In high school I was one of those people who wore all black clothes and combat boots and dyed my hair black. That was a long time ago, but sometimes I think my style persona solidified then and can’t be changed into anything but wanna-be-punk-rocker. No matter what I wear now, I feel like if only I had my motorcycle jacket on I would be cooler. Even though my look is far from that, I still have a hard time embracing colored clothing.

Since spring is the time when nature gets colorful again, it is the time of closet trauma for those of us who gravitate toward wardrobes of gray and black. Usually every spring I try to add color because I feel like I should but end up not really doing a good job of it. For example, we went to Wellfleet and I was the only person on Cape Cod wearing black. Talk about standing out from the crowd.

This spring is different. I actually want to wear color. Maybe I am happier, although I am the last person to argue that wearing black is the refuge for the dispirited. Maybe I am at long last bored with dark colors. In any case, this spring I am aspiring to a closet full of colorful, sunny clothes.

And how is it going, you ask? Well, it turns out that my aspirations toward “colorful” turns out to mean white. Maybe white with a smidge of blues, greens, and silver worked in. I know some people consider white a neutral, but I think not. White is definitely a color. White is modern and architectural. White is urban and sleek and luxurious. It’s suitable for all the luxe resorts that I may go to, theoretically. If I have my closet full of white, I will look like I belong there. Even if I’m just at the local Starbucks, I will look sophisticatedly springy.

Most of all, I will feel like myself in a way that I don’t when I wear coral or yellow or the other bright colors in the stores now. And feeling like myself is very important to me. I realize that I don’t have to express my spring-y attitude the same way everyone else does. White IS a color if I want it to be.