What (not) To Wear

My life has been a scrapbook of different styles of clothing, hair and accessories. Being an artist, I have always felt the need to express myself through what I put on my body.

The longest stage was the hippie stage in high school and the first year or two after. My closet held the most Polyester at that time... oh yes, the bell bottoms and all! I had one pair that was green with white polka dots (tiny tiny ones that were really more like nubs of thread or some such thing) that I wore with a shirt that was red with little flowers that were all colors of the rainbow and tiny white polka dots. I spent a lot of time on beaded jewelry, even learning how to make flowered necklaces out of seed beads. I would wear several of those at a time. My favorite pair of pants was a huge, soft old pair of farmer overalls that I ironed a homemade daisy patch on the front of. Heh, I even made suspenders for them out of hemp and colored beads in the order of the wordless book. I would say that mixed in were a lot of other styles as well.... let's just say I didn't have a hard time finding anything to wear for Spirit Week.

Then there was the punk stage after high school. I made patched up jackets and wore Converse All-Stars. I had a dog chain that I wore around my neck and wore my hair short and spikey. One time it was bleach blonde and one time it was purple. Dare I say when the punk was mixed in there in high school (on some days) that I dyed my hair black? Of course, having blonde hair made it necessary to cut my hair to an inch in length to avoid looking like a skunk. I often donned a studded belt of purple leopard print in combination with my black steel-toed boots. Most days I would wear an average of 10 (or more) necklaces at a time. Some affectionately called me Mr. T.

My clothing style has gradually tamed over the years, and I feel I can finally let all that go- and be comfortable in my own skin. On many occasions I have been inspired by the show What Not To Wear. Because really??? My clothes would have been burned had I gone on that show. Ever-so-slowly (but a little faster as of late) I have been adding items to my wardrobe that I can *gasp* mix and match. Jacket that can be layered that come in at the waist. Button up shirts!! Zip-up boots and pointy-toed shoes. Jeans that flatter instead of "fatter". And can I say that I feel good about myself? I wear makeup now. Most new moms have a tendency to let themselves go for a while (sometimes longer). For me, it has motivated me to look the part, I guess. Don't get me wrong, I'll still have fun with my clothes, just in a bit more of a mainstream way.

The only thing that has not died?? Lift up the bottom of my pant leg on most days, and you'll see a sock with a print of some sort, a lot of them cartoon or animal or some such thing. I just can't let them go.

Some habits die hard.