Have your own style?

Bold and a bit edgy but also comfortable.

I like to highlight my hair with neon colors like turquoise or magenta, I have a lot of statement jewelry, my not dressy wear Is skinny jeans with boots and boho flowy tops or boldly patterned leggings with simple tees and gladiator sandals.
 

When I was in my prime, earning in excess of $200,000 a year I wouldn't spend $700 on a handbag! Nice gesture, I guess, but knowing your style she probably could have made a better choice.
Since retiring from the financial field I no longer own a single suit! In fact, I don't even own a dress! I have a couple of stylish mid calf and longer skirts, which may have been worn once or twice. High heels are a thing of the past. My style is comfortable, casual and classic if I go out. Around the house I wear my "kick-around" clothes. Sometimes I have a "jammie day." 🤗
 
Back when I was writing a blog I wanted my own style. Not that style could replace good content,
but I wanted to be recongnizable. Never happened, just another voice in that wilderness.
 
Slacks, slacks, and more slacks, oh, and elastic waistband pants. Have always been a slacks kind of girl, thanks to my figure, and to go along with my slacks, sweater tops, tanks, blouses, and tunics, and I've never been afraid to be different from everyone else.
 
Speaking of tunics, I'm in love with this one, but at $169, the price doesn't love me...

web_danielle_navy_front_540x.jpg
 
Jeans are my base. Just can’t find that replacement for the last perfect pair that is threadbare. I have other pants. Just realized I‘d better try them on in case they shrank it the closet.

Lots of jackets & sweaters before. Didn’t even wear some many this winter.

In the summer I switch to dresses or skirts. Much cooler.

My shelf has been full of purses. Gave most of them away except for a couple of higher end ones that are saved in case I have to go to something special. When Covid and fear of spread by contact started, I switched to a backpack. It would hold things I might need, but wouldn’t need to touch it. It’s has reinforced straps & locking zippers for theft protection.

For my afternoon walks, it’s vests with interior pockets. Phone on one side and credit card case and a mask on the other.

Everything now is about being practical.
 
OK, regarding purses.......on the whole, my purses are extremely utilitarian. Small black one for everyday, black small backpack for when I carry a waterbottle, umbrella, etc., larger canvas blue bag, tiny little beaded one i haven't used in 20 years.

And then......there's my armadillo purse. Made from a real armadillo, head and tail and all. I've had it for close to 40 years and its main purpose was to embarrass my daughter, at least according to her. When she'd be wearing something inappropriate and I'd say "You're not wearing that, are you?" and she'd say, "Yes, I am! What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" and I'd say, "Hey, no problem. Let me get my armadillo purse and we'll be ready to go.", I knew she'd reconsider.

I had a vintage alligator clutch, complete with a small gator on the front, but when I found out how much people were willing to pay for it, I sold it to the highest bidder.

Which brings me to my frog purse. Yep, of course, it's a real giant frog and I mean a big one, hanging by its toes from a strap, with a zipper in its belly. I'm pretty sure I still have it packed away somewhere. I need to dig it out.....I have granddaughters and great-granddaughters to embarrass and time is running out!
 
Aunt Marg said:
I agree, the price is a rip.
Click to expand...
Is it really, Marg? Look at one of my Aloha shirts as a work in progress. It took three metres of fabric @ £15 per metre. The black strip is called, interfacing, it stiffens up the front of the shirt so that button holes are strong and buttons stay put. The shirt design is to be worn, open neck, so the interfacing helps create a strong, lapel type appearance. The interfacing was almost £20. Other notions like thread, buttons, machine needles and so on, were about £12 and the paper pattern was £8. All in all that comes to £85. It takes my wife about ten hours to make the shirt. An artisan in the UK could expect about £20@ hour, at that rate the labour charge is £200, add the £85 component costs and the final bill is £285.
Most wouldn't pay that of course, and for me the labour charge is free. But is it not a fabulous shirt? (I have about eighty or more.) Here's that work in progress:
gary's aloha shirt 001.JPGgary's aloha shirt 003.JPG
 
Dana said:
Don't mean to break your heart or anything HC...but if you gave that to me for free, I would not take it :):)
.
Click to expand...
No offence taken at all. We are all so different, even here on this forum. But you might like to know that a dear friend that we have known for forty years, whose husband walked out on her and their two kids, for a younger model, finally got her life together, albeit many years later. She met and married someone much later in life. My wife made her a wedding dress, how she loved her dress, she wept when she saw it and said that she had never had anything bespoke made in her life. The dress took three months to make, it was our wedding present to her. We are so happy that she has found love at last.
 
