On Personal Style...

and following what brings you joy

Since I was a little girl, I’ve noticed details. Gotten lost in them, been absorbed in the way the light hits the wall at a certain time of day or the curve of a shadow on the ground. From a very young age I’ve been smitten with the smell of new leather and loved the whisper of linen on my skin. I spent hours at a time in thrift stores with my mom and would browse through the fabrics, feeling the differences and reading the composition tags so I could put names to the textures on my fingertips.

I’ve always loved getting dressed, not to be confused with getting “dressed up”, which I actually don’t love, but just in making the everyday feel special and interesting. I could sit on the corner of a busy street for hours, just watching people and what they wear, how the fabrics and colors play out on each individual. To me, it’s fascinating.

Hair tucked into a neckline, a perfectly cut blazer, a wash on a pair of vintage Levi’s that stops me in my tracks.

For so long, I believed the narrative in my head that told me I was shallow for loving such things, that I needed to focus elsewhere to be taken seriously, that there wasn’t anything to what I was so attracted to.

I was wrong.

When I looked at others who had found their “calling”, who had made a life and a living doing something they both loved and excelled at, I was equally in awe and a bit sad for myself that I hadn’t found my thing. But… I had, I just chose to ignore it.

I finally let go of those obstructive thoughts and decided to lean into, rather than away from, what brings me joy.

A perfectly cut organic cotton tee shirt, a sculptural handle on a handmade bag, an interesting leg on a pair of denim, a pointelle body suit on a chubby baby, a beautiful older woman wrapped in gorgeous textiles with a big smile on her face.

Small, everyday details that make the world a colorful and interesting place.

Recently I read a book called Worn: A People’s History of Clothing and it was really thought provoking, if garments, textiles, and the story behind why people wear what they wear intrigues you.

In retrospect, I’m sure I could have parlayed all of this into an actual career, if only I hadn’t listened to the voices in my head. Such is life, always learning. For now, I’ll greet each day eager to get dressed, I’ll allow that ripple of pleasure when I see a visually appealing ensemble on a stranger on the street….and I’ll always make sure to pay them the compliment.

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