The start of More to It
Welcome and thank you for taking an interest. I am truly delighted and grateful.
Before I explain what I want to share with you through this blog, I wanted to tell you a bit about me and how I got here.
Since I was a child, I was fascinated by clothing and how it can reflect one’s identity. Not only did I have a voracious appetite for fabrics, patterns, magazines, books, movies and maybe my childhood favorite indulgence, Barbie, Ken and the gang, I was often concerned with standing out and being seen.
Upon reflection I realized the reason I loved clothing so much was because it opened up my imagination to the stories behind the people. While I played Barbie, dress up or looked through the Sears catalogue, I imagined where they were going, what they were doing and what they were wearing for the occasion. I daydreamed about what I could wear which led me to an awareness of dressing for any and all occasions in a specific, thought out way.
As for identity, selecting my clothing, for me, was always a way to tell people how I wanted them to see me. So for family Christmas, I wanted to wear something fancy. When I was hanging at my childhood farm, I wanted something I could get messy in. And on important days at school, be it picture day or a student council, I wanted to look a particular way, smart, professional, creative, etc. I remember a time, I was 6 or so and I was negotiating with my mom if I could wear floral shorts to school, in January, in Saskatchewan. My argument included wearing tights under the shorts because not only would they keep me cozy, they matched my shirt. Perhaps what I remember the most vividly was the intense desire to wear those particular shorts and on that particular day.
As a teen I internally struggled with not wanting to wear what the other kids were wearing and often thought the style was too easy of a choice or too boring. I wanted to look unique, different somehow and it also had to look great to me. I took the teasing as an indication that I was on the right path and that others just didn’t know how they wanted to be seen so they lashed out.
As I became an adult I came into my own and realized all along I really just wanted to look like me. It was not about a particular brand, seasonal colour or item it was about all of it together in a specific, personal look. Through those perhaps rose coloured glasses, I have reviewed, studied, refined and applied that focus in styling.
I find great joy in wearing what I want and having it showcase who I want to be on a given day. Through the years I have helped friends and family find a bit of themselves through clothing too. To me there is nothing better than walking down the street, turning on the TV or checking the blogs and finding a person who looks spectacular, and spectacular in their own way. I truly believe no matter your size, shape, shade, status, or sexuality you can look good. Damn good. It’s all about finding something that not only works from a technical point of view, but it has to work emotionally.
This ingrained, insatiable appetite for clothing and personal style grew into launching my business. I have the immense pleasure and privilege of assisting others in revealing their sincere and refined self through personal style. I am in the business of self-confidence and could not be more proud.
Of course with style comes fashion. And fashion is juicy!
Through this blog I will share my interest in the stories and the insight behind the fashion. For instance, I gravitate towards stories that dig into the business of fashion: who are the key players, what moves are they making, impacts of fast fashion, how well (or not well) is a company executing it’s brand through its actions, what are the customers saying? I will also seek out the human-interest elements in fashion. Topics such as diversity and inclusivity on and off the runway. Ethical or moral issues including manufacturing industry workplace conditions, choice of fabrics, behaviors in and out of the spotlight and philanthropic partnerships. And I’ll try to simplify and sometimes even myth bust. That’s my way of trying to help others navigate through the plethora of choices and have a little fun along the way.
Maybe it’s my background in marketing paired with my sometimes contrarian, always independent nature, but I want to dig deeper than detailing the “10 items for spring you need now,” on this blog. While that is interesting and you can certainly find great help on that elsewhere, it doesn’t get me going the same as say a brand hiring transgendered models on the runway as a way of showing a commitment to showcasing our range of beautiful, diverse people in this world.
Why does this matter? It matters to me because never before have we had so many choices and access to those choices. Customers are totally in control, companies know this and with that comes a certain consumer opportunity. I say spend your hard earned money at places you somehow align personally with.
If you are intrigued, that is most excellent. Thank you and come back often. If not, that’s okay too. Cuss me out in the comments.
