Another New Year and Now What?
Posted by: menrvasofia on: January 4, 2012
- In: Knitting | Motivation | Sewing
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It’s the beginning of a new year, a time for resolutions, usually for betterment: quit smoking, lose weight, save money, take a vacation. This past year I’ve been successful in reaching a goal, or rather, getting really close to a goal I set back in the summer – July 17, 2011 to be exact. It’s been almost 5 months and I have 5 lbs, or one size, to go.
I could resolve to lose the last 5 lbs or so, but it’s taken some time and my eating resolve has taken a beating over the Christmas holidays what with all the candy and chocolate just laying around in boxes and bowls. It’s been easy to get back on the wagon but what I need is something that will provide a reward while aiding my resolve by keeping my hands busy.
I hit on the perfect thing – my backlog of knitting projects, surfeit of sewing fabrics and plethora of patterns. What better opportunity to put in the time to finish long-started projects and begin new ones than now, when there is a much greater chance that I’ll be happy with the outcome if I’m happier with how I look. Here’s hoping it works. If not, there’s always the end-of-the-world scenario.
In that scenario, the motivator that pushes me to finish my unfinished business is the end of the Mayan calendar which sees the world, or rather time, end on December 21, 2012. What better way to face the new future but with a full closet of clothes to suit any situation? I joke, of course, but it could be an interesting premise to tease out, especially if the end result is so profitable. Sounds win-win-win to me.
I’ve amassed quite a collection of fabrics and fibers over the last 40 years. There is material on the shelves dating back to my teen years that I bought at the Right House, a long-gone department store in downtown Hamilton. What happens is that I like the fabric so much, the design has to be just the right one before it gets used. On the weekend I went to Ottawa Street with my BDR. I bought the most gorgeous dark grey linen, with a coarse but tight weave, a heavy hand and fluid draping. I know exactly what I want. Maybe.
I also buy yarn like candy. I think I have almost every Vogue Knitting since 1991; I need never buy another pattern again there are so many I want to make. And I have a fine collection of wool, silk and linen hanks waiting to be wound up into balls, not one of my favourite pastimes. Then there is the desire to design an original pulling at my imagination. The results will be stunning, no question about it.
Time to resize my dress form, dust off the sewing machine and dig out my projects. I think that 2012 is going to be just the thing I need to finally tackle my old creations and get them done. If I were to do the math, I’d probably find that over the the last 30 years, I’ve started four garments for every one finished.
This will be fun….
Closet Classics: The White Shirt
Posted by: menrvasofia on: December 3, 2011
I’ve been writing a lot about food on a blog that’s supposed to be all about the clothes. Let’s switch it up for a post or two and have a look at the clothes this blog is all about.
This post is the first of a series I’m calling Closest Classics; reflections on those items that serve as a solid foundation for a versatile and functional wardrobe.
When I reorganized my closet the other week, I was surprised to discover how many white shirts I have. Scattered throughout the closet before, they now hang together, long-sleeved to sleeveless, a bright spot in a dark corner.
The White Shirt Haberdasher Women's Shirt
The white shirt is a closet classic and a staple item in a well-planned wardrobe. All through high school, I wore a uniform: pleated kilt and a white blouse. I had three blouses and had to do a wash in the middle of the week. After I graduated I revolted against white. The only white tops I wore were the concert and promotional t-shirts I worked out in.
I felt for most of my life big and geeky in white whereas in black I was cool and invisible. I suppose that’s in keeping with the “black is slimming” thinking. Well, the other side of that is that white is not slimming. But that’s not true. White can be slimming when used to effect, and, of course, the cut of the fabric as it fits the contours of the body is important. The most un-slimming look is clothes that are too small.
Then I saw the light and fell in love with white. I bought shirts with long-sleeves, short sleeves, and no sleeves; pleats, tucks and darts; shirts that are shaped, cropped, gathered, ruffled, and peasant; made out of bamboo, cotton, silk, linen. And of course, the ubiquitous t-shirt.
The White Shirt Haberdasher, located in London, England, recognizes the importance of a fine white shirt, they offer same-day delivery to customers in the central London vicinity. For a price.
At £135.00, they’re not cheap, but the text promises soft silkiness. I wouldn’t know, I can only look. I do like the French cuffs and the little black cufflinks, which are onyx and silver. Nice touch.
Same day delivery in Central London is £40.00. I wonder how much to ship across the pond?
