Month: October 2023

Styling an old favourite

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Logo by SamThis week I’m featuring a garment that has been in my wardrobe since my teaching days. Far from new when I retired in 2007, it’s over 20 years old and now qualifies as vintage in the fashion world. Although I don’t wear it very often, I keep it because I love it and on those occasions when I do pull it out, as I did for church last Sunday, it feels like I’m wearing something new. 

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I’m not actually sure what to call it. Since it can be worn alone, I guess it qualifies as a dress, but I’ve usually worn it over a blouse. As a child, I might have called it a jumper, but according to the dictionary, a jumper is actually “a collarless sleeveless dress, typically worn over a blouse”. Jumper is also a confusing word in the world of fashion. This definition is North American, but elsewhere, especially in the UK, a jumper is what we would call a sweater. 

Whatever we call it, this garment is versatile. Not only can it be worn without a blouse underneath, but it can also be worn without the belt. Styled very differently, it first appeared on the blog in this post written over 11 years ago, long before I added a weekly fashion post. 

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Today’s photos were taken very hastily as I was freezing. It was only 3ºC (37.4ºF) outside, but I wanted to take advantage of the last of our beautiful leaves before they were buried in snow! Sure enough, there was snow on the ground when we got up the very next morning! If I hadn’t been so cold, I probably would have taken a moment to ensure that the front wasn’t puckered. 

The Classic Blouse is from cabi’s Fall 2019 collection and was bought second-hand as were the cute booties. 

And now, this morning, I’m off to the grand opening of the new Uniqlo store in Southgate Mall in South Edmonton! Maybe more about that next Friday. 

Not exactly a fashion post

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Life has been a bit crazy lately between our usual fall/winter activities starting up again and numerous medical appointments for both hubby and I. More about that in the future when we have a better idea what’s going on, but for now, suffice to say that it’s been a bit difficult to focus on something as comparatively trivial as fashion. I will, however, share what I wore yesterday for what was probably our final hike of the year.

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I don’t usually wear graphic t-shirts nor do I often wear black close to my face, but this particular tee has significant meaning to me and I really wasn’t worried about what I looked like out on the trail! 

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The logo, known as The Creator’s Path, was created by Indigenous artist, Don Monkman, for Indian Life Ministries, an organization that I do volunteer work for that seeks to reach Native people across Canada and the United States with the good news of the gospel. If you look closely, you’ll see the cross surrounded by Christ wearing the crown of thorns, the two thieves on either side of Him, His nail pierced hands, the people who rejected Him piercing His side, and those who accepted His sacrifice kneeling in prayer. All of this is held within a circle representing creation. 

Anyway, back to our hike. It was an absolutely beautiful day, one of the last few in the forecast before winter is expected to hit early next week. We spent a couple of hours exploring one of our favourite hiking areas, Willow Creek Coulee, located near the village of Donalda, Alberta. With beautiful sunshine and a temperature of 23ºC (73ºF), it was hard to believe that snow and sub-zero temperatures might be just around the corner! 

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In addition to the t-shirt described above, I wore an older pair of chinos, my trusty Merrell hiking shoes, and a hat to shade my eyes from the sun. There are few things that I love more than the peace and quiet of nature. For awhile, I even forgot all about the headache that I’ve had for the past two weeks! 

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On the way back to the vehicle, we almost decided to do a bit of international travel, but we didn’t have our passports with us.

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Just kidding! 😂 That’s actually a new sign that has appeared on the fence of a property near the trailhead since the last time we hiked the coulee. The land is held by a member of a movement known as  Freemen on the Land, a group who believe that they can declare themselves independent of the government and any laws to which they have not consented. It takes all kinds, I guess! 

Not promising, but I’ll try to have a more conventional fashion post for you next week! 

Logo by Sam

 

What’s your style uniform?

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Logo by SamAnyone who has ever had to wear a prescribed uniform for school, work, a sport, or as a member of an organization knows that it has its benefits. Wearing a uniform is a great equalizer and it eliminates questions about whether or not what you’re wearing is appropriate for the setting or the activity. A uniform can also be a form of identity shorthand. We know that a person is a police officer because of the uniform that he or she is wearing.

But what is a style uniform and how does it benefit you? Essentially, it’s a combination of clothing that you know you can always rely on and feel comfortable wearing. It’s an outfit formula that you wear consistently, that you look and feel good in, that represents who you are, and that is practical for your lifestyle. It doesn’t have to look the same every day, although it can if you want it to. Having a style uniform takes the stress out of dressing and frees up your brain to focus on other things.

It was the great philosopher, Socrates, who gave us the key to discovering our personal style uniform when he said, “Know thyself!” Considering your habits, the level of comfort you prefer, and the types of activities you participate in will help you define your uniform. This is also where your personal style adjectives come into play. Choosing three to five adjectives to describe your personal style can be very helpful in building a style uniform that says what you want to say about yourself. For example, I want my outfit to say that I’m classy, confident, comfortable, casual, and authentic.

My style uniform consists of pants (usually jeans or cords), a pullover top, a third piece (cardigan, blazer, denim shirt, etc), earrings, and depending on the time of year and whether there is snow on the ground or not, sneakers or boots. Of course, there are occasions when I dress differently, but this is what you’d find me wearing most days.

