‘Lil bit money, ‘lil bit rock’n’roll

Photo Credit: thedayhascome via Compfight cc

If pressed, I would modestly describe my personal sense of style as “a little bit money, a little bit rock’n’roll.” If pressed, the average person on the street would variously describe my style as “inconsistent”, “nondescript” and “borderline homeless” depending on the day. To be fair, that might be mostly because of the hair, which – due to laziness – is usually in a style that Germans practically refer to as a “ficknest” (literally, the nest your hair makes after you’ve been f- …, uh, I mean, in bed for a while).

While in my mind I wander around looking Nina Proudman-esque (a quirky Australian TV character from the show Offspring with a whimsical, alt-boho look that’s somehow also sharp and pulled-together), in reality I’m pretty much wearing the same black skirt all the time. Like, alllll the time.

Nina Proudman

Or black jeans. Which my boyfriend once described as my uniform. No, actually he said, “I don’t think I’ve seen this outfit before.” To which I replied, “Really? I wear it all the- ohhhhh, I get it.”

What I do have is an extreme abundance of mismatched jewellery which I think reflects not only the styles I have dabbled with, my indecision, my inability to find/decide on/commit to a “look” but also the various emotions I experience when inside a shopping mall.

Here, I was thinking “if you don’t walk faster, I’ll smack you in the head.”

Here, “this music is amazing! I’m going straight to a club!”

“I long for the simple days of life on the prairie”

And finally, “I need a Bovril and a lie down. Because I have clearly lost the plot.”

 

I hardly wear any of this stuff, and there’s lots of it. I tried to estimate how much money I would have spend over time on things I thought I would “try out”…I’ve lost count, but it’s a big number.

I have definitely gone through phases in my dressing career. I was allll about purple in my early teens – long before Marie in Breaking Bad, I might add. Then I went through whatever ridiculous and ill-considered trend was in at the time: surfer chic, disco girl, ranch owner, hip-hop star, middle-aged virgin, polo-playing aristocrat, heroin addict. I just played along and while I always added something of myself to the style, it was definitely dictated by whatever was in magazines or on my friends. Except heroin addict, that look I owned.

For the longest time, I refused to wear shoes. This continued into my university days, where I was threatened with being thrown out of a lecture if I didn’t show up next time with a pair on. I also refused to brush my hair, which my poor mother remembers as “my entire early adulthood.”

I guess I didn’t really either care too much, or know enough about dressing and style. There are some people whose whole appearance is a natural form of expression completely their own, an artform. I have friends who can put on a poncho, moccasins and a ballgown and it’s still somehow all part of their personal style and they totally rock it (Selena, I am looking at you!). I’m not smart this way. Dressing is not something I “get”, it’s not a language I speak. For me, it’s mostly a way not to get arrested for indecency.

But I have started to take notice, mostly inspired by my Ma, of what I feel comfortable in and what I receive compliments in. I have found that these are usually one and the same. I’m slowly evolving a kind of actual style. My own style. It’s pretty relaxed – mostly jeans or skirts and plain t-shirts layered over with blazers or biker jackets. The occasional wrap dress and jewel-toned sweater. And boots. Pretty much always boots.

It’s not rocket science or a massive breakthrough, but it helps me get dressed in the morning. It really does. And it’s something I’m now trying to develop while unable to purchase anything new. It’s forcing me to get a bit more creative and bit more adventurous with what I mix and match. I’m trying not to be afraid to shed and cull things that don’t fit with me, even though I can’t currently replace them. But I think once I’ve properly nailed it, it will save me lots of money and heartache in future.

I cannot be the only person who has purchased a bias-cut, gold-sequined balloon skirt in the store, only to get home and realise they are actually a 36-year-old woman with Spanish hips. I get too distracted by what the mannequin is wearing and how the store makes me feel. This is even true of online shopping. I had a look back through my purchases and I have about a 50% success rate of keeping things vs sending them back. Allowing for errors in sizing, a lot of what went back were things that just clearly didn’t suit me or my body shape. But the model wearing them was definitely pretty.

I think going in with a clear idea of what I have in my closet already, what shapes suit my figure, and what makes me feel comfortable, will increase my success ratio in future and will definitely limit the amount of money I waste on sombreros and onsies.

And I’ve got a whole year to figure it all out!

Do you have a definable style, or are you just throwing shit on in the morning to comply with decency laws? Is style and dressing something you “get” or is it a struggle for you too? I’m interested to hear what everyone else goes through here!