Expressions and impressions

It is truth universally acknowledged that the purpose of fashion is for self expression. So what happens when you can't find anything that will express your uniqueness in stores? What then? Are you supposed to repress your shine simply because the mass market can't come up with a way to symbolize everybody's individual taste? NO! NAY! NEVER! In such instances that you are just so incredibly unique that nothing in the world of conformity could possibly do you justice, you compromise and make your own. This could either mean getting a simple H&M sweater an adding patches and oversized buttons, finding a vintage wedding dress and making it in to a 21st century party dress, or making your own clothes entirely. I am a strong believer in the power of personal style, and I highly recommend that everyone take some personal time over a cup of tea to delve deep inside themselves and find themselves—or at least find your personal style, we don't have to get too psychological or spiritual here. 

Now everyone is unique, this is true or otherwise we would have a world of Stepford wives, and I think it would be safe to say that in my family we have some very unique individuals (if you've ever met us, you'll understand). In this installment regaring personal style I would like to discuss my middle sister, who for purposes of anonymity shall be here named Nan. Nan is 6ft 1, a teacher, has a perpetual smile, brings a party wherever she goes, and is a cook extraordinaire. Think mrs. Frizzle with a mix of Julia Child and Mary Poppins. So, you can probably imagine that it is hard to find clothes that fit her, let alone truly embody who she is. And as she is a teacher, she is required to dress nicely, modestly, and, to keep the kids interested, fun-ly. In order to compromise the lack of full dresses in fun colors that are well made in stores like Zara, we created a pattern specifically for Nan and now make all of her clothes. She now can strut around all day with her ginormous smile that attracts all sorta of people while feeling completely confident in who she is because she knows that she looks fabulous, feels comfortable, and is in a dress as unique as she is. 

This dress of brown an white polka dots has a yellow and red apple print lining, to give it an extra punch of fun. It is long enough to cover her knees, and the pleated skirt is full enough to allow for any spinning and skipping opportunity.

As Nan peers into the window of an old school house, we can see a metal zipper which adds another exciting detail that is available only in homemade clothes (unless you want to spend a lot more money than is accessible to a middle school teacher).

The repetition of red and polka dot pattern makes this dress simultaneously a little crazy and put together, the perfect combination of the many characteristics of my sis Nan.

Finally, as I have said in the past, making your own clothes has many benefits, one in particular being that it saves money for buying, say, shoes! Any outfit of Nan's would never be complete without a pair of at least 3 inch heels.

Isn't she beautiful? And fantastic? Can't you just tell what kind of person she is based simply off what she is wearing? Even though we could never find a dress that embodies her so well in any store for under $200, Nan has successfully achieved the goal of fashion and is expressing herself from head to toe. 

Until next time

Xoxo

JusticeMae