Fashion Friday!

How to identify your personal style

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LogoOne of my fashion goals for 2019 is to resist the pressure of friends or family to buy clothing that they like, but that isn’t right for me. The only way that I can accomplish that is to know what is right for me; to know my own personal style. I’ve had a pretty good idea what I like and don’t like and what looks good on me for a long time, but I wanted to further clarify that. As it turns out, Pinterest is the perfect tool to do that. If you’re new to Pinterest, you can find a simple tutorial to help you get started here.

So, how can you use Pinterest to identify your own personal style? First, create a virtual bulletin board, simply called a board on Pinterest, and begin pinning images of styles that you like, that you think you would be comfortable wearing, that might convey the kind of message you want to send about yourself.

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Once you have a collection of images, look for common elements. These might include colour, cut, prints or solids, timeless or trendy, minimalist or extravagant, accessories, and footwear.

Now, before you decide that you need to go shopping for a whole new wardrobe, shop your own closet. Which of the style elements that you’ve identified are already there? Using the images on your board as inspiration, try putting the things you already own together in new and different ways. Have fun developing your own personal style, a style that tells people who you are!

Here are a sample of the photos that I’ve pinned to my “My Style” board.

It’s easy to see that some of my common elements include:

  • neutral colours (grey, navy, cream, beige, khaki)
  • classy, but casual
  • comfortable fit
  • solid colours, Breton stripes, occasional prints
  • hats!
  • flat shoes, sneakers, and boots

Now let’s look at how I used pieces from my closet to create a look that fits my classy, but casual style.

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In this outfit,  I incorporated neutral colours (dark navy, grey, and white) and Breton stripes, comfy casual fit, and flat shoes. I added a pop of colour (burgundy) and pattern mixing with the scarf and shoes. Most important of all, I feel like me when I’m dressed like this because it fits my personal style.

A ruana by any other name

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LogoForgive me for misquoting William Shakespeare’s famous line “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”, but it seemed appropriate! My daughter and I each purchased one of these at a great Boxing Week sale, but I’m not really sure what to call it!

The store clerk referred to it as a scarf, but that’s definitely not what I’d call it. I’ve seen bloggers from the southern US refer to this kind of garment as a ruana, but I’ve never heard that word used here in western Canada. In fact, the first time I saw the word, I had to check a dictionary to see what it meant.

ruana: [roo-ah-nuh] noun. a poncho-like outer garment of heavy wool, worn especially in the mountains of Colombia.

While my new wrap is similar to a poncho, that’s not quite right either. The word poncho also originated in South America where it refers to a heavy piece of woolen cloth with a slit in the middle for the head. I remember wearing ponchos back in the late 1960s and early 70s when they were all the rage among the younger crowd. This is one of my favourite photos of myself from that era. In it, I’m wearing a poncho that belonged to my boyfriend.

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I suppose I could call my new blanket-like garment a mantle, but that sounds awfully pretentious or I could call it a shawl or, as I already did in the paragraph above, a wrap. Regardless of what it’s called, it’s a cozy, comfortable addition to my wardrobe and great to snuggle up in on a chilly Alberta evening.

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New hats

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LogoShortly after I started following Pamela Lutrell’s blog Over50Feeling40 back in 2012, I read this post in which she writes about overcoming her fear of wearing hats. In it, she tells of a time that “hat-fear” left her sitting in her car for 20 minutes before entering an event! A hat is a great accessory, but it’s also an attention getter.

In spite of the fact that I’m inherently shy, I’ve always loved wearing hats. You can see a few from my collection here. Of course, I was absolutely delighted to find a new one waiting for me under the Christmas tree.

Handcrafted by Dorfman Pacific, my new hat hat is crushable and packable which is definitely a bonus for someone like me.

There was actually a second hat amongst my gifts on Christmas morning. My crafty daughter knit this cozy toque and matching mittens for me. The mittens are fleece lined and oh so warm! Depending on where you live, you may know the toque as a knit cap. Here in Canada, where it’s an essential part of any winter wardrobe, most of us agree that it’s a toque, but there’s no consensus on how it should be spelled! To some it’s a touque, to others a tuque, but to me it’s always been a toque!

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This cartoon is a bit off topic, but when I saw it right after Christmas the hat caught my eye and then I thought the message was worth sharing.

