Sunday, March 29, 2009

A fresh new start

Today, the first of my blogging career, is a typical spring day in Ohio. I hear it was beautiful and sunny at about 9am, but when I had finally gotten myself out of bed and presentable enough to walk to the dining hall (shamefully, but typically, for a Sunday, it was now 1pm), the skies were a heavy gray, and with a mighty gust they opened and released an angry, soaking deluge. 15 minutes later the rain had let up and, with the exception of another shower about an hour ago, it's been a lovely, sunny, breezy, afternoon.

The grass is greener with every rain, and there are young shoots and red tree buds and some brave little flowers dotting our manicured grassy areas. Spring!


But. I have this problem every year, this sudden puritanical (which is definitely not a word I would normally use to describe myself) reaction to warm weather. Thrilled as I am to be releasing my warm-weather wardrobe from the dark depths of my closet, I find myself slightly horrified at the idea of showing so much bare leg. No tights? No leggings? No denim to shield me (not from the elements, but from the realization that I must take up the razor again)?
In a month, of course, I will be traipsing bare-legged about campus, not a care in the world, but right now the idea of showing so much skin is rather shocking. In the hopes of banishing these inhibitions, I went to the Anthropologie site to look at their inspirational dresses, as breezy as this lovely blue day.


The New Math Dress from Anthropologie has me fawning and frankly amazed to discover that dreams do come true

Mind you, as a poor college student with hardly enough $$ to excuse a trip to Goodwill or Friendtique (a charming thrift shop run by little old ladies, proceeds go to hospice), I couldn't even dream of shopping Anthropologie's sale rack, but a little virtual window shopping is something I indulge in frequently. I think of it not so much as an exercise in futility, but as an exercise in honing my personal style -- comparing and contrasting garments with my own ideas about what would suit my current wardrobe, physical dimensions, and sartorial whims....

Speaking of whims, yesterday I had a very impulsive moment of whimsy. After 21 years of shuddering at the thought of letting anyone but a professional stylist come near my hair with scissors, including (and especially) myself, I decided to cut myself some bangs. Mind you, I hadn't worn the style since I was a toddler, having told myself during the past few years (when quite literally surrounded by girls with bangs) that I 'couldn't pull off' the look. For some reason I believed yesterday that with a few snips I could transform my look and achieve that fringe-y, hair in the eyes, su
ltry look I so admire. Obviously, this would be impossible because not only do I have very coarse, ornery and whimsical hair to match my demeanor, I also apparently have a cowlick. How exactly does a person get to this point in their life without knowing that they have a cowlick right above their hairline? I don't know, it is a mystery that will never be solved. A few minor panic attacks later and with the amused but reassuring assistance of my girl Andrea, I am, I believe, quite bangin'. (I'm sorry, but it is for the best that you become accustomed immediately to my tendency to pun as often and as painfully as possible.)


not just bangin' but sleep-deprived, too

With this new hairstyle I am forced to take my wardrobe in a slightly new direction, but, happily enough, a direction I was already heading in anyway. I have been told by my boyfriend that I now have far more potential for cuteness now that I have such a 'sweet' hair cut. While I have learned that my personal style/what suits me best are femininely-detailed garments, such as my favorite lacy buttoned off-white Urban blouse, I think that I will have to learn to incorporate my more edgy pieces into my outfits to offset this new look. At 5'3" I'm rather sensitive about the word 'cute', and I hope that items like my oft-neglected, zipper-laden, black, cropped faux-leather jacket I got on sale at Urban a few years back will help me avoid the word as much as possible.

And so, I embark on a new virtual window shopping expedition. Edginess and color are my goals, in the hopes of expanding my beige/camel/gray/blue closet and bringing it into a new age of Emily. I hope yo
u'll excuse my corniness, and come with me on this journey to redefine what it means to be this woman, in this small world I have created for myself.

With that, I'll leave you with this absolutely perfect photo taken by an absolutely lovely girl I wish I had gotten to know better before she left the country to go take this photo:

this photo has been a constant source of inspiration since I first laid eyes on it...
and rather reminiscent of another great dress over at Anthropologie, actually

and with that,
goodbye!

emily

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