My A-ha Moment:
My epiphany happened at the baggage claim area. Busy was I, amidst the masses of people, when suddenly the sea of Capri's and pastel polo shirts parted and a tall, proud African American lady glided through the rosy cheeks of St. Louis. No music was playing, but if there was, it would be something along the lines of "Mustang Sally" by Mack Rice. This lady had style, soul, and rhythm, and her clothes exuded it. She did not look like the rest of the folks at the baggage claim, that's for sure. I quickly did a visual inventory of her clothes so I could copy it and look hot for my husband later that week (after I'd gone shopping, of course).
What She Wore:
Hair: Big hot-iron curls
Jewelry: A lot of gold, but not too much. She had gold earrings, necklace, rings and bracelets. But what struck me was the clunky gold anklet above her metallic high heeled sandals. My first question was, "who wears anklets anymore?" and second, "where can I get one?"
Apparel: She too was wearing Capri's, but hers were black and billowy. She had an eclectic print tank on with a short sleeve blazer.
Shoes: As mentioned above, her shoes were tall, shiny and brilliantly framed her pedicure.
So-there-I-was, feeling:
Drab: Because I was sporting the California casual; jeans, a cute T-shirt, sandals, natural sun-kissed hair, and light make up to punch up my face.
Mean: Because I just finished ripping the St. Louis ladies to shreds.
Defeated: Because this African American lady put me to shame, after I'd been so judgmental!
Conclusion:
I concluded that the Status Quo was adorable. The St. Louis ladies, did a nice job of looking cute and presentable. But the Lone-tiger, as she was nicknamed, her style was amazing and definitely a style to borrow from.
After this experience, I've pondered ways to highlight and document everyday, non-celebrity, fashion wonders. I think this blog is a perfect venue. Digging into different subcultures for that perfect accessory, seems like a favor to not only myself, but all the girls out there!
I fly to germany every year to see my family and I always have at least one layover on my way. I always wear old sweats and a comfy t-shirt and end up always regretting it. The airport is a place were all different cultures come together in masses, bringing all the different styles to one place at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI sit there for hours doing as you did, starring at people wishing I had dressed at least a fraction of as good as they were and of course quickly making a list of cool new thing I could buy to copy those styles.
I prefer this style to the earlier you described. The "cookie cutter cutie" fashion just doesn't seem to cut it to me personally. But then again, mayber there are certain fashion roles that we all just seem to take on. There are some of us with crazy styles and individual wardrobe selections. We like to be the splash of red in the black and white painting. We like to give color against the background. But then again, what about the background? If it wasn't for those who settled into a comfortable norm style, then those with unique taste wouldn't be able to shine. It would all just be a chaos of color. In a way, maybe we should thank those polo shirts. They've set the guidelines that we have found to surpass in order to stand out.
ReplyDeleteI loved how honest you were about everything in this! I especially loved when you said "Who wears anklets anymore? And where can I get one." That statement was telling me exactly what was going on in your head with no shame. This entry did a great job of showing the picture and not telling me about it. I saw that woman and it sparked me to think of a similar experience that I had in the airport recently. I think that we should all dress up a bit more when we go out to airports, because I'm always put to shame with what I'm wearing too. You did a great job making something incredibly simple incredibly interesting. Awesome job!
ReplyDeleteI really liked the way you wrote your blogs. It's very creative. The way you wrote about the woman in the baggage claim with her rhythm and soul really made me smile. It was definately a feel good post and I can definately see how beautiful America is just by reading this one post. Keep at it I really enjoyed reading it.
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