Some day my prints will come

It's been almost two months since I wrote last, but I'm still working from home, and still trying to keep a semblance of sartorial standards. By that, I mean at least I try not to scandalize my coworkers on the days I have a video call, but still my daily attire certainly has reached new heights of casual.

The temperature routinely rises to 84 degrees in my house by the end of the workday, so I'm committed to wearing the minimal amount of clothing possible. I've completely given up on shoes, and have been sticking to simple jewelry if I wear it at all. Wearing shorts to work has gone from a novelty to an everyday occurrence, but most importantly, I've been shunning anything with sleeves.

Although I've made an effort over the last few years to get more short-sleeved graphic tops, sleeveless tops haven't been subjected to the same type of push. That wasn't much of a problem last summer, when I had my whole body to be my canvas, but now that I'm dressing down daily and the only part of my outfit that people can see is the shoulders, I pretty quickly ran out of video-worthy clothes that excite me. It was becoming clear: I needed a new collection of cute "Zoom tops." Yes, that's apparently what they're calling the work-appropriate shirts you'd wear to wow your colleagues during video chats, and I only have one.

As soon as I realized this was a problem, I set about solving it with some diligent online shopping—before realizing everything I needed was already right under my nose. With boxes upon bins of clothes I'd been planning to donate or sell, this was a prime opportunity to give new life to some of the old stuff I'd given up on. Before long, I had dug up two animal-printed gems—a T-shirt with grey elephants, and the already-much-refashioned bird dress.

I had retired the elephant shirt because I'd recently gotten another elephant-themed tee in a similar color, and I don't need an infinite selection of T-shirts with elephants! I didn't like this one much, because I didn't find its rounded hem, loose fit, or saggy-baggy breast pocket to be a good look on me. To freshen it up, I removed the pocket and shaved the pills off the fabric to the best of my ability. I cut off the sleeves and hemmed the openings, leaving just a little raw-edged cap at the top. Normally I don't do cap sleeves, but removing the sleeves entirely would have left me with something resembling a muscle tee, which I don't think is work-appropriate, even with my new lower standards. The problem of the rounded hem was easily solved by tucking the shirt in. I personally think tucked-in shirts make me look dumpy, but I'm trying to expand my horizons. A roomier fit on top is probably a good foil to the skimpy short-shorts I favor.

But I only have so much room in my heart for roominess; the other shirt to come out of this mission is my usual close-fitting standard! This one, the parrot dress, suffered from static cling even on the most humid July day, and I was never fond of the sack-like fit or the dangerously short length. But the bird print was A-one, and I was super-excited to revive it in shirt form! I simply cut off and hemmed the bottom, added princess seaming in the back, and attached the sash (now in 2 pieces!) at the waistline, so it could be tied in the back for a fitted shape.

With these two old-to-new shirts in my arsenal, I am feeling much more optimistic about my tops options. Of course, that wasn't enough to stop my shopping spree entirely—I've got 9 new blouses en route to me as I write this! Here's hoping that'll be enough to tide me over through the summer, until I discover another sartorial need to fill for the fall!