Five (or Seven) Things I Love to Wear

In The Colette Sewing Handbook, Sarai suggests picking 5 things out of your closet that you love to wear, so that when you're planning your wardrobe and your sewing, the things you make reflect your personality and are things that make you comfortable and happy. I think this is a great idea, but I couldn't narrow it down to just five. I tried to pick five things. I really did. But I have seven, and I hope that's okay. :)

My seven things: my wedding ring, navy linen shirt dress, red Mary Janes, multi-colored scarf, jade bracelet, and Fossil necklace.

My wedding ring is my favorite piece of jewelery I've ever owned. I'm sure a lot of women say that, but for me... My partner and I each got completely different rings. Hers is a single sapphire set in a white gold puzzle ring. Very Celtic. Mine is, obviously, a very organic circle of vine, leaves, and buds set with miniscule diamonds, and it was made by a very talented artisan on Etsy. I would have picked out myself to wear as a right-hand ring if I'd seen it before my partner did (and could afford it!).

I've had this dress for so long I don't even remember when I bought it. I actually got it at H&M, which boggles my mind, because I feel like most of what I've gotten/seen from there in the last few years is the same quality as Forever 21, which is to say, it falls apart quickly. This dress has obviously not fallen apart, and I've had it at least since 2003. I think it's flattering, and it makes me feel feminine and pretty when I wear it.

Quite a few years ago, I went to see a play with my mom and some of her friends, and the main character went through several costume changes, but she always had on these spectacular red Mary Jane heels. I immediately started looking for them, and after just a week or two, I found the exact same pair. They're Nine West, and I'm really sad I didn't buy two pairs. These are the greatest shoes I've ever owned. Comfortable, feminine, sexy, red(!), and high-quality. I wish I had known anything about leather at the time, but I didn't, so they haven't been well cared for, and the leather is discolored and starting to crack. I've been looking for another pair, but so far with no success. 

When my partner and I had our wedding ceremony last year, one of her family members gave her this jade bracelet. Jade is a pretty traditional gift for a Chinese wedding, but since it wasn't quite something she would wear, it went to me instead. I love the color and the speckling, and I wear it all the time. It reminds me of family.

This necklace is the best piece of jewelery I've ever purchased for myself. It's large enough to draw attention but not so large it's overwhelming. The color is possibly my favorite color ever, it has a tiny bird hanging from the chain and a tree on the back.

Me being goofy. This scarf gets worn more than all my other scarves combined. It's versatile, lightweight, cotton, has a lot of the colors I love in it, and it has a sort of abstract natural motif that I love.

All right. So. The leather coat. It's from AllSaints, and when I put it on, I become a total sex bomb. Couldn't you tell? All that hotness just oozing off the screen? Well, it is. This jacket boosts my confidence like nothing else I've ever owned. I put it on and start strutting around like I own the town. Not kidding. I really do. :) It's the most expensive non-jewelery (really, non-wedding-ring) item in my closet, but when something makes you feel that amazing, you buy it.

What does all of this say about me? I like monochrome garments for the most part; I like navy, light teal, and red; I like things that are closely fitted; I love things that reflect nature in some way. I like to feel feminine, competent, and attractive, and I like to wear things that have emotional significance to me. I also like people to see certain things while I keep other things to myself. No one sees the back of that necklace but me. When I was younger, I had a pair of jeans with "You are beautiful" embroidered into the waistband. I bought them like that, and every time I pulled them on, they made me smile. If I ever make pants, I'm embroidering those words on the inside of the waistband. :)

If you picked out five (or seven) things in your wardrobe that made you feel good every time you put them on, what would they be? What do your favorite things say about you?

On a sewing note, I've finished putting together the muslin for the Couture Dress class dress, and my partner's going to pin me into it today or tomorrow for a fitting, so I'll be posting about it later this week. I'm so excited to be moving forward, even if it is slow going right now. :)