Accessories and a bigger picture!
In my continuing efforts to gain a wardrobe of clothes that I love and that make me feel great this week I decided to pull out all of my scarves, hats and gloves and assess my accessories.
Out they all came from all the places that they were stored and stuffed and I laid them on my bed. There weren't as many as there could have been because I recently gave a bagful away in a moment of deep compassion for the many needy people who are living cold this winter while I have so much!
The criteria for deciding what would stay and what would go was going to be similar to that which I used on my clothes. Fit, colour and style. There were a few hats that have been "let go" either because they hug my head too tightly which is a look and feel that I am not comfortable with or they were a floppy loose style which does not work for me either. A couple of scarves went because they had become quite shabby with threads pulled and fraying, and that was it.
When it was all laid out in front of me, I decided that I like almost all of these accessories and I am happy to keep them.
I am of the same opinion about these things as the great Iris Apfel, who at age 99 has more style, colour and flamboyance than most people! Her moto is "More is more and less is a bore!" This is not everyone's opinion and each of us should be on the path to find our own style, but at this point in my search, Iris is one of my styling mentors.
*Search your own photos of Iris here as I don't want to break any copyright laws*
Another of her quotes is;
"What's my style is not your style, and I don’t see how you can define it. It’s something that expresses who you are in your own way.” —Iris Apfel
and this,
"Fashion you can buy, but style you possess. The key to style is learning who you are, which takes years. There's no how-to road map to style. It's about self expression and, above all, attitude." —Iris Apfel
I think that this saying encapsulates what I am trying to communicate here through sharing my wardrobe revolution on this blog. The most important thing is to work out exactly who you are! Maybe this is all just the ravings of a woman in the midst of her menopausal years, or some kind of extended middle age crisis, but I struggle greatly with the fact that in my mid fifties I feel like I am still trying to work out who I am and what good purposes God put me here for! There have been moments of clarity for sure but not really a big picture.
The best way I know how to work this out is through clothing, fashion, styling and gaining a clear perspective about what I like to wear because that is where I know I have some gifting, it is the language that I speak. I think that getting clear about my own fashion styling can go a long way in helping me work out who I am along the way because I am learning how I react to things such as;
- Discarding clothes that I no longer wear - personally I would rather give away what is still good and up-cycle what is no longer wearable, than throw anything into waste and land fill sites. I am interested in caring for the environment.
- Coming to terms with the fact that the too small clothing I have may never fit me and don't actually encourage me in any way whatsoever. Weight loss has always been a struggle and even more so in the last few years. My body is good, and yes I need to take care of it but I no longer want to hate my body or myself for what it is not.
- I need to hone in on colours and styles that I love that make me look and feel my best. I am going to work on creating a "mood board" of style and colour as a guide to my current personal fashion ideas. I like all the colours and all the styles which has landed me with a wardrobe that has a lot of clothes that don't really work together to create the looks that I now like. A style board will guide my future purchases and sewing projects.
The picture is an example only and not my actual style preference.
As I do all these activities I am going to go a bit deeper into myself and question why I might act a certain way when it comes to clothes that I like or dislike. Why I might feel confident one day and what is going on besides my great outfit, and then why another day I just can't get it right with my outfit and what are the circumstances happening around me. Some self analysis to grow my understanding of myself and maybe help me discover the ways I can help me become my own best person.
Personally, I also find prayer and meditation on Gods word in the bible to be very beneficial in self exploration.
Here are three more quotes from successful fashion designers about the difference between wearing fashion and creating your own style.
"Style is the only thing you can’t buy. It’s not in a shopping bag, a label, or a price tag. It’s something reflected from our soul to the outside world—an emotion.”—Alber Elbaz
"Fashion is about dressing according to what’s fashionable. Style is more about being yourself." —Oscar de la Renta
"Don't be into trends. Don't make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way to live." —Gianni Versace
I love seeing what the great designers come up with to wow us on the catwalk each fashion week, but alas I am one of the majority who will probably never own a piece of the Chanel collection or a Prada handbag or the like. I guess it is just as well that I also love to spend time scanning all the second hand, thrift and op shops around me for individual pieces that will enhance my wardrobe, and I now am creating my own collections which, although I hope will appeal to many different people, can't help but be an extension of who I am and what I love.
I hope this encourages you in some way to grow in your own understanding of yourself.
Thank you for reading,
Love Suzanne
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