Close your eyes… Go back to where you felt your most powerful, your most beautiful, your most YOU. Where are you? What are you wearing?
I go back to the darkest, most dangerous blue, the colour of my cottage lake writhing under the fury of a Quebec North wind. I am a woman most confident at the extremes, leaning head first into the blast, my toes curled into the freezing sand. Challenging the forces of nature, I channel their power through a ragged pair of Disney 101 Dalmatian pajama pants. Bits of frayed fabric blow out behind, joining the loose sleeves of a plaid Salvation Army shirt tied at my waist. My hair is my flag, and I fly it with an almost devilish pride. I throw out my arms and dare the wind to take me at my most.
Anne Bonny ~ What a dame! Pirate, feminist pioneer - such an inspiration! Although I may have to dial down the cleavage... maybe just a touch...
Need to catch up on this Saving Cymbria blog serial?
“I’ve been thinking about dressing more like a pirate.” I said, between bites of a TV supper on the couch with my husband.
Not the kind of statement you want to leave hanging. But hang it did, for a torturous 10+ seconds before the awkwardness shook itself loose. The awkwardness was all on my end, but that’s nothing new. You know you’ve got a good man (and don’t I know it!) when he can take these sorts of things in stride.
“Nothing extreme,” I continued, “just going for that sorta’ feeling.”
He nodded (a gesture of heavy meaning from the man), grunted “yah sure,” and went back to his munching. As I said, a good man. Housekeeping out of the way, I took the next logical step – COLLAGE…
I collage~you collage~we all collage! Go ahead and make your vision tangible with a personal style collage. All you need are a few fashion magazines and some scissors (oh, and glue). Snip outfits and individual pieces that connect you back to your power moment. Or, if you’re having trouble defining/refining your inspiration, simply collect images that tickle your amygdala, and wait to watch your style patterns reveal themselves in your collage. Stay tuned…
SavingCymbria 
Can I join you in pirate fashion?
i actually think i have that navy-ish with white dots skirt. that’s nuts! ps. i want that yellow skirt. loves it.
love the idea of the collage – I can just see mine – in fact I have a particular profile of dress – Laura Ashley – flowing skirts, oversized jumpers – I keep going to the store to get something new-and ending up with the same thing – a variation of my school uniform – circa 1967! I wonder if a collage would bring a hidden profile to the foreground – one that I have not yet suspected exists!
Come one come all! Ahoy there fellow pirates! Let’s set sail for uncharted seas of shoes and sashes : )
[…] Scottish…?” coworker complement. But more importantly, I think I look how I feel – powerful – like a medieval knight strapping on my house’s colours (heralding… pink?) before […]