Simplicity

From "A Women's Guide to a Simpler Life" by Andrea Van Steenhouse

"Every time we walk into a store or hold up a garment for consideration, we brush up against a wish - to be younger/older, taller/shorter, thinner/heavier, or any multitude of alternatives to what we actually are. New clothes can't change the realities, but we live in perpetual hope that they'll create a pretty convincing illusion.

If we are going to fill our closets with clothes that match our spirits, we have to look at these hopes before we ever go shopping. We need to hold them up to what we know about ourselves and say, clearer or fuzzier?

We have to be honest, even brutal, about the hopes that are pathways to ourselves and the ones that are incompatible or out-of-date or, frankly, belong to someone else. And we need to leave the ones that don't fit at home."

This really struck me, because what clothing has always done for me is express who I am to the world. Whether it be the colorful, playful dresses of my young single days, or the turtleneck/jumper days of my early motherhood, or now my neo-hippie attire with lots of artisan made jewelry. They all are expressions of my state in life. I have always scorned the "current" fashions, and made up my own, or followed the example of others whom look I liked.

Anyone remember "Thirtysomething"? One character on that show was a funky photographer, who wore vests and hats and earrings that didn't match. I was just like that. Now, I have simpler dress. Linen, jean, khaki, and dark brown pants or long skirts, sandals or boots, and every sweater or top I own goes with all the bottoms. So easy. Most my clothes are plain, and I dress them up with jewelry I get at art fairs or thrift stores. Some are pretty classic, some are very unique. I also have scarves and a few jackets with big rhinestone pins on them to dress the outfits up. I can get dressed in a snap, establish "my" look, go anywhere without having to change, and like the way I look. It has taken me most my married life to figure this out, as I was always trying to dress like someone else. Now, it's simple, easy, cheap (mostly from thrift stores) and unique.