Tuesday 2 February 2010

The age of style

Becoming an adult, becoming a mum, getting older are such strange things. In my head, I'm about 18 years old and am wearing Doc Martens, floral skirt and a suede jacket all while listening to Nirvana, Pavement, Sebadoh, The Stone Roses, Oasis, Blur. Somewhere along the way I became a 33-year-old mother of two, wife of one.

Often it feels like the inner-me doesn't match the outer-me. Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with being a mum and wife, I'm just talking about the superficial aspects of my life. Now that I'm a housewife, should I be donning pearls and twin sets?

For the past few years I think I've been wearing clothes and looking like I feel I 'should', rather than what's really me. Even before kids, I don't think I was particularly true to my inner style (not that it's that stylish!). Now I am lost, and when I go shopping I feel a bit confused and find myself asking:
"Is that appropriate? Am I going to look like mutton dressed as lamb?". Over the past 15 years, I've misplaced myself and am only just beginning to find my look again.

I guess I want the outside to reflect what's going on on in the inside. I've never really been into how I look, but it's nice to be comfortable in your skin. It's not about being attractive or being fashionable or being different. More about being me.

9 comments:

  1. I'm relieved I'm not the only one grappling with this :). I've attempted to write about it but only got about half-way through it.

    In my 20's, I felt my clothing made up a large part of what defined me. I wouldn't wear certain things because they didn't sit in with what I thought was my image, which I suppose was largely indie/Mod.
    Lately my wardrobe has consisted of whatever's cheap and looks reasonably okay from Target, Threadless t-shirts and my ever reliable mary-janes/Converse. And to be honest, while it's all practical, it's beginning to bore me rigid, being stuck in the void between jeans and t-shirts and conservative library clothes. So I'm looking for ways to break out of it a little! I have such a firm idea of what doesn't suit me that it's hard to define what does.

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  2. OMG! I am half-way through writing a post about pretty much the same thing!!
    I think the clothes we wear project an "image" that says a lot about who we are. I am srtuggling with the same thing, matching my inner attitude with my age and trying to find the right clothes to show that - all the while trying not to spend any money, AND find something that fits. Sigh

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  3. God, it's hard isn't it? Everything Sarah C and Quix has said resonates loud and clear with me.
    Sarah - I loved the red top you were wearing the other day!
    Quix - when you find the answer, can you let me know?? It's a lot harder than just having an hour to yourself at the shops isn't it?

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  4. This is our quest! I used to be a bit of a fashionista - since moving out to the boon docks and having a baby am a lot daggier. Though it doesn't sit well with me because I feel yep I know who I am these days and it'd be kinda cool to have that reflected in my attire too. Wish I had Trinny and Susannah on hand haha

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  5. Interesting post. I have never been a slave to fashion or the expectations of others, but I certainly have noticed a change in my style over the years. This is purely because my body has changed over the years. While I used to wear stuff that emphasised my boobs and bum, now I try to accentuate my boobs in a desperate attempt to draw attention AWAY from my bum! Ah, gotta love getting older ...

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  6. I'm only 22 and I struggle with this. I feel like I'm not really sure where to go from here.

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  7. "More about being me." Must *try* and chant that one everyday. Thanks Corinne.XO

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  8. It took me a while after my oldest was born to figure out how to still be "me" while being a "mom".
    I mean, I gave birth with a hoop in my nose...and a couple months later felt like if I didn't wear floral sundresses people would think I was a bad mom!

    Fifteen years later, I still evolve, and fashion is a huge part of my life (I work in the industry) and I feel like I can balance the two. Took long enough! ;)

    Check out the shopping/fashion blog I write - you might like it!
    http://shoppingthecloset.blogspot.com

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  9. Thanks for the link Eleanor, off to check it out now.

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