My arms are open wide

music: Dave Matthews Band - Lie in our Graves

The teacher I remember most from middle school was named Mrs. Jemison. She was my Language Arts teacher. I don't remember her better than my other teachers because she was nice (which she was), or because she gave us fun assignments (which she did), or because I loved to read and I liked the books we got that year (both true). I remember her because she was so stylish.

Mrs. Jemison always wore bright colors, especially red. She wore red lipstick and jangly bracelets, and my classmates and I were constantly speculating on whether or not she wore the same outfit twice. We were convinced that she didn't.

When I told a friend of mine that I wanted to be a teacher and, in the same conversation, lamented my lack of wardrobe, she told me that as a teacher I could get away with wearing ankle length jean skirts and tennis shoes every day. But who wants to do that?! Does the world really need more teachers in ugly sweaters? I don't think so.


<sub>photo by triellen

However, I have a slight problem. Follow the jump to find out what.



I don't have much in the way of nice clothes, at all. See, when I was in college, I settled into that upperclassman habit of coziness being more important than style, and I really didn't go to any dances or anything that required dressing up. When I got out of college, I used my natural resources degree to pursue jobs in field research, which didn't require me to dress up at all. I'd put on some nylon hiking pants and a grubby t-shirt, wool socks and hiking boots, and that was as stylish as it got. I worked sometimes twelve hours a day outside in the heat, and I worked every day, except when it was raining. I didn't really have time to go out on the weekends so, once again, no reason to dress up.

Then I decided to switch careers. Environmental education meant more hiking pants and t-shirts as a uniform. But a classroom teacher - aah, a classroom teacher needs nice clothes. Not only that, but interview clothes! So I find myself in the daunting situation of trying to create an entire wardrobe from scratch.

Hence the purpose of this blog.

I've dug through fashion blogs (most of which are on my inspiration list), and I've seen people go from bland outfits to interesting personal style statements simply because they were photographing what they were wearing and putting it online. I want to experience that kind of transformation. I've been wearing whatever I picked up off the floor for far too long!

I hope that keeping up with these blogs and blogging myself will inspire me to really think about what I wear, and to show some of my own personality through my clothing. Unfortunately I don't have much to show yet, but I hope I'll have a lot more fashion to blog about in the near future!</sub>