Monday, June 30, 2014

Sense of Self

Sense of self is one of those phrases that's hard to explain but you know it when you see it.

Sense of self since early childhood: my friends Charlotte and Georgina


I was given a J Crew gift certificate and thought I'd spend it on shirts to wear with two striped fuchsia cardigans I've always liked but had never gotten much use from. (I know... spending money in order to use an article of clothing is ridonculous). Anyway I ordered the two Liberty shirts from J. Crew, discounted twice whilst I paid, serious enabling.... They arrived and reminded me immediately of my old university friends, sisters Charlotte and Georgina. Oh, I thought, George and Charlotte would love these shirts.

Charlotte and Georgina loved horses and dogs and sports. At 'varsity they wore pearls, pie crust collars quilted jackets, gathered skirts and pale tights. They wore lipstick and blush but not eye make-up. They tanned easily and had sleek blonde bobs. They read the paper every day from cover to cover.  They knew who they were and they were really, really fun with it. One became a radio sports journalist and the other a tax lawyer, by the way.

While their style was peaceful and instinctive, and clearly has been since early childhood, I was vacillating between wearing a farmer's black singlet as a dress, having one side of my hair cut short leaving the other long, and thinking a spray-painted pink bubble dress was a good idea.

The paisley Liberty shirt

The floral Liberty shirt
With the Rag and Bone cardy I've previously barely worn

With the Demylee cardy I've barely worn

Charlotte and George: I've taken a more circuitous route but here we all are. This one's for you.


41 comments:

  1. You look wonderful, love the items you bought, gorgeous :) x

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    1. Thanks Kizzy! I wore Paisley yesterday to an interview, best testament ever to wear something immediately, don't you think?

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  2. Hello Jody,

    And, how perfectly wonderful it is that the world is made up of individuals.

    Life is, we feel, a long road of discovery and it really is the journey rather than the arriving which matters. For some, as Charlotte and Georgina, the road may be a straight motorway and, for others, it can be a roller coaster of twists and turns. But, still, we all arrive somewhere at some stage and long live the differences, say we.

    Your colourful combinations are terrific. They have a wonderfully summery feeling and can, surely, brighten up even the dullest of days. Yes, you clearly have found yourself, the bold character unafraid to stand out is definitely in evidence here. Bravo!

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    1. Hello Hattatts! My sister keeps telling me to buy more colour and for once I did as I was told!
      Btw, I am loving the post over at your place today of your interior designer friends with the lime green couch, mid century pieces and old paintings - you live the life alright! Oh to be sipping champers and clicking high heels, that never gets old does it?..

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  3. What a perfect little post! The charming Charlotte & Georgina backstory along with precious back-in-the-day pic and look at you Jody looking so tan, fit, and rested (too!) in the very well selected paisley & floral Liberty shirts and the two cardys....I suspect Talluleh's deft hand had something to do with this?!

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    1. Actually it was a friend who pointed them out to me. Though have to say Tallulah loves the preppy look, it's been around for decades for a reason I guess...

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  4. What a fun little tribute to your friends! And what fun shirts. You shop like me...everything has a rationalization!

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    1. There are economic theories for everything I buy and if there are no - I just make one up!

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  5. Love the cardi combo and the lovely tribute to your pals!

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    1. Hi Jen, hope you're doing some serious unwindulaxing over the summer...or is it all work?

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  6. We need to see the new haircut!!

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    1. One side short, one side long..That was my haircut in university...oops i better change copy, I'll fire my in-house editor!

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    2. I do plead the Eighties on that haircut

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  7. love both those cardies- wear them!!! x

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  8. I had the same long/short haircut in the 80's and did constantly change clothing styles. Until noe when I have become too tired to care!

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    1. Linda, you are totally dominating the Italian Mama in East Bay style.

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  9. I love the shirts you've chosen, especially the paisley one. I had a 'long one side, short the other' hairdo in the 80's too, I dyed it ginger for extra ' wow'!

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    1. Wowee! I'm jealous. After the long-short style (people on my short side complained about being stuck on my ugly side) I cut it all short and dyed it black. There were not many fans, has to be said. Can't remember whether that was while I was wearing the mandatory pleated jodphur jeans (to cover fatuniversityarse)

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  10. Loved the story about your friends! I'm with you, I briefly had the asymmetrical haircut and it felt very edgy, until it went all wrong. I'm having fun catching up on your posts Jody. From the tree house to ping pong parties and flower power shirts. Happy Summer! We are in a mad dash as headed to Portugal and Spain tomorrow. Did I read you are off to Spain too?
    xx, Heather

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    1. Hi Heather, loving the floaty frocks you're packing for Spain today on your blog. yes we're off mid Aug to do the 28 day walk, The Way, also called The Camino. As yet have not procured my small pack and hiking boots, best do that I guess...

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  11. Fun way to tribute your friends indeed at your feed

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  12. I love how you tell a story! And while I have bought things to wear things much too often, sometimes it is a rather successful option--- and it seems this is one of those times!

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    1. Yes now am jazzed to wear the cardies, cool breeze coming in - yaya! (senior moment)

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  13. I have a similar friend...always with beautiful mid length hair, stylish clothes. Me: asymmetrical bobs, experiments with ceramic nails (like talons) hair dyes, all-in-ones circa 198os...
    Do you think we blog because it gives us a good 'sense of self?'
    Great thoughts. :D x

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    1. That's such an interesting question FF! Never thought about it like that! I blog, therefore I am. My Am is still wobbly, truth be told and Russian doll-ish

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  14. Great story....even greater shirts with those cardies!
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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    1. Thanks Linda, can't wait to wear the floral arrangement

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  15. You clearly have a fantastic sense of style. Every photo I've seen of you, you always look like you're dressed to appear on a magazine cover.

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  16. I don't know if this is a new trend or what, but several blogs where I've commented, my comment just disappears when I click 'publish' and there's no sign of it and nothing to tell me if the comment was accepted and waiting for approval or just where it went.

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    1. Shoot, sorry about that. I will look and see if my blog has a line about you comment is awaiting moderation. I do know that people do leave a lot of double comments so maybe not. Thanks for alerting me to this.

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  17. That's a very classic look you've got there. Well done for finding prints to go with your cardies. Not always easy, that!

    I wore a lot of Liberty print skirts at university. When I met my French boyfriend and went to live in France, he banned me from wearing them. :) I retaliated, natch...

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    1. Ha! Did he think they were too British?

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    2. Too British and not sexy. I had those voluminous skirts you sewed yourself up a side seam and that had an elastic waist. They were much cheaper than a finished skirt and you could chose the length you liked. I chose below the knee... :)

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  18. i am forever dipping in and then dipping out of preppy. i love those people that wre who they were from day 1. i think the real me is the me of 20, wearing my dad's old forestry shirts over little sundresses, very granola! i think you look smashing!

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    1. You would fit right in the Bay Area, that is perfect for here.

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  19. Love the shirts and Love the description of the GIRLS..............
    See YOU SUNDAY!

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  20. I loved the story about your friends it is funny how certain clothes , smells or food remind us of good times, friends and even the mean girls from our past

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    1. I'll say! those metal hair clips remind me of the mean girl at our high school

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  21. Very pretty, Jody! Enjoy the new shirts!

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