Fall Fashion and "To Wear It Or Not to Wear It"

OK, so it's no secret that I have an affinity for clothes, shoes, accessories, makeup, and anything--really--to do with being a girl.  It's a good thing my husband knew what he was getting when he married me.  He has a sister who's a lot like me, so he was prepared for the preoccupation with all-things-fashion.  I'm not sure when my love of all-things-fashionable began but I know I came by it naturally.  If you knew my mother and her sister and their mother you would understand me a little better.  My grandmother was a woman who was always stylish and put-together even until the very end.  On the day she died my Mom was able to be with her and she said my grandmother asked for her lipstick and mirror so she could freshen her lip color.  (If you see pictures of all the women on my Mom's side of the family we will be wearing bright lipstick.  That's how you can pick us out of a line-up).  I guess she wanted to look good when she met Jesus.  I get that.  If you saw pictures of me following childbirth--all three times--you would find me looking just as I do every other day.  It's a little crazy, I know, but I wanted my babies to see their mother in her natural state--makeup on, hair freshly highlighted and styled, etc.  You get the picture--and those pictures live in infamy.  I have to think that this side of "me" is what made me acceptable as a wife to my husband's grandmother.  She had grace on me and accepted me--and it's just as possible that she would not have accepted me--because I married her precious Lindy.  My mother is 70 years old and still shopping at American Eagle.  She changes her purse to match whatever she's wearing, she has "vintage" shoes and jewelry that still work today and I hope to have half her style when I grow up.  I also hope she passes her wardrobe, jewelry, accessories, shoes...down to me someday.

Looking back at pictures of me as a child I was always workin' one style or another.  We didn't have much money but I wore my colorful hand-me downs from my cousins (who are cut from the same cloth) and my Kmart blue-light specials with pride.  A few years ago someone was teasing me about wearing my knee high boots with great frequency in the winter and I brought a 2nd grade class picture to show her that even then I was sporting the high boots.  I'm so glad they came back in style for the general population--if you know what I mean.

So, now that the season is changing the foremost thing in my mind--related to changing seasons--is fall fashion.  In the spring when spring and summer fashion starts to appear in the stores I am taken in by the pastels, floral patterns, bright colors, and the mere thought of pulling out my white skirts and pants again.  I'll get back to that in a little bit, but I will say that my favorite part of summer fashion is sundresses.  They are comfortable, you can dress them up or down, pair them with a sweater or shrug when a sundress might be inappropriate, wear them with sandals, flip-flops, or kitten heels, camouflage the extra BBQ you ate at your last cookout....  They are the perfect summer fashion item.

In the fall, the item I am drawn to when all the muted colors, blacks, and grays start to appear in the stores again are sweaters.  I'm not a big fan of fall and winter but beautiful sweaters almost make it worth suffering through those long months.  I also love jackets.  I don't love wearing them, but if you have to wear them you might as well have cute ones.  The worst part of fall and winter fashion is closed-toed shoes.  :(  My friend Jenn and I probably push the envelope with flip-flops and wear them far too long into fall.  When the snow flies we put them away because otherwise we might look a little silly.  Other than my high boots I really don't have much affection for shoes appropriate for winter wear.  I do have some adorable pink snow boots and I wear them when the occasion arises--with a pink sweater, of course.

Now on to "To Wear It Or Not to Wear It."  What is "it" you ask?  If you guessed white after Labor Day you guessed right.  The Monday before Labor Day I came to work wearing white pants--and other clothes too--but the white pants are the focus here.  My co-workers commented on my outfit that day and Cheryl said, "I bet you're wearing white because you only have a week left until Labor Day to wear it."  Cheryl's a smart cookie and she was impressed that she knew me well enough to know the thought process behind my chosen attire for the day.  I was impressed too.  I told them that they could just expect to see me in white every day for the next week.  I even wore a white skirt to church on the Sunday before that Monday and let it be known to my friends and family that I was taking advantage of the limited time.  I did wear white every day--even white jeans on Friday--until Labor Day weekend.

Is there really still an unwritten rule in 2010 about not wearing white after Labor Day?  Am I old fashioned with my fixation on fashion facts?  Is it just a worn-out midwestern style myth?  Does it really matter in the whole scheme of things when we think about what's really important in life?  Not one bit.  If you wear white until Christmas I won't think any less of you, I won't judge you, and I won't gossip about you to my friends.  I will love and appreciate you just the same.  Meanwhile, my white pants and skirts will be making their way to their winter home in the basement.  Old habits die hard.  I guess I'm just a traditional girl, but come Easter, watch out!!  I'll be wearing my white with pride.

In a later post...a fashion experiment I found interesting and might consider trying myself.  It's a tough one, I assure you.