Another book

My local public library subscribes to something called Wowbrary. Every week I receive an email listing the books and other items that have just been added to the collection.

A recent Wowbrary posting included Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 stylish secrets I learned while living in Paris. Since I like to take breaks from reading murder mysteries and I'm always interested in fashion tips, I clicked on the "Reserve" button.

This book was not quite what I expected, but still pretty interesting.

Jennifer Scott spent 6 months in Paris as an exchange student. Life in Paris was very different from her native southern California and she learned a lot, only some of which was about fashion. Jennifer has one chapter in Part 2 (Style and beauty) called "Liberate yourself with the ten-item wardrobe". She claims that French women, even in well-to-do families like the one she lived with, have very few clothes. They buy good quality clothes that they can mix and match and don't wear something entirely different every single day. This wardrobe is not as restrictive as you might imagine. There are ten different items for summer and winter and many things are excluded from the basic 10 such as outer wear, underwear, jewelry, scarves, shoes and other accessories.

Ten items are fewer than I'd like to own, even with the exclutions. It feels a little like being a vegan. I can totally understand having a couple of basic pairs of pants and a couple of skirts, but I find variety in tops, of which I have several (although much fewer than I used to). Tops that really catch my attention are some of the few things I have bought during the last couple of years. I really enjoy wearing them. My wardrobe is more like being a vegetarian.

While I don't expect to whittle my wardrobe down to 10 items, it will definitely continue to get smaller. There are several things that have been on on the borderline and this book is tipping them out of the closet and into the donation bin.

Another chapter that struck my fancy was entitled "Look presentable always". The Parisian family with whom Jennifer lived always wore their good clothes, even at home. While I take care when I go out in public and when having guests in, at home alone, I usually wear what I call "play clothes." These are the sweat pants, t-shirts, old socks, etc. that are old and worn but still (in my opinion) wearable. They're great for working in the house or yard because I never have to worry about ruining them. Madame Chic supposedly wore good clothes when she did her housecleaning (she did all her own housecleaning, one way she was able to stay trim) and simply wore an apron over them to keep them clean. I don't know if my house is dirtier to start with or I clean differently, but an apron - even a large one - would not suffice.

While many of the "secrets" in Lessons from Madame Chic are things I already do and others are things I know about but have not incorporated into my life for whatever reason, I draw the line at giving up my play clothes.

Painted Toenails

In my nascent feminist days, I viewed painted toenails as rather frivolous and women who wore them as less than serious. Over the years I've met many women who are decidedly NOT frivolous, definitely serious about things that matter and still have painted toenails. Some of them even have iridescent blue toenails!

As my own feminist philosophy has matured, I realize that a woman can express herself in many ways, including ways that may appear superficial. What's most important is that she feel comfortable (both inside and outside) with what she is wearing whether it be jewelry, tatoos, high heels, hiking boots, skirts, jeans, shorts or nail polish. A woman who is secure in her own skin can try different styles and discover what works best for her. Over the years  that style may - in fact will probably - change. Mine certainly has.

I used to be envious of women and girls that had a distinct style; I never seemed to have one. But I've discovered that I have several styles simultaneously: one day is casual with cropped pants, the next may be flirty with a skirt and wedged sandals. I now like the fact that I can look entirely different from day to day depending on what feels right for me.

Even with my pared down wardrobe (I'm still weeding it, though more slowly, and purchasing very few replacements) the person I present changes from one day to the next.

I have many different, diverging interests. I can't be categorized easily. There's more to me than my shiny, rose colored toenails.