These checkerboard ones are onyx and mother of pearl and made for the men. Dashing, but I like them too.
I recommend at least one in each style: oxford, silk dress, ruffle/peasant, t-shirt and camisole, more as your taste desires. Always on trend a white shirt goes with everything and can spark up or moderate any colour combination in the spectrum. If you have room for only one white shirt in your budget, invest in a good quality white oxford style shirt in a fitted style.
But if you have room for more, then the sky’s the limit on the styles and fabrics that come in white. The selections below are from Jones New York, the leading retailer of clothing for women in the professional workforce. You can see all their white shirts here.
The two directly above can transition from the office to an evening social gathering with little more than freshening up. Bold accessories in silver and gold accentuate the simplicity of colour and sparkles against the dark contrast of black, as in the case of 3 of the images above.
The white shirt is often paired, to dramatic effect, with black pants or skirt, or under a jumper. The look is crisp, clean and no-nonsense. The white shirt transitions well to casual wear and can spark up denim no matter how faded and torn it may be.
When my father passed away he left behind a closet of white shirts. More for the memory of him than to satisfy my need of more white shirts, I packed them all up and brought them home. I have plans for a few of them, they are bigger than they need to be and a judicious tuck or pleat here, a snip and stitch there, and le viola!
Well, we’ll see. Check back for pics.
Do you have a go-to white shirt in your closet?
Life is Smooth and the Drinking is Easy
Posted by: menrvasofia on: November 15, 2011
- In: Books | Cooking | Eat-Clean Diet | Food | Smoothies
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A few months ago I bought a blender. I was obsessed, when I bought it, about buying it. I thought it would be an integral part of the perfect storm that would swirl around me and suck off all my extra pounds. Ummm. Not really.
After I bought the blender, it sat on the counter for an embarassingly long time before I got around to finally using it. I can be like that sometimes. Hurry up and wait. I didn’t have any recipes, I didn’t have all the right ingredients, this or that would be missing, maybe an apple, orange, banana. Then I started the Eat-Clean diet and I didn’t want to do anything that would compromise my success, although smoothies are allowed as long as the ingredients are good.
Great book, tons of recipes.
After I bought the blender, I bought a couple of smoothie recipe books, because apparently the challenge of coming up with my own recipes is too much for me. The book that has been the most fruitful is The Smoothie Bible by Pat Crocker.
This book contains far more than simply smoothie recipes and I just love that. The first chapter details the body systems: cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, immune, musculoskeletal, nervous and respiratory. Then a chapter on health conditions, alphabetically from AIDS/HIV to water retention. Healthy foods are covered, fruits, vegetables, herbs and other ingredients. And then the recipes begin, at page 151. There’s so much more there than just the recipes and it’s all useful information.
And what tasty recipes they are too.
I have only scratched the surface in terms of what’s on offer, but the recipes that I’ve tried so far have been delicious. Except for one that had way too much molasses in it, the Avocado Shake. No, that one wasn’t a favourite, but it did introduce me to the benefits of molasses. I drank it all up because it was good for me. But it was tough.
Easier to take is the Orange-Pom smoothie, made with an orange, apple, carrot and some pomegranate seeds. I add a scoop of protein powder to it, makes it mousse-y as well as a complete meal. I learned that from the Eat-Clean book. I put protein powder in my oatmeal too. I would never think of putting these ingredients together. This is why I need a recipe book.
Another favourite is the Apricot and Oatmeal Breakfast Special. Again, I would never think of making a smoothie out of a bowl of oatmeal. I use dried apricots that I dice and add to the oatmeal, which then sits sucking up whatever I use to make it until I’m ready to whip it. I’ve substituted the water with apple juice. Oranges are used to thin the oatmeal, yogurt and dates are added along with the protein powder. I hit liquify and sham-zam, oatmeal I can drink. I. Am. Loving. It.
I have on hand a good supply of oranges, which seem to be a staple in smoothie world. Dried fruit can be used for fresh. I learned how to section an orange and a grapefruit. That makes the peeling of both fruits a lot easier but also a lot messier. That might improve with practice. We shall see. The book didn’t actually show me how, but the recipe calls for sectioned oranges and I had no idea what that was so I looked it up online. I had a short impromptu cooking lesson right there in my kitchen.
I’m looking forward to trying out more. Next up Apple Spice Cocktail, an interesting combination of apple, ginger root, cardamon, nutmeg and cranberry sauce.
