In His Clothes

Jason steals my clothes. I am not pointing fingers I am simply stating facts. He steals my cardigans and tees. If I cannot find something I look through Jason's closet. Well, recently I have taken that liberty with his closet. Yes, I have started to steal his dress shirts. To be honest he does not wear them anyway. 

This theft is a tiny rush however. I love the look on his face when he pulls up and I stand outside with Cooper smiling at him. At first he ask, "Is that shirt mine?" I say, "Of course it is silly!" smiling at him brilliantly. Now he either does not notice or just doesn't care...which is liberating and disappointing. I hate when he steals my clothes and I will admit I do make a huge deal out of it, but  Jason just really doesn't care. He would care more if I stole his charcoal pencils or a sketchbook. 

Now I wear them almost constantly. These dress shirts are my favorite silhouette. A clean button down paired with ripped jeans and flats. For me it doesn't get better than that! 

In my youth you had to force me into anything that would have required pressing but now I live in it. Odd huh? Is this change because of age or a change in my mind in life? I'm not sure but I am happy in this space. In these stolen shirts. In my little cultural centers here in Indy. 

credits: H&M fedora, Mossimo ballet flats, Vintage envelope clutch and eyewear, and American Eagle skinny jean, men's dress shirt and belt.

I dress like a boy and that’s ok!

There is just something about a flannel and pair of loose fitting jeans paired with a baggy sweater. Right! Like doesn’t that just make you feel warm and relaxed? If you are like me it sure as hell does. I have always preferred the men’s department within stores and there is no one reason why. Due to my height women’s clothing growing up was forever too short is it due to arm length or leg length. I have never owned a pair of sweats that came from a women’s section and I now prefer it that way. I prefer a life of shopping in the guy section of H&M with my Jason. Snatching up pieces crowding the sales rack because they are too small for real men but perfect for my non-slender frame.

I like to think my style is rather expected of me. That people meeting me at a sports pub will already know I will be in a mute color of grey with pops of red and showcasing my mannish glory to the world. I wear make up and earrings but for the greater half of my life the girl stops there. Most days if you spot me out with my hair actually brushed toss me a medal. If my clothing actually matches toss me a purple heart for there are dozens of eyes just saved from my ugliness.

I love to say I dress mannish but truth be known there are a great deal of men out there like my brother Corey and my husband Jason who dress light-years better then I do. I am a lazy bohemian no matter how much I try to be a lady. I try to watch Mona Lisa Smile and take notes on how to be a lady. Hell I’ve even crouched as low as to take a few pointers from the television program Mad Men but to no avail. I still dress like a lazy artsy bohemian and I’m sure there is something wrong with me mentally because of it.

Creditz: Perry Ellis dress shirt, American Eagle skinny jean, Mossimo ballet flats, Fossil watch, and Arm Party misc. 

Library Nerd Alert

I am an academic and a fiction writer. With that said it is understandable that I enjoy being alone. It does not make me lonely or sad but calm. What can I say? I enjoy my “me” time. Now Jason does not understand this. To him I wear too much flannel and plain tees and I spend too much time alone. That is not true. Flannel kicks ass, plain tees are amazing for their universality and I need private time to survive and remain sane. 

Which is where the library comes into play. It is one of the few places I go without too much of a fight from Jason for alone time. I sit there and study, write, and collect my thoughts and try to figure out who the hell is Poppie? I constantly trying to learn about myself and discover exactly who I am and how I can hold just radical and different views on so many things both internally and externally. So alone time is needed. 

I recently decided on a trip to the library that I wanted to play with mixing prints and textures. Above is the outcome. I am wearing a Gap blazer, Massimo flannel, Vintage glasses from Broad Ripple Vintage, H&M hat, I Love Yoga scarf, and Lucky Brand lola skinny denim. I cannot tell you how comfortable I felt. Yes me. I normally don’t go so wild. I normally play it safe in solid plain colors. I guess I have more about myself still to learn. 

credits: Gap blazer, Mossimo flannel, I Love Yoga scarf, Lucky Brand lola skinny jean, Vintage eyewear and Forever 21 knit hat. 

He Wants A Housewife

On May 15th 2011 I graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelors of Arts in History. I could not find employment. Like at all. I spent my days job hunting and working on my novel. I eventually started working craft fairs and such for my friend Heather (owner and operator of Crimson Tate). By November I was seriously going crazy and took a job at a yoga studio I frequented while an undergrad called CITYOGA. I then decided I wanted to attend graduate school and now we are all caught up to the present.  

Why did I just tell you all that story? Well, during the months of job hunting and writing and working for Heather I was really depressed. Like certified, pop a pill in me. And, now this is going to sound absolutely nuts, but what saved me was domestication work. I watched Mona Lisa Smile and Mad Men so much I began to notice something. I put my prejudices aside and really focused on what these women wanted and did for a living. I thought about my life and boredom. I decided something that day that has changed me forever: being a housewife is not a death sentence. 

See I grew up in a home where my mother was a professional. She was a work-a-holic and very good at her job. She worked with low income children and it was her passion. It was were she flourished as a person. You could call it her talent. I grew up with tales of my grandmother being so bored she tried acquiring jobs only for my grandfather to bring her back home. Back into the home she sought to escape. I vowed that would never be me. And yet, it turned out to be the opposite. It was the world that did not want me. 

I then researched how housewives organized their days and homes. I then got to work. I figured if Jason was working his ass off to pay our bills I could give him a spotless and beautiful home to come home to . Now this life quickly became boring as well. You learn that once you really keep your home spotless it tends to stay spotless. So I cleaned the windows and polished the wood and swept and moped the floors and well...yeah. When you do this enough the house never gets dirty and you grow very dull of it. However, what this work did give me was time to work on my novel and a very happy husband. 

Why am I telling you this? Well, I guess just to worn you about he dangers of assuming and judging other women. These women as Joan from Mona Lisa Smile states, “Sure you did. You always do. You stand in class and tell us to look beyond the image, but you don't. To you a housewife is someone who sold her soul for a center hall colonial. She has no depth, no intellect, no interests. You're the one who said I could do anything I wanted. This is what I want.” Now this quote is powerful for me because Joan not spoke to me. I am Katherine Watson. 

I want women to grab their power and not submit to what they are supposed to. However, that is not what the women’s power movement was about. It was about women taking their power and making their own choices. I always saw that as my get out of jail (the kitchen) free card. But that is not fully right is it? Because, I used it to label and judge women who made the choice to stay home. I always saw them through Friedan’s eyes as educated bored women. But, maybe some weren’t and aren’t. Maybe they find joy in taking care of their home, and family and volunteering in their community and at their children’s schools. 

Outfit credz: American Eagle Outfitters blouse and long sleeve sweater, Merona cape, Vintage glasses from Broad Ripple Vintage, Misc. arm party.