Fashion. I like to think that I'm pretty good at it and that, after thirty years, I've finally settled on a style that's all my own. It hasn't always been easy for me to look good or feel good about what I was wearing; those of you who were also born in the early 80s might understand what I mean. I went through a Punky Brewster phase before I wore a lot of hats and sunflowers a la Blossom, then I was a chubby middle schooler in the mid-nineties with baggy everything topped off with some flannel, evolving into a really uncomfortable chubby teen who couldn't squeeze into the microfashions of mall chain stores, gradually evolving into the early aughts punk and glam vision studded with vintage duds and ripped tights, before I finally settled into my current look.
What is that look? Classically chic with a peppering of preppy. Think Audrey, Katherine, Jackie with a little pop of Ann Margaret. I would like to be able to look at a picture of myself and not be able to attach a date stamp to it (yes, I'd also like to be ageless.) I've learned when to cloak my curves and when to shake what my mama gave me. I know my modern day sizes and the vintage ones as well. I mix patterns like a pro and go from day to night with ease. Thanks to the clean lines of J. Crew, Jack Wills, Madewell, and Boden, the perky and whimsical looks of Anthropologie, and the preppy pop of Kate Spade, I'm able to pack my closet with pieces that I actually enjoy wearing over and over again. Like I mentioned in numbers 46, 47 & 48 on my dirty thirty to-do list, I like to dress age-appropriately with tailored pieces. That doesn't stop me from falling victim to some very trendy or throwback pieces (polka dots, military, rompers, yacht rock,) or from dipping into the archives and bringing in vintage or antique pieces. But I like to think I incorporate them well into what I've already got.
One of the quintessentially vintage preppy looks that I absolutely love is the reverse cardigan... and I've decided to bring it back. It's so very ladies prep school circa 1950s and I love it with a bright pencil skirt and some beat up boots. Now my collection of cardigans (a cardigan collection is required of all MLIS candidates,) can do double duty so my wardrobe is even bigger! It's flattering, fun and a bit of a surprise. What do you think of the look?
Also, I made a super delicious supper tonight - pepper jelly grits topped with beet greens sauteed with onions, tomatoes and spices, topped with an over easy egg. It was simple, easy, maybe healthy and quick! I gobbled it up too quickly to take a picture of it, but that description of it pretty much says it all. Spice it as much as you like, sprinkle a teeny tiny bit of cheese on the grits, top them with the sauteed veggies, and finish it off with a perfectly runny egg that melds it all together. Breakfast for supper with a bit of Southern flare. Hopefully my frequent adventures in Southern soul cooking don't make me bust those back buttons! Back to training tomorrow.
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