Fondling The Fabric

The weekend passed in a a slow blur. I read. A lot. Nothing intellectually stimulating. Three romance novels. They're my version of a sitcom presenting an opportunity to mindlessly flip pages, following a predictable story line, while both consciously and subconsciously pursuing a question. As I'm reading, I'm thinking.

Every so often I'd wander over to the stash and fondle the fabric, usually right after flipping through the patterns. It seems rather ridiculous, this amount of time that I've spent considering what to wear to the party. In the end, more hours will be spent contemplating what to wear than actually wearing it. How weird is that. What's it all about?




Friday's posting - Life In A Capsule: An Interview with Nubby Twiglet - at Already Pretty talked about capsule dressing. It featured a guest blogger, Nubby Twiglet, who wears a limited palette of black, white, and red combined with a wide variety of accessories. In the article, Nubby says:

I think that everyone has a signature color, whether they consciously recognize it or not. I've always enjoyed the clean and sophisticated look that monochromatic ensembles lend but I still like the occasional pop of color to bring it all to life. Accessories are key. While I may rotate through a pile of little black dresses, skinny black zipper jeans and t-shirts covered in graphic type, I can still transform my look with a pair of kick ass shoes, a great scarf, an awesome handbag and unique jewelry.




There is, of course, a lot more to the article, much of which I could relate to. I have no desire for an extensive wardrobe and - having discovered the styles I'm most comfortable wearing - there seems no reason for five hundred flared trumpet skirts, fifty pairs of jeans, or a gazillion black cardigans. An excess of what I enjoy would make me as uncomfortable as a closet full of unwearables. I am not one for excess. I am one for quality, classic clothing that is well constructed and will last for years. Classic meaning classic to me as in in my style.

The snoop shopping that I've done over the past few weeks confirmed that I do indeed have a good grasp of what I enjoy wearing and what suits my figure and fashion personality. That I'm not actually wearing those garments all the time illustrates clearly the need to climb over the bump of the rut that I've found myself in these past years of working from home. While safe, my wardrobe, my rut, is no longer emotionally comfortable. Getting out of a rut is hard work. The article, the weekend of thinking, made me aware of how to transition.




In their book 10 Steps to Fashion Freedom: Discover Your Personal Style From The Inside Out, authors Malcolm Levene and Kate Mayfield promote the concept of a limited color palette meaning five very specific shades. They are not talking about a generalized color like blue but a specific color like cobalt blue.

Years ago, I had the opportunity to work with this couple and I badly wanted to in order to benefit from their expertise only I didn't live the kind of lifestyle their typical clients - like Tony Blair - did. Nor did I have access to, or the money to buy, the quality of clothing they recommended. That negative might have been surmountable except that I couldn't come to terms with wearing only five very specific colors for the rest of my life to say nothing of how hard it would be to find clothing in those specific colors living in a small town like mine. I let the opportunity go.

Time has taught me about myself. I've done a lot of reading and learning over the years and many books - but especially Nothing To Wear by Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo - have helped me understand my fashion personality. I love soft. I love details. I love femininity. I love drama. I love standing out in a crowd just a little bit. And, although it makes a lot of women uncomfortable, I love black. BUT... not just black. I'm equally drawn to shades of green, blue, pink, and purple. Five colors although still not five specific shades.




What I realized this weekend is that I do not want an extensive array of clothing , I want a broader range of accessories. Like my jeans and black t-shirt, my jewelry collection has dwindled and darkened, my accessories have become boring and bland. I'd love some kick ass shoes, great scarves, awesome handbags, and unique jewelry. I like the idea of building a core wardrobe of Myrna classics and then perking up the party with accessories. That concept settles me in a real and doable way that I haven't experienced in a while. It gives me a sense of direction for dressing, sewing, buying. It feels focused, doable, me. YES YES! I only hope - LOL - the feeling lasts.

As you can see, I finished the sweater and wore it to church on Sunday. It felt comfortable, very me. I wished that the skirt was more fitted although I love the lace and the hem especially. At some point, I may take the waistband off and narrow it down. Or not. We'll see.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - reminders of what is truly important

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Personal Growth - So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. - Colossians 3: 12-14

While dressing our outside is important, dressing our inside is far more so. What good is a pretty package with a rotting core?