I grew up in Southern Arizona. My standard outfit there was a tank top, jeans and flip flops. I also had a terrific collection of summer dresses which I wore all year round. I might have owned one jacket although I don't remember ever actually wearing it anywhere.
My personal style was forced to change drastically when I moved to San Francisco. San Francisco is a city where it's almost always chilly and windy. It's never exactly freezing cold but it's definitely not a place where I could make much use of my summer dresses.
It took a little while for my sense of style to adjust. The first thing that I did was to trade in my flip flops for close-toed shoes and boots. I also bought a jacket. Now that I've lived here for awhile I have half a dozen stylish jackets and enough boots to match. I also have scarves, gloves, tights and a lot of shirts with long sleeves.
I didn't particularly like making this adjustment. I wasn't a fan of layers and it took awhile to get comfortable. But now that I'm used to it, I feel like my sense of personal style has actually improved. I have to think about what I wear and how all of the layers coordinate. It's not as easy as throwing on a tank top and jeans but it gives me a better total look.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
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7 comments:
That's really interesting! I move around a lot, and I find it really hard to change wardrobes so quickly; inevitably I feel like wearing a comfy long sleeved shirt perfect for a foreign, cooler destination when I'm home in the heat. It can take a while to get used to!
I think that's probably also indicative of a personal growth that your style reflects; naturally as we move through life we're going to go through different phases and different levels of attention to fashion.
I definitely felt the same thing when I moved from Boston to Europe, a much cooler environment with high, damp winds. Certainly the things I bought changed dramatically!
How's San Francisco? I always pictured it to be sort of hot there, not quite so blustery and windy. That was more how I pictured Chicago! I've never been to either place (yet!)
Southern Arizona must have been a great place to grow up! Did they have a lot of snakes there, though? I've always been intrigued by Arizona but hot weather animals really freak me out.
I'm getting ready to move for my first job, and I'm kind of excited about it, but really nervous too. Will my whole wardrobe be invalid along with my social circle and savings account? It's kind of nervewracking!
I would love to move to San Francisco. It seems so romantic and beautiful with all those pictures of beautiful, hazy, foggy days! And the crazy hills. It just seems like such a bright, whimsical city.
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