I started my fashion journey quite late in life.
For much of my childhood there was no money for fancy clothing and I didn't live in a place where it seemed to matter much. Then I moved and was faced with the childhood angst of trying to fit in, in a new place, where what you wore mattered and brands mattered. My response to all that, at age 12, was to pretend it didn't matter. I just did my own thing. I wore pins that I made that said weird is wonderful. I tied my sneakers with rainbow laces in a bow by the toe rather than by the ankle (but only on one foot). I wore my hair in crazy wavy long bunches created by sleeping with my head in wet Medusa like braids every night. I had no idea how to do makeup and thought Maybelline purple eyeshadow was just "the bomb!" To say I was a fashion nightmare is an understatement. The photos still make me cringe.
In college, the "have to have" items for the well dressed college student were Benneton, parachute pants and Firenze V-neck, shaker-knit sweaters. I instead chose to cultivate a personal belief system around the idea of fashion as shallow, meaningless, and unimportant to me as I began to shop local shops for vintage pieces and oversized men's jackets that would cover me up well and not show my figure at all.
I am an occupational therapist and my early jobs were all in healthcare settings, where fashion and clothing didn't matter much. Scrubs were ok, navy or khaki trousers were ok, and jewelry was out anyway. Jobs with children with special needs meant.....why spend money on nice clothing just to crawl around on the floor with kids? It also meant, don't dress in any type of sexy or distracting way. Cover up!
Then it happened. I made a switch in jobs and needed to look like a professional woman. I had no idea how to do it and so started my education. Over time with the help of online courses and information, I learned what I have been doing wrong for about 40 years. I also learned about what I should be doing instead.
My response to being unable to find what I want or need is always first to say, "well someone ought to ( do/ make/ provide ) ____X______." Then, very often when I find out no one does or has, I decide, well I might as well. So here we go.
So this blog is for mature women who have an hourglass figure, need to dress appropriately for work, and don't want to look like Jessica Rabbit. I have nothing against Jessica Rabbit, but I prefer my co-workers to focus on my competence and ability, rather than my "girls."
What will you find here? Information about the hourglass figure including how to know if you have one, and how to best dress it. Although all of this is information is currently available online in many places it is fragmented and sometimes contradictory. Also, what was missing until now, is help finding where to shop to find pieces that work well for our body type. I couldn't find anything like that anywhere, so I built it. And according to a famous quote, 'If you build it, they will come.......' So, welcome, enjoy looking around, and let me know what you think!