What’s the strangest food combination that you’ve found delicious and surprised to taste?
Ta-da!
Posted by: menrvasofia on: November 12, 2011
- In: Eat-Clean Diet | Food | Motivation
- 1 Comment
Success. At last!
I’m happy to report success on the clothing front. It’s been 4 months since I last checked in and shared with you the beginning of my venture into the world of healthy food and clean living.
It’s been nothing short of a stunning success. I’m down 20 lbs, which is 5 lbs short of my goal, but enough to open the doors of my closet to almost everything inside it. Except for only the smallest sizes, which aren’t many, and still in reach. Maybe by Christmas.
The Eat-Clean® diet has turned me into a food evangelist. The tiredness I spoke of in my last post lasted only for another day or so, then it seemed like things clicked and my energy level has increased daily. I can’t remember the last time I was actually hungry. Last weekend I cleared out my closet and drawers of clothes that are now TOO BIG. I packed them in a box and shoved them into the back of the closet. That felt good. Although I did feel a twinge, a pang, perhaps, of guilt at discarding my old friends so quickly and with such glee. How many times have they come through for me, as I stood helpless in my closet, looking for something, anything that fits. I stretched our friendship to its boundaries, for sure, and the least I can do is give them rest for their valiant efforts at keeping me well-dressed. It’s time for others to step into the breach.
And step up they have. These past four years shirts and skirts have been just hanging around while pants lay patiently in their drawers waiting to break out of the darkness of their confines and seek expression in the light of day. It’s been fun, playing Barbie these past few weeks. I step in and think… I’ll try this on and see if it fits…. And what do you know but it does. I try this on, I try that on. I have a couple of looks I particularly like. Getting dressed in the morning is fun again.
And that’s a big deal because it’s the first thing I do in the morning and if it doesn’t go right, my day doesn’t either. Can’t escape the clothes you’re wearing once you put them on and clothing regret is a sad thing to have to deal with all day long. Stepping out of the closet in clothes that fit and look nice is a good way to start the day.
As I reflect on how I managed, this time of all the times that I’ve tried before, to regain some form of control over calorie consumption, this is what I’ve come up with as key elements:
- Find or create a plan that you can give yourself over to without even thinking about it while you’re on it. For just a little while – a week is all you really need to see results but it’s not a bad habit to continue – don’t give any thought to what you’re going to eat or how much except for what the plan states.
- Buy only food on the plan. This is crucial. If you don’t want to eat it, don’t buy it. Your new lifestyle starts in the grocery store with good food that feeds and supports the foundation of your active life. This is tough if you live with other people. If they want to change too, great, if not, don’t be tempted by what they eat and meditate on #5, below.
- Keep to the portions allotted per meal. Just because something is good for you doesn’t mean you get to eat endless amounts of it. You can have anything you want as long as you keep to portion control and not let tasty food take its toll on your resolve.
- Pack a lunch. The Eat-Clean diet advises that you buy a thermal lunch bag and use it daily. Take your measured portions with you where ever you go so you’re not tempted to eat what’s offered in the world. There’s a lot of sugar out there.
- Treat food as fuel. We need food to live like a car needs gas to run. Food research is daily uncovering new facts about what we eat and the way food feeds our bodies. Love your body from the inside out and give it the right fuel in the form of nutrients so that it can run efficiently.
There’s lots more to say on the matter as I think over the last 4 months and consider the significance of food on maintaining a healthy body. I went to the gym, on average, twice a week so it wasn’t the exercise that really made the difference, although I did start walking home from work and I have started running again.
The difference came from the diet, from a focused attention on fuel in rather than energy out. Time to focus on building strength and endurance with exercise. There’s a secret stash of dark chocolate in my locker at the gym, a sweet incentive to fuel my workouts. Maybe I should re-name this blog – it’s all about the food? Nah…
I’m off to have some delicious oatmeal and fruit sauce, just a small bowl, packed with good stuff to fill me up for a couple of hours. Secret recipe I’ll share with you one day…
How do you stay on the right path when faced with difficult food choices?
Never say die…
Posted by: menrvasofia on: July 17, 2011
It’s been some time since I’ve been here, busy elsewhere, working, living, being.
And I wanted to have something to report instead of the same old, same old of why can’t I make this work. In any case, here I am again, trying to be faithful. If I have this difficult a time attending to my writing, which I love, imagine how excruciating it is to attend to things I find less appealing?
