autostylography

Right then. It's the new year. Time to bring this blog into the real world of real women and men, and the real joys and woes that we find in our wardrobes.

And where better to start than yours truly.

I'm having a MAJOR clear out of clothes and accessories that no longer have a place in my life, let alone my style, anymore. It is truly amazing, and not a little idiotic, what we hang on to and why, and how difficult and traumatic it can be to simply remove it from the house. Permanently.

So, over the next few weeks, I'll be documenting my wardrobe purge for all the world to see. Why I toss some things and keep others, the different ways of getting bags of rejected clothes out of the house without turning it into landfill, the gentle art of archiving, and how to re-style the keepers into a wardrobe that works for me rather than against me. And you, faithful readers, will witness the whole thing.

Feel free to ask me what the hell I was thinking when I post photos of the little gems of horror hiding away in my closet. Don't hold back in asking "Hey, you're a stylist! WTF?"  Because even stylists, the apparent arbiters of all things cool and on-trend and fabulous, get it wrong sometimes. I'm as vulnerable as anyone to a so-called bargain during the sales. I get all hot under the collar about trends that are exciting and sexy and playful and cutting edge but simply won't work in a day-to-day wardrobe. I flip through Vogue and fantasize that I can carry off that awesome dress worn by [insert name of preferred supermodel here] even though she's six foot three and I'm five foot two.

Personal style is an ongoing process, evolving gently with every passing year, changing as we change shape and size and our perspective on life. And this is a really good thing. As fun as it was, I'm glad I moved on from the silver Lurex footless tights and white jersey mini dress I wore when I was 15 and wanted to be the backing vocalist for Duran Duran. With white and gold winklepickers. Now we're talkin'!

So, saddle up, folks. We is goin' on a ride!

Exhibit A.
My lovely box of scarves. 

Which, strangely over time, has morphed into a box of scarves 

plus a bunch of other crap that won't fit elsewhere.

And the last time I wore any of this was... ummm, yeah. OK.

And for those of you who have never experienced winklepickers first hand
(or foot, I suppose)
this is what they are...

 Terrifically pointy shoes! Perfect for picking winkles!
Extremely bad for your toes!