A Fashion Misfit
Finding the right article of clothing has always been a challenge – from head to toe – and now that I am in North Carolina, I am certain I am becoming a fashion misfit. At least when I was in New York, my fashion forward sister would always correct my lack of fashion knowledge and point me in the right direction “you’re not going to wear that, are you?”, or“what were you thinking?” I have long held the belief, if it fits, I’ll wear it until my sister scolds me in horror “Those are Mom Jeans”. The majority of my wardrobe consists of black, black and black articles of clothing – standard issue and wildly accepted for New York.
When I moved south, I hadn’t taken into consideration that most people add a little color to their repertoire of inter-changeable outfits and my color palette was most notably dark and lacked vision. In addition to being the Goth representative in the neighborhood, I had a quandary of what to wear and when. The temperatures hovered in the high 80s- 90’s all through September and the beginning of October and the few articles of clothing that I do own that are not black, I questioned if it was acceptable to wear in the Fall. For instance, is it OK to wear white pants after Labor Day? I am not sure what rules apply here, and I asked my former hair dresser about this very topic. She thought it was OK, but she hung me out to bleed color (see http://lspostyn.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/oh-the-humidity/) so I couldn’t trust that source. It is really embarrassing to ask neighbors for clarification of such an inane thing but I really do want to know. To me, the Fall is when the temperatures drop rapidly, and I know that it will only get colder and you pile on the heavy clothing. Here in North Carolina, it can get very cold in the morning but by mid-day the average temperature can remain in the mid 50s to 60s. In my free time, I’ve ventured into a few stores looking for new and exciting clothes and while I naturally gravitated towards the dark colors, I perused a little longer in the colorful sweater and tops section.
Secondly, I am not sure if I need to retire my heavy, heavy coats and sweaters. I hate the cold, never once enjoyed it while living in New York. Perhaps this is because I was born in the summer. From mid-October to mid April I was always cold in New York, walking around my drafty house with blankets, down slippers and several layers of clothing. It used to take months for my hands and feet to thaw out from the cold weather. I even tried to embrace winter by taking up skiing and going to Vermont with friends when I was younger. I did everything I could to stay warm including having those special hand warmers but still was chilled to the bone and it made it unbearable. I truly enjoyed the first snowfall and liked building a snow man with my son but then I was done and had enough of it. Snow is very nice in photos too. Now that I live in an area where the temperatures remain in the mid 50s throughout the day and feel I should have a party to burn those wool sweaters that made me look 3x my size but kept me really, really warm. It is quite liberating to be free from the extra 5 pounds of winter clothing and not walk like the hunchback of Raleigh. In reality though, I know I will hold on to those sweaters for my frequent trips back to New York. And, if I do decide to pack those sweaters to wear on these trips, will they be in fashion anymore? My husband and son are no help and tell me everything “looks fine”. See the dilemma?
With the marvels of modern technology, I am grateful that I can count on Face Time and other valuable internet assisted devices so I can remain in constant contact with my stylist (aka sister) and friends to see if they approve of my outfit or wait until I travel north and feel oddly out of place because I’ve now added a little color to the mix.