I do have a positive to report. I am 6 days into an Eat-Clean Diet. Six days of committed dedication to eating better, more healthy. And I’m feeling it now. I felt it from the first day.
Food contains all the drugs we need in the form of natural elements that feed us on a molecular level. Food is the delivery conduit for the vitamins, minerals, proteins etc., that we need to feed our body and keep us alive. There’s so much crap out there, that we eat on a daily basis that it’s kinda shocking, really. From environmental toxins to empty calories, our current food supply is challenged by contaminants from all sides.
Now, I’m not a purist. I believe in the hygiene hypothesis (thank god for common sense); I’m not afraid of a little dirt here and there. It’s the larger scale chemical contamination and genetic modifications that rob our fruits and vegetables of their inherent goodness that I find troubling. I’m a raw food fan, not being someone who likes to cook all the time (only when and what I want), so when I first found this “diet” it made sense to me, although it’s not a raw food diet. I don’t want to think of it like big D diet. I’d rather consider it a lifestyle change and get my head into that space.
So I’m 6 days in and it’s been not too bad. Back in the fall I did a challenge, Put Food Back in the Budget, where I tried to live off the contents of a food bank basket for a week. I wrote about it here, on my I Heart Hamilton blog. I was struck, first of all, by the dedication which I was able to bring to the challenge. For those 5 days, I ate nothing unless it came from the basket. I was hungry, had a headache, and was tired, but I persevered. So the question is, why can’t I bring that same commitment to my everyday life?
Well, it seems to be working. I’ve been faithful to the food plan and I’m seeing some results.
It hasn’t been that easy. The first day I came home from work and had to have a nap for about 20 minutes I was so tired. I’ve had a low-grade headache all week, although I suspect that might have something to do with the weather, or not, who knows. This morning it’s gone and a storm’s coming in. Or so the weatherman says.
So I’m back at it. A little success here will feed a little success there which will lead to greater success all over. Right now I’ve got the success of 6 days behind me. Moving into the second week of the diet will see my food choices expand slightly.
I will also get back to the gym next week. Just walking on the treadmill for now, rocking to the music. This past week I don’t think I had the energy to do much except go to work, come home to eat a little bit and sleep.
Let’s see what this week will bring.
The more things change…
Posted by: menrvasofia on: March 14, 2011
- In: Gym
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Woo. Hoo.
I made it to the gym this morning. Up at 4:30 (thank you very much) and out the door by 6:00 for the long walk in. I could take the bus, but that’s silly – take the bus to the gym? The walk in is my warm-up and by the time I get there, I’m ready to rock.
In preparation, over the last couple of days, I’ve been reciting my locker combination to myself. I have been known to be absent from the gym for so long that I forget my locker combo and the big bolt cutters have to come out and I’m $10 lighter for the memory loss. Not this time. Right-left-right and the lock popped open.
Everything was where I left it last. I lost my locker roomie – my beautiful daughter Abby. We were sharing lockers for awhile, but she’s taken her booty over to the Y. While I always miss the opportunity to see my beautiful children, the extra room in the locker is welcome. And I don’t have to worry about the mess I leave behind. Hey – it’s my locker.
So – I admit – a year is a long time to be away from the gym, but I hardly recognized the place when I got there.
Renovations happened while I was away. A new stairwell was put in (much nicer) and all the cardio machines have been replaced. Holy shit, is all I have to say. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the old ones and here we have new ones. Now – the cardio mezzanine in the David Braley Athletic Centre is huge. I think I’ve seen bigger in a Gold’s gym in the States, but the DBAC has to be big to accommodate the hoards of students who use the facilities. Thankfully not that many get up early in the morning and I got a machine no problem.
The elliptical machine has a touch-screen monitor with the warning: See your doctor before engaging in any workout activity. I paused slightly before thinking: nah, I’m good, as I stepped up onto the foot pads. It took me a while to figure out how to program the machine, and I still couldn’t get it do what I wanted. Practice, I guess. That, and maybe I could ask someone.
It was tough at first, but I had Justin to help me (Timberlake, not Bieber – I’m all for the younger man, but the Beeb’s a bit young). My ipod was dead, poor planning there, but I loaded a whack of music on my ipad a few months ago and, as luck would have it, it was fully charged. It was a bit awkward, kinda big and with only a little lip to keep it from crashing to the floor it’s not the best device for working out. Not on the cardio machines anyway.
I took my time and did a full hour. Thank you to The Cult and Nine Inch Nails for pushing me that extra little bit.