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The life story of a dress

/ edebock / 4 Comments

LogoOn October 2, 1996, Richard and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary with an intimate catered dinner party for ten people including our three teenage children, my bridesmaid, and his best man. I wanted a new dress for the occasion, so a girlfriend and I went to the city to shop. I had no idea what sort of dress I wanted, but I knew that it had to be special. After trying on a LOT of dresses and almost giving up entirely, we found the perfect one. Dark green embossed rayon that draped beautifully, tea length, flutter sleeves, scoop neck. I felt like a princess!

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October 2, 1996 with daughter, Melaina

Over the next few years, I wore the dress for a few other special occasions and then I carefully put it away in storage. I knew that I didn’t want to part with it, but little did I expect that our daughter would ask me to wear it to her wedding on December 16, 2006!

After Melaina’s wedding, the dress went back into storage and rested there for another twelve years. Last Saturday, I wore it again! Very close friends celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary with a vow renewal ceremony and reception. Like Melaina, Dan and Michelle were university students who married during their Christmas break from school. They didn’t have a big celebration or a dance, but thirty years later they had the “wedding” that Michelle had always dreamed of! I knew I’d want to wear something special.

Clothing is generally considered vintage when it’s at least 20 years old. My now vintage dress seemed the perfect thing for the occasion! This time I wore it with light pink pumps, Michelle’s favourite colour, and an emerald necklace that was my mother’s.

Girlfriends! We call ourselves the Rav4.

That’s the “bride” on my left. The flower girl had just knocked her headpiece askew!

I wore the dress again on New Year’s Eve and now it’s back in storage. I wonder if it will appear again someday and what the occasion might be?

2018 fashion shopping review

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LogoOn January 4 of this year one of my favourite bloggers, Sue Burpee, writer of High Heels in the Wilderness, published a post entitled Is It Possible To Be An Ethical Shopper? In it, she analysed the progress that she had made over the previous year in her quest to be a more ethical shopper and gave herself an overall mark of B-. By the time I was half way through reading her post, I had decided that I would keep a list of all the clothing purchases that I made this year and then analyse my own shopping habits. In addition to wanting to be a more ethical shopper, I was interested in finding out more about my spending habits and I wanted to be more intentional about wardrobe development.

Sue’s advice at the end of her post was

Plan carefully. Purchase wisely, not too much. Mostly quality.

And ethically… if possible. 

I divided my list into three categories: Clothing, Accessories, and Footwear. Within each category, I kept track of each item that I bought listing the date and place where it was purchased, where it was made, the regular price, and if it was bought on sale, the amount that I actually spent. I also indicated which items were thrifted.

So how did I do?

Alhough it’s difficult to find accurate information on women’s spending habits and it clearly varies from place to place, a survey of 1000 American women conducted by ING Direct and Capital One banks in 2012 found that most women, on average, spend somewhere between $150 and $400 on clothing per month, which equals approximately $1,800 to $4,800 per year. According to the research that Sue did for her post, the average American woman added 70 items to her wardrobe in 2013. Based on these statistics, I would give myself an excellent mark! In fact, I can’t even imagine spending or buying that much. All told, I purchased 35 wardrobe items in 2018. In addition to accessories and footwear, this included socks, underwear, and three badly needed bras. I paid full price for only 10 of the 35 items and I spent a total of approximately $1135 (CAD). Had I paid full price for everything, I would have paid somewhere around $2000. I can only give a rough estimate of that because I don’t know the original prices of the 5 thrifted pieces that I bought. For example, I spent $4.00 for a classic trench coat that would probably retail for $100 or more.

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Although I love thrift store shopping, I purchased fewer second hand items this year because I was determined not to continue filling my closet with impulse buys simply because the prices were fantastic. Instead, I spent more and focused on buying items that I needed and that could be worn at least three ways with things that I already owned.

My most expensive purchase was my new winter coat. It was a planned purchase and I shopped around to find  exactly what I wanted. I paid the full price of $179.99, but considering cost per wear it will probably be one of my most economic purchases. By buying the coat when I did, I also received a $50 rebate on any item in the store which my husband was able to use for a new pair of jeans.

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I did purchase one item that I’ve never worn; a piece of costume jewelry that didn’t look as good as I thought it would with the items that I planned to wear it with. Thankfully, I bought it at half price and only paid $8.98.

