I'm not doing that again!

The title of this post was originally intended to refer to the vow I've made not the post pictures of clothes unless I'm actually wearing them. Sadly, now it may also make reference the fact that I left the taking of these photos way too late, and they SUCK. The combination of early dark and more than the usual number of failed outfits left me at the mercy of artificial lights and flash. Will try not to do that again either. 

In the early, early days of this blog I imagined my *Thrift Haul* posts as a regular feature. I had yesterday's post all written and ready to go before taking the photos. While taking pictures for the post I realized that a post dedicated to showing clothes on hangers was completely counter to what I want for the blog.

In the first place, it couldn't be more boring.  Even the most beautiful, interesting, crave-worthy garments in the world need a body to bring them to life. (And who am I kidding? Nothing I own fits that description.) Secondly, it was always my intention to exhibit what I wore, not what I bought. To my mind, style isn't about shopping as much as it about mixing and combining and juxtaposing disparate elements to create something that becomes more than the sum of it's parts. It's not about having a closet full of things. It's about the interaction of those things with each other, with the body, and with the world at large. Sure, shopping fills the well, so to speak, but you don't get to call yourself an artist just because you bought a box of paints. And it's artistry I aspire to. Maybe I won't ever achieve virtuoso level, but practice certainly improves proficiency, even if it doesn't result in perfection. Practicing style means actually wearing clothes, not simply buying them.

That said, I'm only going to post clothing I'm wearing from here on out. I'm going to try harder to sharpen my skills as a self stylist. No more lazy look-at-what-I-got posts. Unless I'm actually wearing what I got. Today I took yesterday's black and white knit dress and serious black pumps out for a spin.