I feel great. Better than great. I feel like wonder woman.
Here’s to today – let’s hope for the same tomorrow.
Blending a Better Smoothie…
Posted by: menrvasofia on: March 8, 2011
I can sure feel the effects of Monday’s zumba class. And I’m glad that it feels good. My muscles are waking up, their memory is coming back. They’re hungry and they want more. But maybe not more zumba.
I had a busy day on Tuesday so didn’t make it to the gym as I had hoped. I did deal with a huge burden that should make it easier to sleep at night and stay focused during the day, but no, I didn’t make it to the gym.
I did, however, go shopping for a blender. For smoothies.
A few days ago I downloaded a few smoothie recipes from the Women’s Health website. I love this site. It’s so motivational and I appreciate that they offer so much free information and fitness routines. I bought one of their exercise books last year, The Women’s Health Big Book of Exercises. That was shortly before I hit the roadblock thrown up by daylight savings time. I’m now looking for any and all sorts of inspiration and this book is packed with it.
But back to the smoothies.
I don’t like to cook. I like to eat, but the step between buying the food and putting it in my mouth is the one I find problematic. So I tend to eat not-so-healthy foods, ones that you can rip out of packages, or spread between two pieces of bread (ymmm…peanut butter). And then there’s that sweet tooth I keep biting…. I’m thinking that smoothies could be a good way to make sure I get my nutritional requirements without me eating my face off.
Ray came blender shopping with me. We decided that Canadian Tire would have the biggest selection in our area, and I suppose that was true. I only shop to buy, so I don’t look around a lot, but we hit the jackpot, there was a blender sale on, I kid you not. Almost every blender was at least 20% off and just like that, my budget got bigger. After much discussion and debate between whether I should get a hand blender or a counter blender, then what model of counter blender, I walked out with the only blender NOT on sale. How funny is that? It was still the best deal for my money.
I was tempted, oh so briefly, by the Cuisinart supermachine with its multiple attachments, but how practical is that for someone who doesn’t cook? But it was almost $100 off – maybe not the model shown – but one similar, in case anyone’s looking.
My model is one of the modest, mid-range Oster models. Plain Jane – in fact, as I look at the box I wonder if I haven’t had this model before. I haven’t opened the box yet, I’m not sure where I’ll put it there’s no space on the counter. I gave away my last blender because I hardly used it and it took up too much space. Make it easy to use and keep it handy, rule number one and two.
I wanted more than just the 5 recipes that Women’s Health gave me so I went online to Chapters and downloaded a ebook of smoothie recipes, Low Carb Smoothies, by Donna Rodnitsky and a couple of more to come in the mail in the next day or so. It doesn’t seem to be as raw-food as I’d like but maybe I’ll give a couple of them a go over the next day or two.
What about you? Do you have a fave smoothie recipe you’d like to share?
Time to Restart this Gig
Posted by: menrvasofia on: March 7, 2011
- In: Gym
- 2 Comments
I went to my first zumba class today.
I had meant to start my new life (it’s all about lifestyle change, as well as the clothes) on March 1st. But March 1st came around and I wasn’t really ready yet. I could tell because I was using the fact of impending food restrictions to load up on all those tasty sweets I would be missing in the days, weeks and months ahead. You know the routine…I’m going to eat this big bag of sweets because it’ll be the last bag of sweets I eat. Yeah. Right. Saturday’s box of cake donuts was the last straw.
So this morning I collected together my work out clothes from the basement and brought them into work with me. I haven’t worked out in months, maybe even a whole year. My clothes smelled musty like they came out of the basement. That’s just gross, so I went over to the bookstore and picked up a brand new pair of black yoga pants. There’s inspiration for you. I got the large size after much debate with the extra large. I do admit to a slightly skewed body image – I’m more like a medium. But I don’t like my clothes to bind, so I went for the bigger size; the high-waisted model.
At 11:45, I locked up my office and made my way over to the zumba class. The class was taught by one of my colleagues in a room our department has contributed to the effort. She offers it for free over lunch time twice a week. I couldn’t think of a more fun way to inject some life into my life than hopping onto the latest fitness trend and give it a ride. Sadly, it was a one-way ride.
My friend is awesome. She can really shake her booty to the latin beat and she is inspiring herself in her own battle with excess weight. Her beautiful smile and encouraging words kept us going as we struggled to keep up with her moves. Well…I struggled to keep up, everyone else seemed to know what they were doing.
