Issues of visibility have been weighing on my mind a lot lately. Partly this was due to my continued absense from this blog, but partly it was the seemingly endless weeks of wearing shorts or chinos and loose tees or my husbands old shirts as I cleaned out attics and basements, oiled paneling, painted, sorted and cleaned putting the house on the market. I felt like a nameless, faceless drudge, and although I told myself that the end result would be worth it, there were days that I truly felt invisible.
But of course there were exceptions. I did leave the house and I did dress, although it is also true that I was letting parts of myself go into hibernation. I also cannot deny that a certain creative impulse was satisfied as I moved around pieces of our accumulated life together, trying to fit them into a specific vision of the house that I wanted to sell.
And yet, shallow as it may be, when we finally put the house on the market I felt a certain palpable relief at being able, finally, to dress as I pleased, not according to the dictates of paint and bleach and other nasty stuff. Not that dressing as I pleased lead to a seismic shift in personal style. I don't work outside the home other than teaching an occasional knitting class, a field not known for requiring strict adherence to a corporate dress code, so jeans tend to be the staple of my fall wardrobe. and often, in the fall and winter, those jeans are worn with boots.
This is what I wore the photos were taken of my house last week. The morning started out rainy so the boots are rain boots by Aquatalia. With the boots I wore DKNY Soho bootcut jeans, a black turtleneck by Spanx (which I love not for its supposed figure flattery but because the wrists and neck do not sag and bag, remaining close fitting throughout the day without feelig constricting) and Teasel, a linen, wool and alpaca sweater I finished knitting in June. I love wearing things I made myself, but I am especially happy when one of those hand-made items gets incorporated into my wardrobe in a way that lives up to the my original vision. Even though you probably can't tell from this picture, I felt sleek and strong and pulled together. I felt ready to stride purposefully into the future. I felt visible, but not just visible, fully myself.
Last week I learned about Visible Monday and seeing as how this is the week I have come out of hibernation it only seems fitting that I should join in the Visible Monday brigade. You can find links to other particpants in today's post at Not Yet Dead Style. Check it out.
Mardel, what a lovely picture! Sleek, strong, pulled together--yes--but I can also see that finally having the house market-ready has lifted a weight off your soul. Beautiful!
Posted by: Patti | 10/10/2011 at 08:01 AM
Congratulations on joining Visible Monday! You look fantastic here: strong, confident, and that blue sweater is a great color for you.
Posted by: déjà pseu | 10/10/2011 at 08:52 AM
Lookin' good!
Posted by: Linda Thompson | 10/10/2011 at 09:23 AM
You do look sleek, strong and pulled together. Add to that: effortlessly stylish.
That is a gorgeous little settee you are sitting on, too!
Posted by: Robin | 10/10/2011 at 09:46 AM
Yes, kudos for joining Visible Monday, my favorite blog event. You do have an effortless chic thing going -- I think there's something about those great jeans and boots that just pulls it all together. Congrats on the house!
Posted by: Anne @ The Frump Factor | 10/10/2011 at 09:50 AM
Thank you for coming over to join Visible Monday, Mardel! Your blog is wonderful, and so is your confident, chic look. (The couch is fantastic too!)
Posted by: Patti @ NotDeadYet Style | 10/10/2011 at 09:55 AM
To me, you are the epitome of chic. This photo is so glamorous to my eye it might have come straight of an article in Vogue about a very intelligent woman of style.
Posted by: Susan Tiner | 10/10/2011 at 01:18 PM
You look very pleased and you have all the right to be pleased.
Oh, I would so love to look around your house for the last time. Could it somehow be arranged sometime?
You are so talented in interior design too.
Posted by: metscan | 10/10/2011 at 01:27 PM
I love this clean and confident look. Wonderful! And the Teasel pleases . . .
Posted by: materfamilias | 10/10/2011 at 01:30 PM
I love the sweater over the shirt - and I totally hear you about the joy of incorporating items you've made into your regular wardrobe. There's no thrill quite like it.
Posted by: K-Line | 10/10/2011 at 02:02 PM
Love the casual chic. I didn't even realize spanx made turtlenecks! Love the boots.
If you're interested, I host a weekly style link-up with @BonBonRoseGirls & @Momtrends. Each week there is a great prize for linking up:
http://www.glamamom.com/2011/10/mode-monday-twirling-weather.html
Posted by: Glamamom | 10/11/2011 at 01:05 PM
Visible Monday is such a great idea. Thanks for sharing. You look gorgeous. Love the new sweater.
Posted by: Diane Egelston | 10/22/2011 at 11:44 AM