On teapots and style

I will, I suppose, always love those sweaters with teapots or teacups on them. I've had a few, but I haven't had this one from Talbots, and when I saw it for $5.99 at a Goodwill store recently, I immediately knew I would be working it into next fall's wardrobe. For about a half second, I thought, "But is a sweater like this even in style anymore?" Immediately, my more sensible self answered, "Who cares if it's in style? You like it, and you'll actually wear it, so get it."


And so I did. I'm picturing it with jeans and a white or navy three-quarter-sleeve T-shirt, perfect for junking in the fall. But who knows? Maybe I'll find some pretty new navy slacks and dress it up with a blouse and some nice jewelry. Or maybe I'll find a navy dress and wear this to church. The point is, whether it's "fashionable" or not, it's going to be "my" fashion, and here in my almost mid fifties, I'm finally comfortable enough with who I am to not give much thought to whether what I wear has the approval of others.


Yet I am still curious where you all stand on fashion, since most of you readers, from what I can gather, range from perhaps the late thirties/early forties to the sixties and seventies. I can't see a forty-something wearing this. A fifty-something, maybe. Sixties and seventies? Depends on the person, I guess. Many years ago, I had the opportunity to hear lifestyle expert Alexandra Stoddard when she was speaking in Atlanta. She wore a gorgeous suit with a colorful, all-over floral print and, if memory services, fuchsia shoes and blue tights. She even commented on her colorful fashion choices, noting that a friend once told her that her clothes made them smile. She thanked them and said she appreciated the compliment but that she would wear such clothes even if others didn't much care for them because they made her happy. I thought that was a lovely way to think about fashion.

So I consider that philosophy as I look into my closet and see about a half dozen rose-print dresses, multiple aqua and turquoise knit tops, and simple sweaters that I wear year after year because I like them so much. Do you have a "style" philosophy? Has it changed over the years?