Now, back to the topic of Sue’s post. She came to the conclusion that trying to shop ethically is complicated and discouraging and I completely concur. 22 of the items that I purchased this year were made in China and 5 in Vietnam, but were they made in sweatshops where workers are exploited and forced to work in unsafe conditions or are they manufactured in socially and environmentally responsible factories? It’s often impossible to find out. I’ve learned that retailers seldom respond to inquiries especially ones that touch on sensitive subjects like this one. I bought 8 cabi garments this year. I’ve been told by two different cabi stylists that their products are ethically produced, but I can’t find anything on their website to verify that. Likewise, I purchased 3 garments from another retailer who assured me that she carries only ethically produced clothing, but how do I know for sure and even if the garments are produced in safe and responsible factories, we have no way of finding out anything at all about the production of the fabric itself. As a result, though I very much want to be, I really don’t know if I’m an ethical shopper, so I won’t be as bold as Sue and attempt to give myself a letter grade for this year’s fashion shopping.

What are my goals for 2019?

  • I will continue tracking my purchases for the coming year so that I can review and evaluate my shopping habits again a year from now.
  • I would like to buy less and spend less.
  • I intend to buy basics that I need and items I love that work well with what I already have.
  • I will resist the pressure of friends to buy pieces that they like, but that aren’t right for me.
  • I will continue to buy quality pieces, not wasting money on fast fashion items that are poorly made and end up in the landfill after only a few wearings.
  • I will continue to write a weekly fashion post!

And finally, here are of a few of my favourite fashion purchases this year:

 

 

Looking in the mirror

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LogoWhat’s the first thing you notice when you look in a mirror? If you’re a woman, chances are it’s your hair. That’s certainly true for me. If our hair is a wreck, we feel like a wreck. Right?

Lately, I wasn’t happy with what I was seeing in the mirror. I love my curls, but there was just TOO MUCH hair. I had it trimmed awhile ago, but it grows so fast that it seemed like no time before I was back where I started. It was definitely time for something more drastic, so I decided to do something I’d never done before.

In the past, whenever I’ve tired of long hair, I’ve gone from cascading curls to a pixie cut, never anything in between. The only time I’ve had in-between hair has been when I was in the process of growing it out. This time I decided to opt for a short curly bob.

About three weeks after each of my PRRT treatments, I begin losing what looks like an alarming amount of hair. That goes on for the next few weeks, but unlike patients on chemo, I don’t lose it all. Thankfully, I had very thick hair in the first place, so even with the twice a year thinning, I have lots. I also have natural layers now as the regrowth is at all different lengths. All my hairdresser had to do this week was cut off the excess length and my hair fell into place as if this was the length it had always wanted to be! She was as happy with the results as I was.

Now when I look in the mirror, it’s still my hair I notice first, but I’m happier with what I see!

Looking in the mirror and liking what I see.

On chilly days my neck is missing all that hair though, so it looks like my scarves will be coming out to play more often in the next while!

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Alterations and adaptive clothing

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LogoDo you ever buy something that doesn’t fit exactly the way you like and then take it to a tailor for alterations? Sometimes a simple nip or tuck can make a big difference. I’m thankful for the sewing skills my mother taught me that enable me to do that kind of thing for myself.

Here’s a video that puts simple alterations like shortening a pair of pants into perspective. Josh Sundquist is an American paralympic ski racer, a bestselling author and motivational speaker, and a childhood cancer survivor. He also has a wonderful sense of humour. Regardless of what you think of the Tommy Hilfiger brand, Josh has some very important things to say. Please take a few minutes to watch and then let me know what you think in the comment section below.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.

 

High heels? Yes or no?

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LogoThere are very few topics that could be tagged Fashion, Health, and Politics, but today’s post will focus on one of them. I have very few positive things to say about our provincial government, but I do commend them for one recent decision. On January 1, 2019, changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Code will take effect banning mandatory footwear rules that pose health and safety risks to Alberta workers, particularly those in the hospitality industry.

“Mandatory high heel policies that can put workers at risks for slips, trips and falls and can become a workplace hazard are no longer acceptable,” Alberta Labour Minister Christina Gray announced recently. “We’re doing this after hearing from so many Albertans and workers who have had detrimental effects to having to work an eight-hour shift in high heels.” The new ruling isn’t about banning high heels; it’s about giving women the choice of whether to wear them or not.