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Here’s what I’m wearing today. None of these pieces is new and all have appeared on the blog before. This combination works for my lifestyle. The sleeveless top made it easy to have blood taken at the hospital lab this morning and with the cardigan over top, it gave my on-screen presence a semi-professional look for my online tutoring session this afternoon. In my opinion, it looks classy, confident, comfortable, casual, and authentic and when it comes to style, it’s truly our own opinion that counts!

So, what’s your style uniform? Do you have one?

Isabella Rossellini and I – this is what 71 looks like!

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I turned 71 yesterday, so I was intrigued to discover that Italian actress and model, Isabella Rossellini, who is also 71, is featured on the cover of this month’s issue of Italian Vogue.

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Even more delightful is the fact that the photo hasn’t been retouched! No photoshopping to eliminate the visible signs of aging.

Isabella is no stranger to ageism. At the age of 43, when she was dropped by Lancôme in favour of younger models, she was told that advertisements represent women’s dreams, not reality, and that women dream of looking young. More than 20 years later, in her mid 60s, she was invited back; perhaps a hopeful sign that there are positive changes taking place in the beauty industry.

Of course, for the magazine cover, Rossellini had the benefit of professional makeup artists, photographer, and lighting, but I also love the more natural look of this photo that she posted on Instagram recently.

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That’s a look that I can identify with; the look of a woman who is comfortable in her own skin, wrinkles and all. Born with scoliosis, Rossellini has had two major and very painful back surgeries. The idea of having surgery to alter her looks actually scares her. She isn’t interested in Botox injections either. She has a 28-acre organic farm on Long Island, New York and eats organic food, not to look younger, but to preserve her health. She says that doing Botox would completely contradict her chosen lifestyle.

Although she eschews cosmetic surgery and other attempts at hiding her age, Rossellini has been attentive to caring for her skin since she was a child. Her routine includes an eye cream, a face cream, and sunscreen. I, too, am diligent about skin care. In the morning, I wash my face with warm water and apply a day lotion with SPF 15 and UVA/UVB sun protection. At bedtime, I use a creamy facial cleanser with gentle exfoliants followed by a night cream. While I’ve been doing this since I was in my early 30s, I now use products that are specifically designed for maturing skin. I’m also very conscientious about using an SPF 50+ broad spectrum sunscreen whenever I spend much time outdoors.

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And there’s my without the benefit of professional assistance, just turned 71, wrinkles and scars, unretouched photo! Though I’m half blind without my glasses, I removed them so that they don’t hide anything.

Today, on my second day of being 71, I’m very thankful for role models like Isabella Rossellini; strong, elegant women who embrace their age and defy societal pressure to try to look younger than they actually are!

Logo by Sam

Book of the Month – September 2023

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I Am a Bacha Posh

Ukmina Manoori

9781629146812-usThe subtitle of this short, but intriguing memoir, My Life as a Woman Living as a Man in Afghanistan, tells much about the content of the book, but it could also be misleading to those of us living in western cultures. This is not a book about living a trans experience.

“You will be a son, my daughter.” With these stunning words young Ukmina learned that she was to spend the remainder of her childhood as a boy. This had nothing to do with gender confusion on her part. In Afghanistan’s heavily patriarchal, male-dominated society, it is customary for some families, especially those without sons, to choose a daughter to live, dress and behave as a boy, even taking on a boy’s name. These children are known as bacha posh which means “dressed up as a boy” in the Persian dialect, Dari.

Families have various reasons for making this choice and there are no statistics on how many families have daughters living as bacha posh. In most cases, due to the somewhat secretive nature of the practice, only the family, close friends, and necessary health and education officials know the bacha posh’s biological sex.

As a bacha posh, a girl has all the freedoms denied to her as a member of the female sex. Instead of staying at home cooking and cleaning, she can move about freely in public, attending school, running errands, playing sports, and sometimes finding work to help the family make ends meet.

Once a bacha posh reaches puberty, however, she is expected to revert to traditional female roles putting on the veil, staying at home unless accompanied by a male, and preparing for an early marriage. What makes Ukmina’s story unique is that when that time came, she refused. Confronting societal and family pressure, she continued to live as a man, not because of gender dysphoria, but because she doesn’t want to give up the the rights and privileges of a male in Afghan society.

Ukmina’s choice paved the way for an extraordinary destiny. She acted as a scout for the resistance when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and ultimately commanded the respect of everyone she encountered. There did come a period of time when she lived in isolation and fear of the Taliban and even of some of her fellow villagers who didn’t agree with her life choices. Eventually, however, she entered politics and as an elected member of her provincial council, fights tirelessly to improve women’s rights.

Rather than telling you any more of her story, I’m simply going to share three quotations that I think wrap up Ukmina’s thoughts about her experience and the life of women in Afghanistan.

“Living in men’s clothing has given me a certain freedom. A life as a woman in Afghanistan is a life of destruction.”

“I say to myself that I have sacrificed nothing. I have done what I had to do. I became what I was. I found my destiny. And there is nothing I lack.”

“I also told myself that women were beautiful creatures of God. Men were cruel. I often asked Allah: “Give me the power of men and the kindness of women.””

If a novel about bacha posh would be more to your liking, I would highly recommend The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi.