In the Beginning

When I was a baby I loved to play dress-up.  I am told I would climb out of my crib, make my way to the dresser, and try on new outfits; one on top of the other.  I think this must have been the beginning of my love affair with clothes!

Growing up, my Mother always made sure we were surrounded by beautiful things.  My father also loved beautiful things, but also had an appreciation for quality craftsmanship in everything.  I believe all of this has helped to shape me into the person I am today, and has had an affect on the things I love and admire.  

As a little girl, I enjoyed getting "pretty" during the holidays!  I loved shopping for new dresses and I remember loving the smell of new shoes!  I have wonderful memories of playing dress-up with my cousin, Bekah, in my grandmother's high heeled shoes.  We were always afraid to ask her, for fear that she would say no, which would inevitably leave us terribly disappointed.  She always said yes, so I have no idea why we were so worried!  We loved to traipse around in her heels and pretend to be sophisticated ladies, pretend to be all grown up! 

When Morag and I were little, we oftentimes had matching clothing (almost like we were twins...I still don't understand it!)  One Easter, we not only had our matching dresses, but we were also lucky enough to have a new Easter bonnet, a little matching purse and new, shiny, white patent leather shoes.  I felt so pretty and like such a little lady! 

As a teenager I fell in love with the Beatles, which led to my affection for anything and everything from the Swinging Sixties!  I would day-dream for hours what it would have been like to live during a time with so much happening in the world of music, pop culture and politics.  It seemed like such an exciting time to me.

A lot of my friends were also fascinated with the Sixties, and we would talk for hours on the subject.  When I was 12 or 13 a friend of mine had a Sixties themed party, and we all had so much fun dressing up.

I absolutely adored Twiggy.

I loved her big eyes,

her short haircut,

and her streamlined, androgynous style.  As a child, I was lanky, skinny and awkward and I believe I related to her during that uncomfortable "teenage" time.

Over the years, my taste has inevitably changed.  Don't get me wrong - I still love Twiggy, but I no longer feel the need to emulate her in every way!  I still love to dress-up, I still love to try on new clothes and I still love to acquire a new pair of shoes, or a coveted handbag!  I believe that "dressing up" changes ones demeanor in a positive way, and it changes the way others perceive you.  Whoever says that appearances don't matter is obviously fooling themselves!  I have many times mourned the fact that we live in an age where leaving the house in your pajamas and a t-shirt is somehow acceptable.  When I wear a pretty dress, I feel more lady-like and that translates into the way I carry myself and the way I feel about myself as a person.  I most definitely feel more pretty when I take the time to wear a nice outfit and do my hair and make-up.  I look at it as an investment in myself.  I love to dress-up and I love pretty things in general!  Moving forward with this blog, I look forward to sharing some of those ideas with you!