering if I have a purple shirt in there somewhere. But you see what I mean? All of these colors that are in that insidious, constantly shifting middle ground of kinda-like-it-but-not-crazy-about way, and yet they repeatedly fill up my closets both at college and in my bedroom. Why? Is it because they happened to be on clearance? Or I liked the style of the tank top and looked past the color? Is it because I always go shopping with my mom and she picks out something I like? Which got me thinking...what if all of the clothes I wear aren't all my style but rather something she picked out for me? And let me tell you, that's a terrifying thought. ;) Not that I have a personal style, per se. I mean I like to dress up more than a pair of sweats and last night's hoodie but the most trouble I go through each day is to throw on jewelry and think for a few seconds about which sweater/hoodie will go with my shirt and which shoes will look the best. Also, because my mom reads my blog posts - which I appreciate! just like I appreciate the rest of my fellow blog readers - I want to clarify that I do love all of the clothes she's picked out for me, and while sometimes she can pick out some awful colors - like pastels! - she knows what I like and therefore I like shopping with her. But even still the question of "why no red?" goes unanswered. So this summer I have made a decision to hunt down at least one red tank top or t-shirt or hoodie or skirt or even a pair of damn shoes! this summer and put my closet into a state of shock. You know I'll bet all of my articles of clothes think I must have an identity crisis or something because I have all the colors of the rainbow in there. Then again, isn't it good for one to have many colors in their closets? I mean, don't get me wrong. I love my peach, green and teal blue t-shirts, and blue/gray and light pink polka dot tank top and all the other patterns and colors jammed together in there. But when I look at my roommates wardrobes I see prominent displays of purples and pinks - both colors which they are crazy for. And then switch to my own wardrobe and side of the room, and it's every color but red! Why??!! I think what is the most vexing is that I can't come up with a good enough reason as to the "why??!!!" and to add further to the irony whenever I fantasize about my future sprawling Victorian Second Empire home I'll some day own and think about all of the crazy-printed wallpaper I'll put up...only a few times out of the million fantasies do I envision entire rooms whose walls are sheathed in the crimson, silky red I love so much. Most othertimes it's oversized flowers blooming wildly atop a black canvas - courtesy of the print on my wallet :) - a rich cream and satin print - now that's surprising seeing as how usually I balk at any display of non-bright colors but considering my wardrobe, anything can happen right? Well, I don't think I've actually devoted an entire blog post to color before, have I? It feels good to blog about color, since I love it so much. So while this summer I go on the hunt to infuse a little red into my wardrobe, may you reflect upon the colors within your own closet and think "is my favorite color mysteriously devoid from my life?" And if it is, perhaps you should do a little hunting of your own. After all, like chocolate and thunderstorms, one should not be deprived of the things they love. :) And next week come back to read about an obsession of mine concerning jewelry, that like the color red, I have been deprived of but this summer intend to make a change!