Heart Reflections ~ Part 3

We've been chatting a lot about personal style and how each young lady has her own style!

One of the heart reflections is:

"Can I move comfortably without thinking and adjusting my apparel?"

This is a good question I often ponder. I may like a garment, for instance a top. It's just my style and color, but if I'm teaching a class where I'm constantly bending over to assist my students, I have to think about whether the top is going to have the tendency to gape too much. If so, then this top is not serving its purpose very well.

Oftentimes clothing is merely decorative, rather than practical. Recent trends have been wool shorts for winter, body cone dresses that are so tight you can't move, and the strappy, bustier tops. Though these items are less than modest, they are also simply impractical for an active young woman who should always be ready to serve others as the occasion arises. 

Impractical clothing can cause us to become self-centered. Thinking more about how I am going to cross a room in 6-inch stilettos rather than what my friend might be crying about is a sure way to discern I'm thinking more about me, myself, and I. Impractical clothing doesn't only have to be eccentric; it can simply be the choice of wearing a fitted pencil skirt on a hike. It's very important to gauge the outfit's practicality to an occasion -- be it shopping in Walmart or attending a wedding.

But does practical clothing have to be ugly or dull? 

Absolutely not!

Clothing (as I hope you've seen on Silk and Purple) can be both! As an art teacher, I am constantly surrounded by loving little hands covered with paint, glue, graphite, charcoal, and ink. But does this mean I should only wear tee shirts and an old pair of jeans to class? Nope. It means I choose comfy, affordable, yet becoming clothing that I won't cry over when red paint inevitably gets on my blouse, but still allows me to look like the teacher, not the student.

Fiddling, adjusting, pulling, and pinning a garment might mean you simply are not wearing a great fit.  Body type is a big factor as well -- what one girl may be able to wear doesn't mean it's best for all girls.

So keep these thoughts in mind as you dress next time and fuse the practical with the pretty for a wonderful balance.