Lest I sound like a big snoot, let me just say that I have nothing against ugly clothing. In fact, I really like it as long as I’m by myself and in my own house. This morning is cold and rainy and I’m alone, writing and periodically taking breaks to work out. I’ve got on stretchy pants that are in a shade that can only be called baby stool brown, shoes that are comfortable but make my naturally oversized feet look clowny, a tee shirt that appears to have been chewed off at the neckline because I tore into it with a pair of blunt scissors one day when it felt too tight, and a pilled shapeless fleece sweater.  

This outfit is comfortably delightful for my tasks this AM, but I’m meeting some friends for lunch. When I go out of the house, I’ll change my clothes. I’ll do so for one reason—because people judge each other on appearance.  

Since I have some amount of control over how I look, it amuses me to look like something the cat dragged in when I’m here by myself and then to look pretty good when I go out into the world.   

To get back to the sewing convention–as I was wandering around, trying to keep my eyes fixed on something other than the ugly clothing, I kept wondering if all of these people had avoided looking in the mirror before they left home. Which brings me to the first of the style suggestions that I will make here on my blog: Get into the habit of looking in the mirror before you leave home. Check the back view as well to make sure there’s isn’t anything that you’re missing, like a big spot on the seat of your pants. While you’re looking, try to be kind. If you usually don’t have a gander at yourself before leaving home, there might be a reason—like maybe you are overly critical when you look at yourself. Don’t do that now. Just make sure that you look decent. We’ll move on to more challenging assignments later, but for now, get used to your own reflection.

When Bazaar arrived last month, my first thought, before cracking it open, was, “I’ll bet they’re going to tell me that the gigantic, trendy, tote-like handbags that they have been pushing for the last few years (the ones that can cost thousands of dollars) are now OUT of fashion and should be replaced by a little clutch purse. My theory was based on the fact that the oversized bags are both unwieldy and extreme in terms of style and that I’ve seen little clutch purses show up whenever I read about fashion lately. I turned to the last page of the magazine, which is where they have a synopsis of what’s IN and what’s OUT, and sure enough, it stated that little embellished clutches are IN and oversize totes are OUT.  

The fashion magazines are constantly trying to dictate what we all should be wearing. Of course they are. They stand to profit if we buy what they tell us to. What confuses me is why anybody listens to them rather than developing his or her own sense of style.  

Fashion is dictated while style has to do with knowing what looks good on you and sticking with it, even if it’s not trendy. Style is much more daring than fashion because it’s about finding your own path instead of listening to what other people tell you to wear. 

Even though the dictatorial trendiness of Bazaar as well as other fashion magazines annoys me, they do provide me with some new ideas about clothing. I then approach yard sales and thrift stores with those ideas, which I translate into my own style.