“Personal style is accepting who you are” Diane von Furstenberg
Almost a couple of years ago, someone slated me because of the clothes I choose to wear. I took no offence from the comment because, for me, what I wear does not make me the person I am. However, I’d like to take the time to write about the clothes I wear and the style (or lack thereof) that I have.
Rewind to the mid ‘90s… I distinctly remember keeping a couple of pages from a magazine showing how to dress like an indie kid. In my mind, I wanted to look like these girls: the fishnet tights, the eyeliner, the flared trousers. It’s fair to say that the latter two were things that I did wear on a regular basis. In fact, the eyeliner is still a major part of my personal style. On a few occasions, most memorably a Placebo gig, I did wear fishnets, but they never became a staple item in my wardrobe.
And back to the present day… most of the time, I tend to wear things that I feel comfortable in. Working in a complex needs school, I need to be able to move quickly, so comfort is important in terms of a work wardrobe too. I also need clothes which wash well. Some days, I am indoors and outdoors, so layers work well too.
Outside of work, I dress for comfort as well. However, I do also like to wear clothes which make me feel good. If you were to ask Colin about my sense of style, he would tell you that I wear a lot of black. It’s true, I do, but not for the typical reason of it being slimming. I suppose the music I like has had an influence on the way I dress. I have a lot of band name t-shirts; many are navy blue or black. I like to pair one of these with skinny jeans, often black, on a regular basis.
If I’m going to a gig, sometimes I choose a black denim skirt with leggings, boots and a t-shirt or top. I usually revert back to ‘90s me and add some of my original jewellery too.
For a night out, it’s normally a ‘jeans and a nice top’ occasion. I love leopard print, but don’t do the Kat Slater look, so a small amount or subtle addition of this is perfect for me. A bit of sparkle every now and then with sequins or glitter is great too.
I rarely spend money on new clothes though as I have an overwhelming sense of guilt. I never feel that when choosing clothes for the children or my partner, but I find it almost impossible to justify why I need a new garment for my wardrobe. I do really enjoy traipsing through charity shops and hunting down a bargain though. Knowing that I have found a garment I love for a tiny price, as well as supporting the environment and charity, is exciting to me. My favourite buy is probably my purple blazer. It’s a Per Una jacket, great quality and set me back just £5. Guilt-free shopping at its finest!
It has taken me a long time to accept the way I look. I don’t like my nose or chin or skin or ears or body in general… however, if someone’s appearance is the only thing that they are judged on, we live in a very sad world. I figure that if the clothes I choose to wear and the way I look are the only things that one individual has to criticise about me, then I’m probably doing alright.
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