January 18, 1013: It's all in the Details

Gotta love accessories with a pop...

I love clothes. There...I said it. It's a self-professed weakness. Although I love great style and apparel that reflects clean lines and a pop of color; my greater weakness lies in a pair of kick-ass boots, colorful stilettos, or unique jewelry. As a child, you may not have picked up on this with my strong Tomboy traits, but in private, I loved paper dolls and the mini-wardrobes of my many Barbies.

By Junior High, I was scavenging the Spiegel catalogs delivered to my house. I would earmark each page that caught my eye. Outfits of memory were tailored blazers in hounds-tooth, riding boots over tight tan pants in a smooth warm color of caramel. I LOVED to go through the Spiegel catalog page by page and envisioned how I would dress as I walked the streets of a busy city; briefcase in hand.

By High School, my mom's passion of sewing and creating wearable creations had rubbed off on me. I found that my seamstress gene could transform the visions in my mind into the the featured outfit of the weekend. Notable was the handmade pink jumper with an embroidered "OP" on the lapel to impersonate Ocean Pacific of the eighties. I pulled off the Madonna off-shoulder look and jumped in early on the popularity of Hawaiian shorts.

In fact I got the attention of others during the Hawaiian shorts phenomenon of 1985. I started my first business with his venture. My fellow high school students (both Remsen St. Mary's and Remsen Union) paid me to sew a pair of these popular drawers for them. They would pick the material and then under my instruction on yardage, would make the purchase along with the needed drawstring. Then they paid me a flat fee to construct their fashionable wears. The demand was so high so that I could barely keep up. I remember exchanging cash for the colorful drawers at my front door at 119 Harrison Street with the look of a drug deal. But all was innocent, my Remsen neighbors...just the reflection of a successful home-based business.

 Those were the days...if only OP and Espirit knew of my blatant trademark infringements. No one else knew the better. Now I am all grown up and bask in the joy of a pair of bright red heels with a skinny red belt (highlighted as wardrobe pick of the day in pix above with black and white polka dot shirt and great accessorizing jewelry :)).

A friend roared and continues to remind me of a comment I made one day as we discussed the female trait of the sport of shopping. "I hate to shop, but I have great inventory" was my comment. I was being completely serious and her laughable response was because this statement is so true...she can validate as she knows both my quirkiness AND my wardrobe.  

I really don't like to shop. When I do, I only buy pieces I love. I hold on to them forever and I have a great eye for accessory pieces (jewelry, great shoes, belts, scarves, little sweaters) that can stretch one dress into 12 outfits.  I love the challenge of mixing things up and nothing gives me greater satisfaction than a compliment on an outfit with a dress that is ten years old, but with a new hemline (courtesy of my seamstress skills) or a skirt from Wal-Mart that gets rave reviews when matched with some killer boots and interesting earrings. It really is the small things that bring the most happiness. My motto in life...if you wake up, DRESS UP!!!  And if you need some help, I can show you how to do it on a nickel budget :)