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| Top: Hand Me Down (has a leather front....see last pic for a close up, Skirt: Thrifted, vintage, Boots: Had forever! |
How attached are we to things? More pointedly, how attached are we to our clothes? Does paying a higher dollar amount for an item increase it's intrinsic value to us? What is it about our clothes that we LOVE so much? How they make us FEEL? How we believe we LOOK in them? What we believe they SAY about us?
I know, deep questions for a Tuesday morning, right? But to be honest, these are the kind of things I think about. My husband half jokingly said to me months ago, when I was in the midst of my blogging frenzy, "You feel about me the same way you feel about your clothes."
Then came my astonished,"What?! What do you mean?"
"Well, you LOVE that skirt and you LOVE me. You feel the same about that skirt as you do me."
Ewwwww........even I know, that's not good. Because, you know what? I really don't. I love and adore my husband. If our house were on fire, it would be him and my kids I would be anxious about NOT my clothes.
That's why, when I changed the design of my blog and modified my "About me"; I wanted to make it clear (mostly to myself) that it's GOD and PEOPLE I LOVE, and clothes and things I ENJOY. While no one gets more excited over a fabulous pair of shoes than I do. You, my friends, know that I can wax poetic about the joys and health benefits of a pair of platform pumps. I get giddy over feeling elegant in a perfectly fitted pencil skirt. My heart leaps at pair of wide leg jeans and silk blouse that make me feel like Jaclyn Smith circa The Charlie's Angels years! HELLO! For goodness sake, I enjoy my sartorial life so much I've devoted a BLOG to it!!!
But at the end of the day, my clothes are just things. If I had to leave EVERYTHING and start over, I could walk away from my closet with fond memories and peace in my heart. They're just things. No need to obsess over them or about them. No need to covet what I don't have. No need to put more value on them than is warranted. I LOVE my family. I LOVE you, my friends (known and as yet unknown) reading this. I ENJOY my clothes.
Could it be, that at the end of the day, our style really isn't so much about our clothes, but about US? Well, my girlies, that's for another post. Till then, I wish you LOVE, PEACE and SOUL!!!!!!
You're right, of course. We "love" our clothes because they give us so much pleasure, but that's a whole different category from how we feel about our family and friends. There's no need to apologize for having passion for self-expression when the distinction is drawn.
ReplyDeleteI always like the philosophical dimension of your posts. (And the clothes!)
Ah, Serene, this is why we love YOU so much - your honesty and your sincere way of talking right to our hearts. I was just telling my own husband that as much as I "enjoy" my clothing, nothing compares to us being healthy and happy. And we could do that in jeans and a tee shirt every day : >
ReplyDeleteFirst...love the skirt!!
ReplyDeleteThese are deep questions for a Tuesday...during Christmastime!...but, since my husband has been unemployed, I am learning to let go and look to where the real value is. I must let go of my house and I mentally did that over Thanksgiving, so I am ready to put it on the market. I now have to let go of the Christmas I have always done for my family. I have not purchased one single gift for the first time ever...because there is no money to do it. One of my sweet sons said, MOM, last Christmas was over the top in abundance...it counted for several!! We will just love on and enjoy one another. For the first time, I am visiting Goodwill more than the mall. It is a different season with different values, but a time like this teaches us what is most important.
Thanks for your friendship and sweet comments, Serene..you look gorgeous!
Soooooooooooooo nice to have you back in that gorgeous skirt.
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Shy, thanks so much! We DO have fun with our clothes, no?
ReplyDeletePatti, whenever I start to feel funky, I remind myself of just that, we're happy and healthy and hopefully it's not dependent on what I own.
Pam, Thanks for these sweet words and I promise you, Goodwill will SPOIL you for the mall!
Sacramento, Thank you!!!
such a great post. I sometimes use the word "love" loosely, how do I "love" an inanimate object? Haha..I guess I should stop saying "I love those shoes", otherwise my hubby will probably be the next in line to say I love him as much as my shoes. Thanks for the reminder. I love...no I like your outfit a lot, the black and white elegance is so beautiful. Your hair is gorgeous!
ReplyDeletemongs
mythriftycloset.blogspot.com
LOL! Mongs, I have to remind myself of the same thing!!
ReplyDeleteLove that philosophy! So funny how we say love for so many things.:) By the way, I want that skirt...I positively love it!!! (There I go and I didn't even mean to type "love".:)
ReplyDeleteWonderful post and beautifully written! Debbie http://thriftygirlvintage.com
ReplyDeleteThat must have take you aback a bit whe your hubby said that! Oopsey....We can get caught up in our "stuff"; but ultimately we know the stuff that really matters.
ReplyDeleteLove the way YOU say it though..
I know I say I love things, but it is a totally different kind of love. There are many kinds of love in our lives.
ReplyDeleteMy husband used to say that I love the dogs more than I loved him. I love them in a different way than I love him.
So, I think there are many different ways to love and to express that love.
You look lovely in the outfit too!
wow, I love what you've been writing about ever since you started thinking deep about your personal style, I had never thought about clothes like that, never questioned myself how much I love them, I agree with you that after all they are just clothes, that's why it isn't hard for me to donate great things that don't work for me, better give them a chance with someone else, but there are people who won't feel as good donating even if they don't like or wear their clothes anymore.
ReplyDeletep.s. you hair looks gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteElegant black and whit outfit with background. I have come to understand that putting together outfits is my art. And I am a collector. But I wouldn't be free to engage in these activities without my health and my loving relationships. Doing what I love improves my health and my relationships. So I see them as intertwined!
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