Mom

                            Wear Your Joy

My mom was well dressed. I didn't fully understand her style until this week. It wasn't until I joined a week long "Wear Your Joy" project. 

                             http://www.kellyraeroberts.com/wear-your-joy/

Each day this week I considered my wardrobe and decided what made me feel good and what was just material to drape around my body. In the process I heard words my mother used to say about what looked good on me and what did not. 

She was tiny but I inherited my father's genes. Her voice dictated rules related to appearance. I felt compelled to lift that voice out of the picture to consider what brought me joy. In the process of sifting out what was my voice and what was her's, I noticed her very particular style, a style she developed in Germany in the midst of war. Above, in her early twenties she wore pleated skirts and a bow tie around her blouse. She worked from the time she was 14. Money was scarce but she looked great.

In her sixties she wore suits that she sewed herself. White with a contrasting dark color was a favorite. 

   Even in her nineties her style was distinct. White pants with a frilly white blouse and brown loafers. I believe she would tell me today to find what feels joyful and comfortable. Even if that means polka dots and stripes.