I'm not one of those people

I'm not one of those people who loves fall. You know the type that barely makes it through summer and craves the crisp air that rolls in around September. I am not that type. Yet, this year I do feel different about Fall. The sinking dread I once felt has been replaced with something else. Not excitement, but perhaps expectancy.

It began in the shoe window on Corso Palladio, the main artery of Vicenza. I saw a stunning pair of those high heeled sneakers I first saw at the Deutsche Bank-sponsored exhibit at the Guggenheim a few years ago. The artist Julie Mehretu was wearing a pair. I loved her sneakers but, I am not one of those people who wears sneakers when I am not running. The pair I saw on Corso Palladio caught my attention. Maybe I am one of those people who wears sneakers when they are not running.

Eventually I found a pair that work more like an ankle boot than a sneaker. See pic below. I bought them at a shoe store near my apartment. The older saleslady suggested a bag to go with my new sneakers. The bag was adorable. It was dark blue leather with black skulls printed on it. The straps were chain links and the satin bow was tied at the corner. To be honest I spotted the bag when I walked in. I contemplated buying said bag, but I could not buy it. That bag represented an old me, a now outdated "punkish" bad-girl look I used to sport. That bag represented Mickie c. 2006. I was very into skulls in 2006. A trip to Mexico with all of the beautiful Day of Dead motifs became an obsession. Fortunately this 2012 and the skulls looked dated. I liked the bag but, my personal style is about moving forward. There are a few other looks of the moment that catch my eye, many of them I have done before. For example corduroy, I love corduroy pants, but there are colors I just cannot wear anymore, namely plum and winter white. I wore them all the time last time I was into cords. They looked boring to me even though they are of the moment.

It is easy to get locked into an idea of yourself and wear the same things every year. For some people that is personal style. They know what works for them and they stick to it.

The first day I wore my high heeled sneakers one of the girls at lunch said, "Wow! I could never wear those, but you can pull that off." I hear this kind thing a lot. I accepted the compliment (it is a compliment right?), but thought a lot about how we can get locked into an idea of ourselves. I have a dear friend who this summer went through something. It was about love or like or affection. That experience changed her and it is reflected in her personal style. Her style is different now because perhaps she feels different now?

Personal style is so much about how you feel and how you want to be seen. It is an area completely within our control. I used to love skulls and bows, now not so much.