Besides the sewing inspiration, what I like about reading blogs is the questions, the opportunity to stop and think. When I read Gertie's posting yesterday - Is Your Wardrobe More Than 30% Dresses? - there were already a hundred comments, the majority of which said yes.
I have one dress and a lot of skirts in my closet. Thinking about how I'd answer Gertie's question made me consider that what's in your wardrobe isn't necessarily what you wear. If I'm going to work or church, I'm wearing a skirt. If I'm home, out shopping, or going for coffee, I'm wearing jeans. In the summer, I wear more skirts. In the winter, I wear more jeans. I got the impression from what I was reading that younger women are dressing more than women in my age group. That's an interesting observation.
Further down in my blog reading, Sal at Already Pretty asked readers to fill in the blank in the following sentence - I can tell by your outfit that you are a ___________. I read blogs first thing in the morning in my jammies. Yesterday, that meant knit pants in a white/grey/black print and a soft grey t-shirt with a turquoise sweater and purple slippers thrown on for warmth. It occurred to me that when I dressed for the day, I would most likely be wearing less color and texture. That's a huge change from how I used to dress.
Years ago, I did an assignment about your living legacy. In it, you asked a variety of people from those you knew well to those you barely knew, from those you liked to those you struggled with, what the first five words were that came to mind when they heard your name. The point of the assignment was that when you leave a room, leave work to go home or home to go to work, or ultimately leave life, those words are your legacy. They are how people will remember you. If you didn't like the words, you had an opportunity to change.
Sal's question is similar. The difference between how you would honestly answer the question and how you would like to answer the question points toward the direction of change. With the living legacy, one of the words that kept coming up for me was colorful. Were I to repeat the assignment now, I'm not sure that word would come up anymore... and I miss it.
Change is incredibly difficult especially when it means being vulnerable, stepping out of our familiar box, and acting in entirely different ways - even if all that you're trying to do is revert. Before children - before owning a business - before - my wardrobe was up to date, edgy, feminine, and colorful. It was far more interesting, more intriguing, more comment catching. Not so much now. Now, what I wear is barely noticeable even to myself. Would someone fill in the blank with I can tell by your outfit that you're a boring old lady? There's a thought to consider.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - a full day off to sew
Interesting thoughts, eh? Surely got me to thinking about my outfits. Mine say that I'm a person who got up too late to even THINK about putting something fashionable together, and probably doesn't own anything fashionable anyway. :)
ReplyDeleteBTW, your link to Gertie's blog actually links to something else.
Very interesting thought. Do women our age play it safe? Are we uncertain of our fashion sense?
ReplyDeleteI don't think so, but I know that my wardrobe isn't what it used to be either. Part of that is that I sit at home in front of a computer all day. I'm looking forward to the day when the studies are done and I have a job where I can express myself in the way I dress and interact with more people.
Enjoy your sewing day!
Thank you for this post. i Hadn't thought of what my clothes say about me in years. Black, khaki and utilitarian certainly don't say artist.
ReplyDeleteRuthJ
Oz
When I initially read Sal's post I didn't have time to respond, but I would have said suburban matron. I was wearing wearing a white tee, long red cashmere cardigan, bootcut jeans turquoise and red cowboy boots and, as a nod to impending spring, a turquoise necklace.
ReplyDeleteWhen I got back to the computer I had already taken my photo of what I was wearing that day and saw that the jeans were way too baggy through the leg, although they fit in the waist right now because I put a few pounds back on, and the sweater was also large and baggy in an unattractive sort of way. I had to amend that to schlumpy suburban matron and I did not respond.
That day renewed my resolve to lose the weight I put back on, not because anyone expects me to be thinner but I am less happy with how I feel than I was a few pounds ago. It also motivated me to pay more attention to how I actually look (the camera is a great tool here) instead of how I think I look, as that affects how I feel. I don't mean do I look younger and thinner, just do I look pulled together, comfortable in my skin and confident. Schlumpy does not meet that criteria.
I don't think anyone intentionally becomes a boring old lady, and yet, it still happens when we aren't really paying attention. Luckily, if we are alive we can change should we wish to do so.