Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
A collage I made from images in Paris Street Style, A Guide to Effortless Chic by Isabelle Thomas and Frederique Veysset
The other day I posted this quote from Brenda’s Wardrobe Companion on the Tips & Teasers Facebook page:
“SO, who’s inside you who wants to get dressed and come out and play?”
I suggested to FB friends that they give that part of themselves a name (Bridget, Audrey, Samantha) and share what their alter ego would be wearing today.
I loved the comments! And then Denise challenged me. “What about you, Brenda?” she said.
In truth, when I wrote Brenda’s Wardrobe Companion my alter ego was Bridget. She was sassy, spunky, flirty in a confident way. I could get up in the morning and ask myself, What would Bridget wear? and I would put together an outfit that was a little outside of my comfort range. An unusual color combination, an arm of bangles, or clunky boots worn with a dress definitely gave me the feeling of Bridget.
But I’ve changed over the years. Have you? I know it’s a cliche but I think I’m older and wiser. Staying up late, taking spontaneous weeknight trips across the Golden Gate Bridge to go hear jazz at Pier 23, driving to Oakland to watch a professional NBA basketball game on a school night — well, that’s just not appealing to me right now.
So Bridget has gone bye bye. In her place is Bernadette. Bernadette loves to go to coffee shops and read books on style and underline passages in her favorite magenta-colored marking pen (the one that matches her Plum Berry lipstick color). She writes in notebooks about clothes and fashion and change. She loves meeting friends for yummy lunches at Della Fattoria. She enjoys sitting on tall bar stools at Social Club with her sweetheart talking about movies, music, and upcoming visits by Swedish friends. She loves moments sweetened by sunshine, clever quips, silliness. And she goes to bed early.
Bernadette is inspired by images from the book Paris Street Style. To move myself toward that look, I color xeroxed my favorites and put it on an inspiration board that hangs on the wall in my home office. I love the confidence of these women in the images. There’s a simplicity, yet every detail counts. I want to strive for that in my look. To me it’s not a youthful look; it’s a womanly look. I’m ready to be me–a confident, sensitive, life-appreciating woman. A woman who goes to bed early.
Clik here to view.
Plumberry pen and lipstick
