There are two words that do not come to mind when I think of myself -- graceful and stylish. My mother always thought that my being born on a Tuesday (Tuesday's Child is Full of Grace) was some sort of a bad joke. If it was there to fall over, I would fall over it. If necessary, I would detour my route in order to fall over it. It is sad but true.
Then there is the stylish part. When I was a child I dressed like a child of the 50's. Lots of little plaid dresses with cardigans. Shoes were generally saddle oxfords, Penny loafers or Mary Janes It was easy. The biggest problem was if the waistline hit at the right place and if there was droopy lace on one of your three petticoats.
Being a teenager in the 1960's was fun -- Bobbie Brooks reigned supreme with all their mix and match items. There was always a pleated skirt, a straight skirt, an a-line skirt, a couple of blouses and a couple of sweaters -- one pull over and one cardigan in each line. There were several color collections so for one stop shopping you could build an entire wardrobe and empty your parents wallets very quickly. The shoes tended to be flats or loafers. Soft crew socks were popular as well. Easy peasy.
Then came adulthood and I was lost. I wore lots of homemade a-line skirts and sleeveless "shells" -- same thing as the sleeveless piece of a twin set. And then there were the maternity clothes and the after-maternity clothes -- long blouses and elastic waists. And.....here I am. Trying to figure out, in my dotage, what in the world I am supposed to wear. So, I read mags like "Mary Jane's Farm" which is no help in the clothing department but I know a lot about goats. I read things like "More" from time to time but there isn't too much helpful info there either but I know a lot about Sybil Shepherd. Yesterday I picked up a copy of "Harper's Bazaar" which had an article on "no poo" hair washing. I thought I would pick up some fashion cues from that. Well, in a word, no. I mean, yes, if I had unlimited income, was a size 0 and could lop about 40 years off my age. So, I decided while I was out and about that I would just look at people -- no magazines, no websites, no minimalist articles telling me that I can actually live my entire life with only 10 articles of clothing. I wanted to see something real. So, I did some people watching. It was enlightening.
In the first place, I only saw two "old girls" out and about-- me and another woman who I assumed, from the age of the children that were with her, to be about my age. I guess it was too hot for the truly aged to be out so I only had one example of a "mature" woman to draw from. This is an example of what she was wearing --
 |
| Blinged out denim capris |
 |
| Coach toe |
 |
| Blue and Green Tom |
 |
| Green Polo |
I don't know what I thought about her attire. It looked fine, coordinated and put together except I wasn't sure of the bling on the butt. My posterior is more ample that hers so my bling would be bigger -- not sure if I like it but I have to hand it to her for wearing it. The polo and the shoes went well together and the tote was a nice nod to not being completely matchy matchy. It didn't seem to be too young for her although younger women do wear these things. She seemed comfortable. However, it seems to be so -- ordinary! Even with the bling. Maybe I am worrying too much or trying too hard.
So, I went on a quest to determine the correct way to shop and build a wardrobe, minimalist or not. I was trying to determine whether it is better to buy "outfits" -- like pants/skirts/blouses that match each other that you don't mix up with other things (I have several) or is it better to buy different pieces in neutral and mix and match. I have no idea. I might have to go back to my original plan of all black and white clothes.
Would somebody help me please? Only, I have no intention of having VERY close cropped hair. Been there, done that and hope to never return.
4 comments:
Ummm...do you mean I should stop wearing my "after-maternity clothes -- long blouses and elastic waists"? My youngest is only 43!
;)
LOL! I am still fond of the elastic waists and long blouses and my oldest will b 39 in December! I am fine with it but my daughter says that my long tops make my legs look short and I am assuming that she thinks I look like Yoda. After I have read this blog several times I have figured out what to do -- quit worrying about it and wear what I am comfortable in!
Oh my goodness how much I can identify with all this. Life was sooo much easier when "mother" dressed us. And because Bobbie Brooks did the coordinating, teens didn't have to trouble themselves about what matched--still remember wearing a Bobbie Brooks pleated wool skirt and sweater the first day of school and melting because of summer-like temps. At this point in life, my fashion sense translates as whatever is cool/comfortable in the summer, and warm/comfortable in the winter--though "snuggies" has yet to produce anything fashionable;) I read the other day where Twiggy is producing a line for M&S--and it's for any age to wear--so maybe there's hope for us "older" gals yet. Loved your post!!
Bonnie -- thanks! I am still "observing" the people around me but from what I see I think I am over thinking the whole thing. I think I have it figured out and your formula of being comfortable/cool//comfortable/warm seems to be very workable. I do see serious business possibilities in "fashionable snuggies" though!!! Thanks for stopping by!
Post a Comment