Since I’m significantly taller than my husband and I’ve always put comfort ahead of appearance, I seldom wear anything higher than a kitten heel. After reading about the toll that wearing high heels regularly can have on the spine, hips, knees, ankles and feet, I’m glad that I never got into the habit. Take a look at this graphic from the Florida Hospital Medical Group Spine Health Institute to see what I’m referring to.

Screen Shot 2018-12-05 at 9.15.41 PMLooking at the two profiles, it’s easy to see why men in particular tend to favour women in high heels, but is the increase in sex appeal worth the damage that they cause?

Studies have shown that by limiting the natural motion of the foot during walking, high heels can cause increased stress on the knees and may even contribute to osteoarthritis later in life. Similarly, if high heels are worn constantly, the spine’s ability to absorb shock can result in continued back pain. The vertebrae of the lower back may be compressed and back muscles over stressed. Wearing high heels too frequently can also cause the calf muscle to stiffen and the Achilles tendon to shorten which can actually make wearing flatter shoes uncomfortable. By putting a great deal of pressure on the ball of the foot and forcing the toes into a small toe box, high heels can cause or worsen many foot problems including corns, hammertoe, bunions, Morton’s neuroma and plantar fasciitis.

Does all this mean that women should never wear high heels? Not at all. Worn in moderation, for special occasions as opposed to every day, they are unlikely to cause any long-term physical health problems. So wear them to your upcoming Christmas parties if you like, just don’t wear them to work every day. On the other hand, there are so many cute flats available these days that you might not want to wear them at all!

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Clothing ourselves for Christmas and always

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LogoFor me, fashion is a hobby, not a passion. I definitely want to look my best and I have fun putting together the outfits I wear, but I’m more concerned with who I am as a person than what I look like. The Bible speaks of this in Colossians 3:12 where it says “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Verse 14 of the same chapter says “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

These thoughts seem particularly appropriate as we approach the busy Christmas season. There are lots of ways to show compassion and kindness at this time of year, whether it be making a donation to your local food bank or filling a shoebox for an underprivileged child, but what about patience? That can be a tough one, especially when you’re trying to navigate a busy shopping mall or you find yourself caught in the slowest line at Walmart while the harried cashier waits on a price check.

One of the ways that I try to deal with the busyness of the Christmas season without losing patience is to plan ahead. I’m almost completely finished my Christmas shopping and while I’m stuck at home over the next few days, I plan to decorate and do some Christmas baking. I’ve also made a list of the various Christmas events that we’ll be taking part in during December and I’ll be shopping my closet to put together outfits and accessories for each one. That way, when it comes time to dress for each event, I won’t have the stress of trying to figure out what to wear. Instead, I’ll be in the right frame of mind to put on the qualities of He whose birth we celebrate at Christmas!

Colossians 3;12-14

 

Can I wear it 3 ways?

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LogoI frequently drop into our local thrift stores in search of used books, but invariably the clothing beckons and I have to take a look! I’ve been more disciplined in recent months, buying less and not filling my closet with impulse buys simply because the prices are irresistible. I’ve accomplished that by asking myself one simple question: Can I wear this at least 3 different ways with items that I already have in my closet? If so, it will probably be a good purchase. This doesn’t work for something like a special occasion dress, but it’s a good rule of thumb for most other wardrobe purchases, new or used.

On my most recent foray into a second hand store, this blouse caught my eye.

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Could I style it 3 ways? Easily! It’s light and airy, so I could immediately visualize myself wearing it with capris next summer or perhaps sooner if we take a winter holiday to somewhere warm. It’s also long enough to wear over leggings or skinny jeans with some of my winter sweaters including the Prep Pullover that I showed you a couple of weeks ago. I decided to try it on.

On the way to the fitting room, I spotted this.

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A plain white cotton t-shirt dress. Could I style it 3 ways? I wasn’t sure, but I thought it would be a great layering piece and that it might actually look good under the black and white blouse.

What do you think?

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Even though I might have broken my 3 ways rule with the white top, both pieces came home with me and here I am wearing them with my light grey High Skinny jeans from cabi and a pair of black booties that were also purchased second hand.