But zumba’s not for me.
I found myself wishing for the elliptical at the gym. That and my rock music. Latin music is ok, but I prefer my NIN.
But most of all, although I got a good workout, I think I would have gotten more bang for my time with focused cardio – like on an elliptical or on a treadmill. I found the footwork too distracting, the arm work distracting, the whole “shift to this step, then jump” routine just wasn’t working. I don’t like to think about my workout when I’m working out. I like to be on automatic pilot. That’s why I like to run or use a cardio machine and play music really loud so I can’t hear myself wheeze.
And my knees thank me for it. I have no ligament in my left knee (old skiing injury) and I have to be really careful about footwork. No lateral movements or quick shifting of direction. I have to always go forward, maybe backwards, but never side to side. I get the whole zumba craze and if it gets more people up exercising and dancing that’s wonderful. But I’m not an aerobic class exerciser. I’m a gym loner: ipod, earphones and a cardio machine and I’m good for an hour.
So it’s back to the gym for me, to the cardio machines and the great big tvs. The zumba class got me moving for the first time in ages and reminded me how good it feels to move again.
Let’s see how long that lasts….
Time to cut it off…
Posted by: menrvasofia on: November 25, 2010
- In: Beauty/Body | Hair
- 2 Comments
I finally broke down and went and had my hair cut.
My hair was long; touching-my-tailbone long. There’s lots of it but it’s thin and straight and was getting straggly-looking at the ends. I usually wore it up in a clip on the top of my head; I hardly ever wore it down. One of my dear colleagues at work, T has been advising me for years to get it cut, give it some shape. I just hate going to the hairdressers. It’s not that I don’t like my hairdresser, I do. He’s personable and I like talking to him. He even remembers who I am even though I see him so infrequently. I just don’t like looking at myself in the mirror.
But I have very little grey, which is miraculous given my advanced age. I said I’d leave my hair long until I had to start colouring it; I’ve been growing it extra long so my hairdresser has something to work with.
Well, he cut off about 8 inches off the bottom. It wasn’t a good 8 inches, as I said it was pretty scraggly for about 6 of those inches, but 8 inches of dark brown hair lay on the floor around the chair. He put in some layers and gave it a blow dry. It looks nice, I guess, but I have no perspective. Which is why I hate going to get my hair cut.
Like most women, I have a love/hate relationship with my hair. About 15 years ago, I took drastic measures and shaved it all off. I did that after attending a conference in Ottawa. I sat at the back of one presentation and looked around the room and saw at least 10 other women with the same hairstyle as mine: shoulder length with bangs. It was such a typical conservative look. It had to go. To top it off, we were camping. It was May and the season wasn’t really open yet. The water in the showers was cold and I had to wash my hair.
On the return trip to Hamilton, I stopped at my brother’s house in Kingston to visit and break up the trip. After I had a long hot shower, my brother took out his clippers and shaved my hair off. My little nephew C. stood with his mouth open, watching his dad cut Auntie Margaret’s hair off, his sisters laughing at the show.
I liked it. No. I loved it. All the way home to Hamilton I caught myself looking in the passenger side mirror. I was wearing a black Anne Klein blazer with a white shirt underneath. I looked sharp. It was so neat and clean.
With Rach and Ab, Washington, DC
When I went to pick up my kids from my parents, my youngest, who was about 7 at the time, hid behind the sofa, denying I was her mother. “My mother has hair”, she screamed at me. She was not impressed at all. It wasn’t until a week later that I fully realized her trauma. We were coming home on the bus from shopping downtown and she turned to me and said, “nobody laughed at you”. I looked at her and asked her why anyone would laugh at me. “Because of your hair”, she said.
When I returned to work on the Monday morning, none of my female colleagues said anything to me. At the time, I worked in a large area with about 60 other women and 4 men. No one cut their bangs without someone noticing it. The only person who commented on my hair was the Head Librarian, a man, who said: “That’s kind of drastic, don’t you think?”
It took about a week before people felt comfortable coming up to me and saying they liked my hair. Some had thought I was sick, a preemptive strike against the effects of chemo, but no, I assured them, I wasn’t sick, just sick of my hair.
I kept it shaved short for almost 6 years. It was cold in the winter time, but cool in the summer. I started to wear hats; hat-head was a thing of the past. I could wash my hair with a drop of soap at the kitchen soap.
