On Friday, I came to the sad realization that the sweater I wore was older than all but one of my students. In December of 1994, I was a first year teacher trying to build a working wardrobe. I asked for several items of clothing for Christmas. Among my gifts were three sweaters from J Crew, two of them from the men’s section of the catalog. When I put on the green and beige patterned wool sweater, I remembered exactly when I received it. During class, one of the students complimented the sweater asking where I purchased it. I told her “J Crew” and she asked if they still had any like it. That’s when I told her it was a Christmas gift from 1994. From the look on her face, I could tell she was thinking something. She then said, “Wow, that sweater is older than I am. I was born in 1995.” So at that moment, I realized that my sweater is almost vintage being only 18 years old.

On a cold, winter’s day sometimes you just want some color. I had been scouting the clearance sales last week and found a sweater I had wanted earlier in the year, but was unwilling to pay the original price. It was marked down and was 50% off the markdown price, which now fit in my small budget. I pulled it out and added some green skinny jeans. The green and navy combination made me feel better about having to be outside on such a gloomy day.