Day 133: Corner View--Your Style

I feel my best when I am clothed in or surrounded by contrasts

Denim and diamonds.

Silk and leather.

Weathered wood and sterling silver.

Jeans and a heeled shoe.

Old metal and soft, luxuriously draped fabrics.

Busy, heavy antiques against the backdrop of clean, modern furniture.

An old fashioned, ruffly, shirwaist blouse with a sleek skirt.

I love the feeling of being dressed casually, but wearing a pretty bracelet.  Or that underneath my raggy sweatshirt that I am cleaning the house in, I'm wearing the diamond necklace given to me by hubby.

Contrast.

(oops.  Gotta dust up there...)

Love it.

I grew up in casual surroundings in the country.  Makeup and those girly things weren't really encouraged much, probably because it wasn't part of our lifestyle then, and I was too awkward to broach the topic.  I always shied away from asking whether it was OK to start wearing makeup or jewelry, and nobody else in the family was really interested in those feminine things.  I was under the impression, probably wrongly so, that they were thought to be frivolous and silly, and I didn't want to be seen as such by being interested, so I never opened up the discussion.  I know now that I could have, but back then I didn't. 

Then I was all of a sudden an adult, and someone said, "You should at least put on a little bit of lipstick once in awhile.  You look tired!"  AH!  Now I guess it's OK!  Good!  Now I do wear makeup--but minimally, and these days it's usually applied quickly in the car mirror after getting to my destination, even it's just a bit of lipstick/gloss. And I still feel awkward wielding an eyelash curler and mascara.  Although I love washing my face, and will scrub away with the Neutrogena Wave cleanser thingy as long as possible, loving how it makes my dry as a desert skin feel smooth again, I think my makeup application routine is under two minutes!  I could never be one of those gals constantly checking her compact (uh...don't have one!) and powdering her nose!

I never really fit in the country life, though, much as I love that I lived it.  When I moved away to a city, I found that I was more inclined to sophisticated things, but my personality didn't quite let me be as sophisticated as my brain wanted me to be.  I really didn't fit in the city, either, at first.  Does that make sense?  I was awkward in the settings that I enjoyed. I felt that I didn't really belong all dolled up at the symphony, even thought I loved the symphony,  and that someone would see that I was an interloper and lead me out the door, even though I knew not to clap between innings  movements!  And then I decided that it didn't matter.  If I wanted to go to the opera, because I loved the opera, why couldn't I go as ME, and not as me imitating a sophisticant?

My personality wasn't about country.  And it wasn't about city.  It was a lucky combination of both, and it was fine for both sides to be seen in public at the same time.

And that's when I realized how much I  loved Contrast and discovered how strong and complimentary two opposites can be when paired together.

My style.

For more stylish corner views, check out Jane at Spain Daily.