Blouse: thrifted, Value Village
Necklace: hand-me-down
It isn't often you see a plain old top on this blog, so I had to dress it up with a statement piece.
The necklace once belonged to my grandmother, giver of great hand-me-downs such as this quilted vintage jacket. When I miss her, I wear her jewelry. We were very close, though our stubborn, all-too-similar personalities often put us at odds. My mom dubbed it a 'tickle, slap' relationship, because we could go from hugging to fighting and back again in the span of minutes. But the truth is, I am indebted to her because she is the person who first helped me realize how empowering personal style is. She introduced me to thrift shopping. She never criticized my get-up (to my face) or looked at a purchase with disgust. Once when my mom was pointing out the more geriatric-inclined aspects of my wardrobe, my grandma said it was weird but it suited me, and it's probably one of the greatest compliments I will ever receive. Wordlessly, she taught me not to apologize for portraying who I am. That weird isn't bad. She supported every strange, sartorial growing pain I experienced, and I never feel fear about what I'm wearing or what I like because of it. It's really amazing how the power of the love from people who believe in you carries on.
It's funny because as long as I knew her, she had a uniform of polyester slacks and crewneck sweatshirts. She wore jewelry on occasion, but it was of the department store, semi-precious stones variety. But when I put on a piece of hers like this, I sense her kooky spirit and feel the piece of her who enjoyed such small touches of whimsy.
