Think of all the time and money we women would save if they discovered their “personal style” earlier in life. Trying to influence my young nieces to make good design, fabric and base color choices for their wardrobe seems to have fallen on deaf ears. Independent self-discovery in young adulthood along with changing trends and limited funds seem to determine early wardrobe choices that often end up in the throw away pile within a year. Of course, body changes, careers and lifestyles all come into play as well in choosing a proper wardrobe. I always balked at the concept of a uniform but men have it made in this area; suits for white collar professionals and jeans and boots for the blue collar set. The physical outdoor nature of life in the rural Midwest means the wardrobe of both men and women in this area trend more toward the casual end of this spectrum. Here is my story in cobbling together a personalized wardrobe for my recent past and emerging retirement lifestyle.
I think women start coming into their own in their 40’s when their personal style finally syncs with who they are and how they live their lives. This was about the time I discovered my favorite designer, Eileen Fisher. Her claim to fame is quality natural breathable fabrics with an unstructured form and comfortable fit; all very forgiving for the often changing body form of mature women. Her line includes basic pieces in limited base colors that can be mixed and matched. The only down side of buying Eileen Fisher clothing is the high price. My foray into wearing this line came through “hand me downs” from a colleague who was willing to shop the sales and pay the price for this quality brand. Once I was hooked I couldn’t go back and became her shopping buddy for sales and the occasional full price purchase of basic items. This strategy served me well thru my 50’s when I was a working woman.
Then I retired and was no longer willing to spend so much money on my wardrobe so I had a dilemma on my hands. I also needed lightweight layers for managing my erratic internal thermostat and our traveling lifestyle. While in SE Asia, I shopped for quality discount fabric and had a tailor use an Eileen Fisher dress as a pattern to make multiple lightweight shift dresses. When I returned to the States, I learned to sew and worked with my sewing teacher to make two slightly modified paper patterns for new shifts sewing two myself and adding hand embroidered applique as embellishment.
When I started collecting old sheets/linens for rug weaving last year, I would often come across beautiful cotton or linen tablecloths that were too nice to cut up for rugs but that I couldn’t pass up and thought could be repurposed somehow. Later, a light bulb went off and I thought, I can use them to make shift dresses. So last winter, I made three tablecloth dresses that I also embellished with hand embroidery and buttons. I absolutely love them!
I now have a least a dozen, Eileen Fisher inspired, reasonable priced handmade shift dresses, historically called house dresses, that I wear during my summers at the lake. They also work well over leggings in cooler weather especially while traveling. So anyway, I have found my “coming home” personal style and am always on the lookout for old table linens. When it’s time to clean out your Grandmother’s house, your Mother’s sideboard or the bottom shelf of your own linen closet maybe you too could recycle some of the past, or alternatively, call me! 2018