I was that little girl with a closet full of clothes, yet, come time for a special occasion, I would open my closet doors and stare, before concluding...
I have nothing to wear.
Fashion was in my blood, because my maternal grandmother and aunts were fashion designers, and my mum, a teacher, did dressmaking on the side. I would browse stylebooks and label my wishlist of outfits.
I also enjoyed designing and sewing my clothes from whatever fabric scraps I found, and I'd sometimes save my pocket money to buy fabric from the cloth store.
If I wasn't making clothes for myself, you could find me drawing patterns and sewing clothes for dolls. Those hobbies convinced my mum that I would pursue a career in the fashion industry, however, my interests were ever-changing, and of course, I never did.
I was required to wear a school uniform, which was a blessing and a distraction from my fascination with clothes. However, there were school parties and theme days.
In my fourth year of high school, there was a jeans day, and my mum refused to grant me a new pair of jeans, telling me I should wear one from my closet.👀
I reviewed all my jeans and decided that I didn't want to wear any of them because they were "stale".
So I had to find a solution by being creative.
From the lot, I picked a yellow pair of jeans, a pack of black clothes dye, and some strings, and I tie-dyed my yellow jeans.
The result was a beautiful grungy rustic colour with varying shades of brown, which I paired with an orange top. The unique look was a hit, and everyone enquired where I had purchased what they referred to as my gorgeous "rock star" jeans. I felt pleased, knowing that my jeans were one-of-a-kind and hard to replicate.
That creative display turned out to be a double-edged sword, and that was the last time my mum gave in, to making me a new outfit for a school event.
"See, you don't always need to have something new. Look how special your jeans came out and how creative you can be." Mum said.
I adored that pair of jeans, and a few years later, I cut them and wore them as short.
I loved to mix and match my outfits, and I liked how khaki tank tops looked with that rustic brown multi-coloured shorts. Not everyone agreed though.
My clothes were camouflaged on my body.
I continued to wear my favourite outfit to Saturday classes until one day a guy came laughing and explained that he had to do a doubletake to confirm that I wasn't naked. The fellow got something off his chest and said that "you're a free spirit, and I know that you would do it if you felt so."
Gosh! What a reputation, heh?
I have put thoughts into perspective.😅
Clothes for me are a reflection of your personality and I love individual clothing. My goal of having a minimalist stylish wardrobe is ongoing, I have improved drastically over the last two years, and I no longer feel an attachment to clothes. I'm now at a stage where I have simple pieces and colour-theme, so I can coordinate and mix-match everything in my wardrobe. I seek comfortable, easy-to-care fabrics, earth tones are still some of my favourites, and I nose around thrift shops for great finds.
Recently though, with upheaval and some travel, I am leaning towards some drastic downsizing, as keeping up with the changes of season, (weather-wise) is now my priority, and I'm forever thankful to my mum for her encouragement to play with fashion.
Of course, all these images are mine. I took them.