Hellllooo Mojoooo!
Posted On: May 27, 2010
I'm baaacckkk!! And so is my sewing MOJO!! It seems it must have gotten misplaced when I was at Fabric Land some months ago because it wasn't until I went back last week that it skidded across the floor and leaped into my arms screaming "Here I am! OMG I thought you were going to leave me here forever!!" and the fire has been burning inside me ever since... I missed it so!!
Now that I'm back, I have to tell you all about my epiphany. Well I guess it's not so much of an epiphany as maybe just a dose of reality...the reality being that I just woke up one morning realizing that I'm almost finished this decade and very quickly closing in on 40! Now, no need to panic of course, after all 40 is the new 30, right? RIGHT?? Anyway, age isn't something that has ever worried me because I've been lucky enough to always look a lot younger than the number imbedded onto my drivers license however, it made me ask myself some questions such as "Do I dress my age? Do I dress appropriately for my job? Do I wear things that flatter my body type while still taking into account my lifestyle? Do I feel good when I walk out the door 100% of the time? Do I have enough color in my closet? Do I wear the right make up for my features? Do I like my hair and does it suit me? And so on. Most of the questions I answered with a solid "no". So I decided it was time to take some action.
So in preparation for Project: OMG-I'm-hitting-40-soon-and-must-do-something-to-cushion-the-pain, I've picked up and totally consumed two fantastic resources. One is a book called Style RX and the other is called Color Me Confident. Here is my review below:
Style RX - if you have not seen this book, pick it up next time you are at Chapters and give it a flip through! Wow!! What an enlightening moment that is. One of the issues I've always had is trying to 'fit' myself into one of the body silhouettes (such as hourglass, inverted triangle, round etc) to try and figure out what I should be wearing. Those silhouettes just don't work for me. I am a combination of 3 of them and so I can't figure out what rules to follow. In Style RX, you do not look at the body silhouette as a whole, instead you break the body down by parts - neck, bust, arms, waist, hips, legs, ankles. You deal with the issues one by one. The before and after photos really open up your eyes and make you say "wow...I never realized what an effect that neckline has on my neck or what those strappy shoes do to my ankles." It's very valuable! The only downside to this book is that the photos are in black and white. The author could have made a much stronger statement with her photos if they were in color. I give it a 4 star out of 5!
Color Me Confident - This book is another valuable resource. It's not your typical "what season am I" book. Instead, it's broken down into color 6 categories with a further breakdown of 2 more subcategories for the 6 color groups. By reading through the category descriptions and running a few color tests I was able to zone in on the category that fits me and my hair/skin tones. I now need to run some further color tests next time I go to the fabric store (where the colors vary much more widely than in my closet) to be able to zone in on which subcategory I belong to. In reading this book, I realized that I have sewn and bought 95% outside my color palette. Of course! Anyway, I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars!
So, armed with the style rules for my body and the color rules for my skin/hair tones, I hit the fabric store and picked up a new set of patterns and fabrics that will get me started on rebuilding my wardrobe and my self-image. I am aiming for a style that reflects a mash of Classic and City Chic with a little Romantic playing a small part as well. I want to exude more confidence when I walk into the room and have a look that is professional and polished. I don't necessarily care if people remember me by what I wear but just by the fact that I look great! That's my goal before I turn 40. I have 10 more months to pull it off....wish me luck!
Deb
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