Fashion Calendar: January

Months ago, fellow blogger Frances wrote something about clothes that made me start to collect pictures for my very own "Autumn Wardrobe" post - the pictures are all here on my computer, taken over the course of several months during autumn and winter 2011, but somehow* I never wrote that post.

Now, 2012 is already seven days "old", and I think it is as good a day as anyone to start on my own personal fashion calendar. As much as showing off in a rather childish manner, this is supposed to serve also to keep track of how much I actually spend on clothes, regardless of whether I "need" them or not. Maybe it will help me remember, looking back, how many nice things I already have in my wardrobe, and that I really do not need any more.

On the 2nd of January, RJ and I went for a walk; as it was quite wet and windy out there, we decided against the fields and walked into town centre instead. As is probably the case for most of the areas where you live, sales have already started in the shops; they all want to get rid of what was not sold before Christmas, to make room for the stuff that is specifically ordered and produced for the "proper" Winter Sales.

Without actually looking for anything specific, I found this dress at half price (50 Euros instead of 99) at the comma shop - and in my size, too, which is not to be taken for granted, because I am of such average size that it is, most of the time, the first to be sold out.

I tried it on, liked it, and bought it. Only later I looked it up on the internet, and saw what horrible, absolutely non-matching  shoes they made the model wear with it - would anyone in their right mind wear such ugly shoes in the first place, and then with this dress?

Instead, I am going to wear it with the shoes I wore on New Year's Eve, so that it looks like this:

Now, of course my hair and face were not "done" for the photo, but I guess you'll agree with me that it is a versatile dress that can be toned up or down according to the occasion and fits both work and play. Does a new dress (or, if you are male, a new suit, shirt or anything else) also fill you with anticipation? Do you know the feeling as if a new piece has been yours for a long time already, and you feel very much at home in it? That is exactly what my new dress, my first fashion acquisition in 2012, is like!

*That "somehow" actually means fear of criticism. I have had many (at times rather harsh) critical comments from family members who read my blog and are either of the opinion that what I write is of no interest to anyone else or they think it is downright ridiculous. So far, said critique has not deterred me from keeping to write what I want to write about, with the exception of information such as personal names and pictures of those who have expressively forbidden me to reveal anything about them. Let me assure you (you = anyone who happens to read this) that, whenever I sit here at my computer to write on my blog, I never, NEVER set out to hurt anyone or spread private information about them. This is my blog, a mixture of journal, book and film reviews, recipes, musings inspired by my hardly very exciting, but comfortable daily life, and by what I read, see or hear elsewhere, and a few short stories (the oldest entries).

Perl wrote about his reasons for blogging here, and what he says expresses a lot better than I can in my own words what is, in part, my motiviation for keeping this going. Oh yes, there is a portion of narcissism in me, more than maybe in a lot of other people, and it would be a lie to say that the attention I get here through your kind comments was not most welcome. But, writing for the reader (who I can never be entirely sure of, really) is only one half of the story. More importantly, I write because I need to, I enjoy it, and as I lack other talents such as painting or composing music, it is my creative outlet (not very creative when it comes to listing recipes and books I've read, I can hear you say, and you are right - but I think you still get the idea).