Throwing in the fashion towel...


While I have never been a slave to fashion, I have respected and, for the most part followed the rules. But fashion, like the times, has changed. I have a sense of style... it is my own sense of style. I like classic items that will last through the years... I like to buy something that will be worn for years to come and will never fade to the back of my closet. I also like a touch of whimsy. Fun color and fun accessories are a perfect compliment to any classic outfit. I got much of my style (both decorating and dress) from my grandmother, La Jolie Grandmere. Seeing as she was such an influence in my life, naturally her style would rub off on me. But I have taken her sense of fashion and made it my own. I am not my grandmother. And while she was a woman often years ahead of her time, I have a more modern take on things... I like to show a playful side at times and an edgy side at times.

For as long as I have dressed myself I have known that one does not wear white before Memorial Day or after Labor Day. Tired of these never-ending grey skies and the endless sea of black pants/boots/sweaters/jackets I decided months ago to put a little Spring in my step. I've been wearing bright and cheerful for some time now. My biggest leap of faith was taken this morning. Fed up with absolutely everything in my closet, I could no longer ignore the crisp, white jeans calling my name, beckoning to be worn. I pulled them from the shelf. They were happy to be in my hand and I was happy to hold them. I slipped them on, one leg at a time... they fit like a glove... they looked good. They looked happy. I felt happy! And despite the endless sea of grey in the horizon from my window, my bright, white jeans are like a ray of sunshine.

I could have put on a black or navy or charcoal colored sweater. This would have toned them down slightly. I could have donned a pair of black riding boots. But I didn't. Instead I pulled an old JmcLaughlin sweater from my drawer. It's pink cashmere with about a dozen rows of tiny pearls sewn into the collar, resembling a large necklace. This is my happy sweater. These are my happy jeans. Perhaps my outfit is better suited for a stroll along Palm Beach's Worth Avenue, but I'm in Connecticut. And that's just how it is. Perhaps the sun will come out later. Perhaps not. I slip into my orange Burberry quilted barn jacket, old orange JCrew flats, grab my keys and skip out the door.