horseless carriage said:
No offence taken at all. We are all so different, even here on this forum. But you might like to know that a dear friend that we have known for forty years, whose husband walked out on her and their two kids, for a younger model, finally got her life together, albeit many years later. She met and married someone much later in life. My wife made her a wedding dress, how she loved her dress, she wept when she saw it and said that she had never had anything bespoke made in her life. The dress took three months to make, it was our wedding present to her. We are so happy that she has found love at last.
Click to expand...
That's a lovely story HC...I do not buy a lot of clothing from the department stores bcause I have my stuff made and they last forever. However, one of my favourite daytime get ups is my white silky shirts paired with jeans, an Akubra hat and brown boots in winter.
 
Dana said:
That's a lovely story HC...I do not buy a lot of clothing from the department stores bcause I have my stuff made and they last forever. However, one of my favourite daytime get ups is my white silky shirts paired with jeans, an Akubra hat and brown boots in winter.
Click to expand...
Akubra make some fabulous hats, I have a couple, they do get complimented.
Here's a few snaps of that wedding dress whilst a work in progress:
wedding dress 002.JPG
For the bodice section she made what's called a toile.
A mock up of what it will look like. Did the bride want it pleated.
wedding dress 003.JPG
Or did she prefer it plain? Given that the front is all pleats she chose plain.
wedding dress 004.JPG
This is how the front will appear, each pleat is individually made.
wedding dress 008.JPG
Coming together with the skirt section, those box pleats took forever to create.

wedding dress & silver waistcoat 002.JPG
An early fitting, at this stage there was quite a lot left to do, but the dress
was finished about ten days before the ceremony.
 
horseless carriage said:
Akubra make some fabulous hats, I have a couple, they do get complimented.
Here's a few snaps of that wedding dress whilst a work in progress:
View attachment 164070
For the bodice section she made what's called a toile.
A mock up of what it will look like. Did the bride want it pleated.
View attachment 164071
Or did she prefer it plain? Given that the front is all pleats she chose plain.
View attachment 164072
This is how the front will appear, each pleat is individually made.
View attachment 164073
Coming together with the skirt section, those box pleats took forever to create.

View attachment 164074
An early fitting, at this stage there was quite a lot left to do, but the dress
was finished about ten days before the ceremony.
Click to expand...
Gorgeous...there is no doubt your wife is a talented seamstress HC.
 
RadishRose said:
I would never in a million years knowingly buy anything marked as "designer". To me, it's really pretentious and I can't bear show-offs.

In fact, these designers should pay people to advertise their brands!
Click to expand...
To this day I'm not really sure of what the term "designer" is supposed to evoke in people's minds. I suppose I could google it, but I suspect that the "designer" concept is not/will never be on a hanger in my closet.
 
horseless carriage said:
Is it really, Marg? Look at one of my Aloha shirts as a work in progress. It took three metres of fabric @ £15 per metre. The black strip is called, interfacing, it stiffens up the front of the shirt so that button holes are strong and buttons stay put. The shirt design is to be worn, open neck, so the interfacing helps create a strong, lapel type appearance. The interfacing was almost £20. Other notions like thread, buttons, machine needles and so on, were about £12 and the paper pattern was £8. All in all that comes to £85. It takes my wife about ten hours to make the shirt. An artisan in the UK could expect about £20@ hour, at that rate the labour charge is £200, add the £85 component costs and the final bill is £285.
Most wouldn't pay that of course, and for me the labour charge is free. But is it not a fabulous shirt? (I have about eighty or more.) Here's that work in progress:
View attachment 164051View attachment 164052
Click to expand...
Everything you have in your wardrobe collection is nothing short of exquisite, Horseless, and if I were looking to have something specially made (from scratch) by a professional tailor, I wouldn't mind spending more and would be able to justify the expense, but run of the mill clothing such as the tunic I posted, fails to fall into that category.

Tunics are simple fashion, no interfacing, just material, and many don't even have buttons and such, so automated machines do the bulk of the work, yet the maker wants to charge 300%... 400%... even 500% markup, and it's just so wrong.

I am just so taken by your wife's work. :love:

What would you do without her? :)
 

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