My style changed. With such a dramatic haircut I could wear more dramatic or striking clothing. It was almost demanded of me. I couldn’t wear ruffles or frills anymore, tiny prints and floral patterns were out of the question. It was colour that I played with, bold bright colours, deep dramatic tones.
I’m not a beautiful women, but people would stop me on the street and tell me how much they liked my hair. People said I had a nicely shaped head. I never even thought of that. Men, women, black, white. It was strange. Complete strangers.
I can’t remember now why I wanted to grow it long. I think because I could, because it wasn’t grey yet, and it was the last chance to regain the long hair of my youth. And when I take on a challenge I do it with gusto. So I stopped shaving my hair and watched it get longer, and longer, and longer. I suffered through the dreadful bang grow-out and celebrated my first tiny pony-tail. I left it alone until it was worth going to the hairdresser.
Although I’ve had it trimmed from time to time over the years, this was my first real haircut in 10 years. I like it. It’s still long, past my shoulders, but it looks healthy and cleanly cut at the ends. I went out and bought curlers, a blow dryer and a flat iron.
Let the fun begin….
Stop Buying Clothes
Posted by: menrvasofia on: October 30, 2010
- In: Clothes | Designers | shopping
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In February 2010, Vivienne Westwood, the British Grand Dame of couture clothing was quoted as urging people to stop buying clothes. Not forever, but for, say, maybe 6 months. And when you’re cured of your consumerist ways, she says, buy quality to last and buy only when you need to.
Can you imagine? What a bold and unique concept.
I say that with tongue in cheek, for it’s been my credo forever. Well, ever since I plopped down my first hard-earned hundred dollars on a burgundy pin-whale corduroy Ports dress back in 1978. At the time, that was more than I made in week. I don’t have that dress anymore, sadly it was victim of my expanding frame rather than its material or sartorial deterioration. There wasn’t a day in the last 30 years for which that dress would have looked out of place. It was a classic and if I still had it, I’d still be wearing it for happily I can fit back into it again. Maybe. (note to self: throw NOTHING out).
I’ve justified my expensive taste with the rationale that I buy nothing that I could make myself; I buy out of appreciation for quality craftsmanship and fine materials. It’s the little style details, the superior construction techniques flawlessly executed, the feel and weight of the fabric, the soundness of the seams, the slip of the lining; these add up to a garment that can stand the test of time and provide joy for many years.
My red velvet dress. You can see the crochet collar and cuffs. It was decadent.
I remember my first big girl dress. My mother made it for me. It was a surprise she executed right under my nose and it may have been the only truth she sidestepped when I asked her, wistfully, if she couldn’t make a red velvet dress like that for me, too. When I unwrapped the package that Christmas morning, my eyes lit up at the sight of the white crochet lace cuffs and neckline against the deep red velvet fabric and I threw my arms around her neck in delight.
In the Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, after Scrooge the old miser dies in one of his three nocturnal visions, there is a scene where the rag pickers haggle over the price of the contents of his wardrobe. It evokes a time when clothes carried with them far more value than they do today, when a coat could be passed down and along until it’s threadbare condition held nothing but salvage value for papermakers. The same with women’s clothing. Yards and yards of fabric, along with pieces of boning, buttons and other decorative items could be passed along to others or salvaged and recycled into smaller items.
Ancient wills carry evidence of the value of clothing. Articles of clothing were often left specifically named to certain people. “My black best worsted coat to by brother Jack”. Back when clothing had value. When we cleaned out my parents’ house, I stressed to my children that the contents of my closet are vintage. Don’t just drop them at the Salvation Army, I warned them, as we packed up my dad’s tailored suits for the local men’s shelter.
We live now in an era of disposable clothing. Thin fabrics and shoddy construction techniques proliferate in today’s mass clothing market, especially for young people. And these clothes are not inexpensive. The Guess t-shirts that would appear in the laundry basket from time to time seemed on the brink of disintegration, although they were recent additions to my daughter’s collection. I became like a broken record (why do you buy this crap?) that everyone wanted to turn off.
The amount of cheap clothing I’ve shunted off to the Breast Cancer box down at the supermarket is, frankly, embarrassing. And where does most of it end up? Landfill.
Vivienne Westwood is right on. Stop buying clothes. Those clothes that you do buy, buy well. Don’t just buy for today, buy for tomorrow.
Better yet, cultivate your own creativity; make your own clothes or hire the talents of a local dressmaker to realize your own unique sartorial dreams.
