Thoughts for the day, after Marjorie Hillis
At some point I should read "The Extra Woman", Joanna Scutts' biography of my spiritual guide, the late, great Marjorie Hillis, of "Live Alone and Like It" and "Orchids On A Budget" fame. Unfortunately, Hillis' last book, for older single women, "Keep Going And Like It", is still out of print, but while I wait for some enlightened publisher to reissue it, I remain inspired and guided by her wisdom.
And will use this LJ to note the thoughts that occur to me on the general subject of Living:
The Thoughts for today's post are on the ever-absorbing subject of one's wardrobe.
1 If you have clothes and jewellery of every colour, you can match, contrast or complement anything, so long as they have roughly the same base tone (short form - yellow based or blue based).
2 Keep your clothes long enough and everything comes back into style eventually.
3 Keep them even longer and it will not matter whether they are in style or not, because they will be vintage, which is a style of its own.
4 Once you find a style and shape that suits you, stick to it. It makes shopping much easier. If you feel the need to follow fashion update with either the smallest, easiest, most disposable item possible, or with something that you like well enough to find a permanent place for. A less obvious advantage of having a distinct style is that one can pass unnoticed merely by wearing something uncharacteristic.
5 The Internet is a very good source of ideas on how to use your existing wardrobe items in new and interesting ways. My general rule of thumb is that simple shapes can take complex surface decoration(saris, sarong kebaya and European beaded flapper dresses of the middle to late 1920s are excellent examples); complex shapes are better with simple surfaces (Issey Miyake, Thierry Mugler, Vionnet). Simple shapes with simple surfaces (Calvin Klein) are fine for the minimalist look or days when you have other things to worry about. Complex shapes with complex surface decoration (Lucile, Christian Lacroix) need to be of high quality and very carefully fitted. Similarly, when combining separates, one simple piece with one complex one is fine, simple with simple is fine, and complex with complex needs care and confidence.
6 A sewing kit, like a Swiss Army knife, is an essential travel item. A good hotel should supply a basic one, but I like having my own. I got it from the Misuyabari handmade-needle shop in Kyoto, but it is just as much fun to find a cute little box or fabric case (lipstick cases are good) and put it together yourself.
7 For those of us who live in rented accommodation with inadequate wardrobe space, moveable clothes racks are the thing, covered as necessary with fitted, sewn covers (my housekeeper did mine), or with lengths of attractive fabric. Bedsheets from thrift shops (or as my Australian aunt calls them, "op-shops") are a cheap, easily-maintained choice.
8 Always have pockets in at least one thing that you are wearing.
9 If you have cats, I recommend a full-length mirror and a good clothes brush placed conveniently near the door.
10 Nothing looks good with bad carriage, whereas if absolutely necessary (though obviously it's easier if it's not necessary) good posture can make up for a lot of wardrobe problems. Head up, shoulders down, back straight, tail tucked, abdominal musces pulled in so that your back muscles support you.
And will use this LJ to note the thoughts that occur to me on the general subject of Living:
The Thoughts for today's post are on the ever-absorbing subject of one's wardrobe.
1 If you have clothes and jewellery of every colour, you can match, contrast or complement anything, so long as they have roughly the same base tone (short form - yellow based or blue based).
2 Keep your clothes long enough and everything comes back into style eventually.
3 Keep them even longer and it will not matter whether they are in style or not, because they will be vintage, which is a style of its own.
4 Once you find a style and shape that suits you, stick to it. It makes shopping much easier. If you feel the need to follow fashion update with either the smallest, easiest, most disposable item possible, or with something that you like well enough to find a permanent place for. A less obvious advantage of having a distinct style is that one can pass unnoticed merely by wearing something uncharacteristic.
5 The Internet is a very good source of ideas on how to use your existing wardrobe items in new and interesting ways. My general rule of thumb is that simple shapes can take complex surface decoration(saris, sarong kebaya and European beaded flapper dresses of the middle to late 1920s are excellent examples); complex shapes are better with simple surfaces (Issey Miyake, Thierry Mugler, Vionnet). Simple shapes with simple surfaces (Calvin Klein) are fine for the minimalist look or days when you have other things to worry about. Complex shapes with complex surface decoration (Lucile, Christian Lacroix) need to be of high quality and very carefully fitted. Similarly, when combining separates, one simple piece with one complex one is fine, simple with simple is fine, and complex with complex needs care and confidence.
6 A sewing kit, like a Swiss Army knife, is an essential travel item. A good hotel should supply a basic one, but I like having my own. I got it from the Misuyabari handmade-needle shop in Kyoto, but it is just as much fun to find a cute little box or fabric case (lipstick cases are good) and put it together yourself.
7 For those of us who live in rented accommodation with inadequate wardrobe space, moveable clothes racks are the thing, covered as necessary with fitted, sewn covers (my housekeeper did mine), or with lengths of attractive fabric. Bedsheets from thrift shops (or as my Australian aunt calls them, "op-shops") are a cheap, easily-maintained choice.
8 Always have pockets in at least one thing that you are wearing.
9 If you have cats, I recommend a full-length mirror and a good clothes brush placed conveniently near the door.
10 Nothing looks good with bad carriage, whereas if absolutely necessary (though obviously it's easier if it's not necessary) good posture can make up for a lot of wardrobe problems. Head up, shoulders down, back straight, tail tucked, abdominal musces pulled in so that your back muscles support you.