Margarette Alfaro

Photo: Andrew Nawrocki

Madison and State Streets

Khaki attack! Yes. I like to retain the same color within an outfit. I shop to collect specific colors. Like right now, I’m collecting yellow. I just found a yellow scarf. I still need yellow gloves. Eventually, I’ll wear them with maybe a yellow pair of pants and yellow sneakers.

Your closet must look insane. It’s organized by season. This outfit is actually a seasonal sampler.

How do you afford such extravagant shopping habits? I recently retired from a marketing company after 43 years. I also volunteer for the Art Institute’s private [Fashion Resource Center]. Many students come in to look at the garments in the collection, which include pieces by my favorite designer, Issey Miyake. I also taught myself to sew, so I make garments and try to sell them to friends.

Were you fashion focused as a child? Well, my mother made all of my clothes when I was young. She owned a clothing boutique in Indiana called Carmen’s. As a little girl, I would go through the store and pluck garments off the racks and match them with other items.

What do you think of how most Chicagoans dress in the winter? It saddens me. Everything is black! I used to wear a lot of black, too, but life’s too short to wear only black. As the weather gets colder, it’ll be time for white. I’ll wear white boots, a white coat, white hat, a white scarf, white gloves. I just got a burgundy hat, so maybe that’s my next adventure in color. But—oh, dear—I’ll never be able to find burgundy boots.