Friday 14 October 2011

Something Stripy for the Weekend

I know what you are thinking, where are the stripes? Well maybe not in this picture, but they are on me, right now I am wearing pretty much this outfit, but with a stripy vest underneath.
I was flicking through some journals this week when I found the one I used to draw these in. Why did I stop? Because I became very ill, once I lose the thread I can't pick it up again, no matter how hard I try, it will be the same with these oil paintings, a prolonged break over half term and I will pack them away and move on. That makes my work sound quite disjointed but I don't think it is, it stops me from getting stale and repeating mistakes while allowing the successes to bask in glory.

A-n-y-w-a-y I was flicking and was amazed to see this picture, of what I wore over 2 years ago virtually to the day.
I am tonight meeting my little sister and so in honour of that I am wearing this outfit, all be it with some bigger jewellery. The pumps and top are the same but the trousers are now thicker jersey ones from COS.

Oh and the wine will be white!

I tripped over a great blog yesterday and a post that raised two very interesting issues.

First up, does writing a style blog make you spend too much money on clothes?

Clearly judging by the Anthropologie story it does, but as someone who achieved a whole year of posting outfits, for me it would be a resounding NO. I found I raided my back catalogue a lot more, I found I experimented more, but at no time did I go shopping for more. This maybe due to the fact that I have more clothes than is really decent or necessary and that I was not writing a style blog. But trying to work all be it very publicly how I could hone my style without constantly repeating mistakes and looking like a sartorial car crash all the time.
No, for me what makes me spend is proximity to shops, if I see it I want it. Luckily for me I work miles from anywhere I could spend and currently have not had time to spend more than 30 min's in COS this combined with the current Internet ban has kept me relatively on the straight and narrow.

I guess the whole posting to make money thing just gets out of control at the younger end of the blogging spectrum, too many see it as a cash cow rather than what it really is, a somewhat self indulgent diary. Oh is that just me then?r>
<strong>Second up, do I spend too much money on clothes?

Assembled Hazardly explains this so much more eloquently than I, but I was for the first time nodding in agreement with her. I too spend little on cosmetics or hair I do go out a lot, but not extravagantly always the cheap seats and voucher deals for me. That I spend any money at all on clothes is an anathema to Emin, he feel money should go on gadgets and holiday experience, I am from the "seriously who the hell needs and iPhone and an iPad camp?" but then who needs 40 black pairs of trousers? We all have our desires and needs and itches to scratch and I feel I just about cut my cloth. He has learnt to deal with it, just as I have learnt to clear up after him.
I do not yet really understand why clothes are so important to me, if I just schlepped around in my dog walking clothes for a week I really would get quite ratty, I do love to dress up, and I have not since the beginning of term had one sartorial car crash not even a bump, it's all good, and it was thanks the those weekly posts, so the money I have saved on therapy and buying cheap shit off the Internet is now invested wisely, to better end, so raise a glass and celebrate with me my sartorial success.

3 comments:

yanqin said...

I've been seeing lots of post like that as well - and you've inspired me to write a post - and I pretty much agree with you. When I first started reading blogs and then blogging, it coincided with me just starting to build a wardrobe (it was school uniforms mostly until I was 19), so yeah, maybe there was some influence there. But that died out pretty quickly and my shopping impulses became, like yours, influenced by actually being in shops. And blogging has helped me work out my my shopping issues and controlled them better.

materfamilias said...

I'd say that for a while, I might have been shopping a bit more due to reading blogs, but this was probably because I was finally at a time when I could afford time, energy, and a bit of cash to define and refine my personal style. As I've consolidated that, I'm feeling less and less like shopping UNLESS like you, I'm in the shops. This is the biggest single reason for me to spend more -- weekends in the city with easy browsing time. Otherwise, I'd agree with you that the style-blogging I do is more likely to push me to work with what I've already got.
I miss those sketches of yours, btw. But loved seeing what you're doing with the oil landscapes in the last post.

indigo16 said...

Lin, I am pleased blogging has helped shape your approach to shopping; the more posts out there the better.
Mater yes, I miss those drawings too, I wish I had the time, but my mojo has directed itself elsewhere!