Art History was a requirement for all Liberal Arts students.

A small classroom quickly filled up with 16 students – all sitting in a circle with the professor, Ms. Skirt, at the front center.

Ms. Skirt was a renowned artist whose work was exhibited vastly. Her thick, round, plastic glasses magnified her big brown eyes. Whitening-black hair framed her aging face.

Class met Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Tuesdays Ms. Skirt wore a black skirt. On Thursdays she wore a black skirt with tiny pink tulips sprinkled all over it.

This means students had only seen a grand total of two skirts – one skirt for each day of class. Both were probably washed on weekends. Seemed funny, made sense. Many wear the same pair of jeans multiple days in a row.

For weeks students tracked her attire. It kept class extra interesting.

During the last few weeks of class, Ms. Skirt was leading a discussion while wearing the plain black skirt. She got comfortable, leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. As she shook her foot, her black skirt bounced around – up and down. Up and down.

Students were deeply engaged in the discussion.

Suddenly spotted: pink.

Wait. What? No. She’s wearing black today.

There’s the pink again!

Word about the pink spotting quickly spread around the table. Everybody confirmed. Giggles, texts, photos went viral.

A reversible skirt. Genius.

*Correction: Students had only seen a grand total of one skirt. Not two.

 

Kristin Larson of Chicago, former magazine editor and current contributor at Women’s Wear Daily (WWD)

“I don’t find anything unfashionable about wearing the same garment several times a week — as long as it’s clean and looks good,” said Kristin. “Rather, it’s smart and economical. By wearing an item several times you thereby reduce its CPW (cost-per-wear). My fashion motto is to buy what you love. A $100 skirt or $200 pair of jeans have much more value if the item is worn several times per week than a $20 top that sits in your closet and gathers dust. The same can be said for a pair of earrings, a necklace, a handbag or shoes. So buy what you love and wear frequently.”

 

Disclaimer: All characters appearing in this short story, excluding interviews, are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.