I suspect that, within each temperament, individual expression of style type varies based on a number of factors, not the least of which is level of interest. And level of interest is something that is both innate and changeable.
I assume if you are reading this, you have at least an average level of interest in matters of style. Has that always been the case? I remember being about age ten going through catalogs, planning a complete wardrobe. Later, when I was a broke single mom, I remember feeling left out. Even later, when I was a stay-at-home mom, I didn’t think I was supposed to be interested in what to wear, but that didn’t last long. 😉
I have always been interested in fashion too! Yes, Sears catalogs as a kid and then sewing pattern books at the fabric store… In high school I designed and sewed most of my favorite items. As a mom I get even more wardrobes to plan. Love it! When I was in elementary school, my mom and I would go thru my clothes before school and plan 2 weeks of mix and match outfits, purchasing a few things to fill in gaps. I’m an organizer, a creator, and I love design and color, so clothing and wardrobe planning are right up my alley.
I like clothes that look nice, but I can never bring myself to pay attention to it for very long. And I deeply hate shopping. If I had a personal shopper, I could be very fashionable. O:-)
As an INTJ, I’m interested in how I present myself to others, and how i’m perceived by them. Only a few years ago did this begin to translate into an interest in style. And really only a year ago did the interest in style become an interest in fashion. And I suspect the interest in fashion is fading, and returning to an interest in style as I learn about what I like and dislike irregardless of fashion 🙂
I mirrored your pattern in a lot of ways. I think I was driven, though, mostly from feeling left out. I remember desperately wanting a black velvet dress as a little girl, though I have no idea where I could have seen this. Did not socialize with other families, other than a few at longer distances. No close relatives. No sibs. No magazines coming to house. TV then? I loved black velvet from the earliest I can remember. My father said I could have my room painted any color I wanted when I was a toddler. I immediately pictured a velvety black room. Father informed me that “Nobody wants a black room.” 😀 I didn’t get any black velvet dress, either. And where would I have worn it? A non-religious Jewish family, so not even to Christmas parties.
My mother would take me along shopping for my clothes when she had to. I would spot ruffled panties on a mannequin in the children’s department. I wanted those. She said no. I saw white beaded Indian moccasins – by then was probably watching Princess SummerFallWinterSpring. Mother said no they would ruin my feet. By the time I got to school, one little girl was showing off her new day of the week panties to the other girls. I wanted them. Mother said they cost too much money.
We ended up living where the biggest store was a tiny JC Penney in the next town. Our town had a supermarket, gas station and feed store. We did get the Sears catalog and I read it over and over every day. Finally, my father said he couldn’t stand it anymore and to just order something for myself. I ordered a beige crew neck sweater. My mother hated it. I loved it. I wore it until it got moth holes and by then I taught myself how to do crewel embroidery and embroidered flowers and leaves on the front in a Jacobean pattern.
I kept up with fashion, as a young girl, mostly by learning the sewing pattern books by heart. I would check the news ones out and I did sew many of my clothes but there was no question of me using my own allowance for the price of a Vogue pattern. My mother, who sewed by draping and never used a pattern, would have gone ballistic at the needless expense.
When I was still older, I went shopping once with a family friend and her daughter. I had my allowance money with me and I bought one of those petaled swim caps. We lived in California so there were a lot of opportunities to go swimming but I thought the required caps ugly. Now I would like them. 😀 The cap was judged as being too much money and my mother was furious and the friend had to apologize and say that she hadn’t seen me buy it – she hadn’t – or she would never have *let* me. On a typical visit to stay with my grandfather in Los Angeles , I bought myself an alligator wallet on sale and again, there was fury at home and even my grandfather, who liked fine clothes as a younger man, didn’t approve. I once bought two bathing suits on sale and there was anger because I didn’t need two. In California, you can use plenty. 😀 . There really seemed to be a concept that my money (my saved up allowance) wasn’t really mine to decide about.
I remember after our son was born. We were very poor and he had hemophilia. There was no money nor time for clothes. I started seeing the teaching assistants and other school personnel in those Ali McBeal short-skirted outfits. I feel that I missed out on most of the 80’s. 😀
So I find some themes in what interests me in fashion. I’ve always been maybe too excited by seeing things that were new ideas to me and with limited funds have ended up thrift shopping to recreate these ideas in my own way. I don’t like retail shopping much mostly because of the environment. Too much visual distraction, different music in every store, some stores like Abercrombies are way too dim, some stores laid out in confusing circular mazes preventing you from easily going from here to there. And any new ideas seem old already by the time I’ve seen racks and racks full of them.
I’m now trying to resolve a conflict between liking to put outfits together and being known for my style. I don’t want to be known for my style! I think a lot about your onetime remark about focusing on the face. How can I focus on my face when people are oohing and ahhing about my jacket or shoes or something else. I gravitate towards pieces that would be instantly described by some guy with no interest in fashion in one word or phrase: jacket, skirt, pants, flowers, bright colors. No head-scratching avant garde items.
I’ve also looked back at previous favorite GoTo outfits and seen that they were often one color throughout and simply cut. So I’ve begun to make outfits up that feature either one color or lower contrast. I feel happier with this. No pop of color for me. And I’m looking to rewear favorite outfits again and again, which is something I actually love and why all this capsule wardrobe mix and match stuff always has left me cold. It’s exactly what I don’t want!
Though I had a happy moment the other day. I was off to the local postal substation and had just read an article about sunglasses that pointed out that mirrored lenses did the job without all that worrying about whether my vintage or cheap glasses might be both uva and uvb compliant. So I wore mirrored glasses and some basketball playing young guys remarked, “Those glasses are really cool. You look like a rock star.” Shows the power of accessories to direct the narrative and also to take the focus off whatever else you’re wearing.
I LOVE reading about all of “y’all’s” experiences. Makes me wish we could go out for coffee and chit chat. But written is even better, cuz it gives the opportunity to reflect on what you’re saying, as you are saying it. LOVE!
I am really trying hard – again 😉 – to develop a rhythm of blogging in this new season of life. Thanks for making me want to! 🙂