I am doing this because I believe that the way we dress shows ourselves and others how we feel about our bodies. Do we just put on any old things that are comfortable? Comfort IS important- no doubt about it. The body wants to feel good and be comfortable! However I think we can be comfortable and still dress and adorn ourselves in self-expressive ways. I have been so impressed by the diversity of ways that the participants have dressed during this challenge. I LOVE the variety of styles and creativity expressed. I would love to see everyone dress self-expressively everyday! It is such a pleasure to see others dressed and adorned in their own special ways.
Day 1 we cleaned out clothes, personal care items, jewelry, etc. that no longer serves us. This part was easy for me because I have done it so often. The next part was not so easy. We were to choose an outfit we have never worn before, intuitively - by how we want to feel. I was surprised because I chose all white-including a pair of brand new white jeans that have been hanging in my closet unworn and a white lace top I crocheted this spring, but also never worn. The hardest part was posting a photo and describing how we feel.
I felt cool, light, bright, summery and especially dancey. Maybe the shoes make me feel like dancing?
Day 2 OMG - adorn ourselves to express the belief that we are more than enough and :
"Bring in something fancy, over-the-top, exciting, extra vibrant, funky or usually reserved for special occasions to seal the deal. Own the frick frack out of it!"
I love this little tiara with the golden Swarovski stars
The dress is made from a vintage pattern. The photos do not do justice to the fabric which is a lovely embossed cotton with gold thread embellishing the flowers. I am wearing gold sandals-and I even painted my toenails gold!
Yikes! If this goes on , how will I make it through Day 7? It is FUN to play dress up! I always loved dressing up and I do dress most days. This challenge is going to get me into EVERY DAY. I will have to see about some glam work clothes.... I am thinking plain shirts and pants impressionistically painted with swirls of my favorite colours...
Day 3 Own a truth about how we really want to dress-I am unabashedly Retro! The Laura Ashley fabric is from the early 80s, the dress pattern is from the early 60s- the pearl necklace and earrings are heirloom and the shoes are vintage! I am learning that I feel most like myself when I wear elegant Retro clothes -despite the current fashion for a more casual look.
Day 4 The Dream You- dress intuitively to be the woman you aspire to be. This took me all day! I have the dress (it's been hanging in my closet unworn for 2 years) and the shoes (any one of 3 pair of gold sandals)- I have not been ready to step into the woman I aspire to be yet. What is holding me back ? Well for one thing I have braces and 4 rubber bands in my teeth that keep me from smiling at the moment. If I break into my usual spontaneous smile the rubber bands pop loose or break. Not conducive to taking photos. This too shall pass and at least I have the dress, the shoes and the jewelry.
I love everything about this dress! The style, the colour, the lovely soft feel of the fabric, the gold sparkling design that does not show up in the photos. At least I am on my way! This challenge is GROWING me !
What is your favorite way to dress self -expressively? What are your favourite colours/ articles of clothing? jewelry? What makes you feel wonderful and most like YOU? Do you make any of your own things? Do you have a favourite place to shop? How would you describe your style? Do you adorn beautiful you with even just a little something special every day?
Please leave a comment below and answer some of these questions! I love comments and I really appreciate that you are reading my blog. You can comment below or pm me on Facebook or email me colleen412@gmail.com
Also you might want to peek at my Pinterest boards https://www.pinterest.com/colleen2322/
11 comments:
What a wonderful idea. You look truly beautiful.
Hello Colleeen, the colour of your ‘dream you dress’ is just beautiful. I had my colours done once and was told I should always wear shades of blue/turquoise and orange. I know they suit me, but they are not terribly practical colours for rainy old England. Perfect for this time of year though. I met three friends for lunch yesterday and decided to wear my new red (not a good colour for me, but I love it) top, which is covered in little white birds. I felt really good in it and my friends all admired it. I came home on top of the world, kicked my shoes off and stepped on a wasp! At this moment in time, I’m sitting in my pj’s with my massively swollen foot in a bowl of very cold water! We are going to a funeral on Friday, so I’m desperately hoping I will be able to wear shoes – if not, I will express myself by wearing slippers! They say pride comes before a fall and in my case it certainly did. :-) Thank you for sharing all your lovely outfits, I very much enjoyed seeing them and reading about how you feel while wearing them.
Thank you, Janet! I think you dress beautifully in the dresses you have sewn and all of your fabulous knitwear. I love your sleeveless dress pattern. It looks so elegant with the pretty shrugs you make.
Barbara dear! I am so sorry about the wasp sting on your foot. The first time my feet touched lovely green grass studded with clover I stepped on a bee. I can only imagine how much more painful a wasp sting is!!!
Rainy Old Blighty requires some colour! Please wear your lovely colours! I feel that the shade of red you were wearing must be attractive on you or your friends would not have said so and - most important! you would not have felt really good in it and "on top of the world "! I am going to continue to cheer you on and inspire you to be the beautiful Barbara that you are! I would love to see a larger copy of the thumbnail photo by your comment. The colours you are wearing look like you. BIG (((HUG)))
My lovely daughter in law sent me the pretty scarf and a cover for my tablet and then asked to see a photo of me using them. The scarf has lots of turquoise and pink in it, so I put on a turquoise t-shirt and was very pleased with the resulting photo. I don’t know how to make it any larger, sorry. H said that I just clicked on the thumbnail, and that took me to my Google account. I clicked on the small thumbnail in Google and up came a larger pic. I don’t know if it will work for you but it might be worth a try. In the photo I’m sitting on the floor surrounded by some of my granddaughter's paintings. Karen sent them along with my birthday gift.
I think bee and wasp stings are very much the same (horrible!) :-) Hugs back xx
Colleen you are too fun, and your outfits are too cute! I loved all of them! You are right that how we dress reflects how we feel about our body. I used to really struggle with body issues, stemming from when I was a little girl in dance. I am naturally curvy and struggled to figured out why my stomach was not as flat as the other girls. My mom told me it was because I had big organs, which was really sweet of her to say. But, as I get older, I feel more and more confident in my own skin!! Thanks for making me think about the journey I have been through :) xo
Barbara, do you have the original photo? I think you look lovely in the scarf and turquoise top- definitely your colours! I would love to see photos of you on Pinterest. You are definitely an Ageless Beauty-inside and out.
Anna! I had the same experience in ballet classes from age 4-14. My bone structure is classic hour glass- I had a defined waist at 4. All the other tiny dancers had perfect "Twiggy"- I thought the curve was a deformity! Then I became way too tall and curvy and even though I had wonderful stage presence- ballet was clearly not my metier. My teacher advised me to find another performance art. I was devastated...We have so much in common... Like you, I had to learn to love and appreciate my body. One thing that helped is that I have always loved pretty clothes and shoes. I loved beautiful paper dolls -especially the older ones of glamorous dancers, film stars, etc. Their clothes were fabulous. I still collect and play with paper dolls! Thank you for your kind comments!
I am looking forward to your new adventures. I really admire how you are creating your life!
Hello Colleeen, I don't think I've shared any recent pictures of me on Pinterest, I will see what I can do. Thank you so much for your kind words, I really appreciate them. xx
Hi Colleen, thanks for letting me know my comment disappeared. I'm not sure what I wrote, but your outfits are beautiful. I love the full white ensemble and the turquoise is gorgeous, too. I'm often lazy about dressing up, but I do love to wear bright colors and I love vintage and Laura Ashley, too!
Marcia, I would LOVE to see some photos of you in bright colors, vintage and/or Laura Ashley- on your blog? On Pinterest??? I love to see people dressed as themselves...
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