The Birth of Taste

Only a few years ago, the majority of my wardrobe consisted of T-shirts, jeans and sneakers. I almost never wore a skirt or dress, certainly not in winter. In other words: I had no sense of fashion at all. No boots, no heels, no jewelry, no floral dresses, no shawls. Just T-shirts, sometimes with funny texts or images (á la Threadless). This changed after I became friends with a colleague. I don't know how, but she slowly transformed me. I think it's because I really like her style, and she was the first friend who really cared about clothing.
For a long long time I always had only one pair of shoes. I really had no idea why you would need more. Until I saw that having boots would mean being able to wear skirts in winter, and I did want that. I remember buying my first pair of boots (these ones, actually) after a long search. The thing is, if you don't wear or use certain items, you don't really have an opinion about it. It took me several weeks to find boots, because I first had to develop a certain taste in boots. The first few times I just went into a shoe shop and stared at the boots for a while. They did not speak to me at first, I had no clue to what I liked in a boot. I was just thinking they were not really 'me'. In the end I bought some grey, quite neutral, flat boots.

And now, into my second pair of boots, I see boots I like everywhere! After the boots came the heels, and now I have really developed a certain taste. I finally understand women with dozens of pairs of footwear - there are just so many pretty shoes! I have eight pairs now, and there are lots of pretty ones out there waiting for me. If I knew where to find them, these gorgeous mustard oxfords would be mine in a heartbeat.

The only problem with this evolving taste - or should I say expanding taste - is that the world around me seems to hold more and more things that matter in a sense. It's like these things are popping up, staring at me from shop windows, saying: 'Have you thought of buying me? I would really match with that dress you just made'. Life was simpler when I just wore jeans and T- shirts.

Lately, bracelets have caught my eye. Necklaces are still silent, like the boots once were. I look at a rack of necklaces, and nothing happens. But bracelets - yes, I can see why they could really finish off your outfit. I think this is Emma's fault, she really understands the purpose of jewelry. I discovered I like bracelets with leather or wood, bold but feminine. These ones on the right are a bit too expensive (and yes, I am still very much into yellow), but fortunately, bracelets are a lot easier to make than shoes! Be prepared to see some handmade bracelets here soon!

Funny, how this challenge was born out of an antipathy with consumerism, and is now somehow luring me into owning more...