The Siren Song Of The Bob

Well, between my last post and this writing i trimmed my hair back to a much more flattering look. Whew, that's better!  Today i'm posting a couple of looks that show how i was looking while experimenting with growing a short bob. This compulsion to attempt an above-shoulder bob knocks me sideways periodically. In theory it sounds so wonderful - and a great change, as i've never worn it before.  Whenever i 'try on' a bob, be it a wig or a sketch on a photo, it looks fresh, flattering, breezy.......

But the sad truth is that any bob sculpted of the hair actually growing out of my head is less successful. This first look gives you a feel for it (this was a 'good' hair day). Kinda fun, kinda zany, kinda like every other middle aged lady in Berkeley with kooky glasses and statement earrings.

 But there are plenty of days when this hair.....just wants to do it's own thing. Over the decades i've found it's best to honor this head of hair's wishes, as trust me it will have it's way. Days when it looks like it does in these pattern mixing pictures. The hair itself looks fine, i suppose, but the overall 'do ain't doing much for my looks. And forget about this hair adding any style.  At best, i feel this iteration of my hair doesn't detract too much from the look. At worst, it is ...... messy and unflattering.

Which is not what i want from a hairdo! When i cut my hair short a few months ago, i loved it. But the shape was very similar to the way i'd worn my hair through my twenties, which felt a little weird. And i have been very experimental, hair-wise, through the years. I started thinking it would be fun to have 'more' hair, the bob is a classic, the mock-up bobs look so great....so i let my hair grow out some, and it started to take on a bobbish shape.

Now i will demonstrate to you the brilliance of taking a bunch of narcissistic outfit pictures. This post didn't happen until a month after i'd taken the pictures, and i couldn't help but notice how great my hair looked compared to what i was seeing in the mirror. Then, i decided on a whim to take a little video. In order to upload it, i had to look up my YouTube account - man, my hair looked awesome in the Outfit Checklist video! It even has a wee whiff of 1950's movie star about it. What the he77 was i thinking?

I am a woman of action. Snippety snip, i cropped my hair short again. Taking photos of yourself day after day, for months, nay years on end, may well be narcissistic. But if it keeps me having fabulous hair, bring on the personality disorder!

re: the outfits. I got a couple of unsolicited compliments on the pattern mix of the second look. They were especially nice to hear as they were from people who like clothes but aren't really 'into fashion'. I continue to notice how a wardrobe just 'falls into place' when you focus on pieces that flatter your own physical aesthetic and which express your own personal style. The Liz Claiborne dress is getting close to ten years old, while the Pleione blouse is fresh off the racks. Different designers, different eras - but both 'go' with my coloring, build, lines, scale. Thus, they 'go' with each other. It's a situation straight out of the theories found in The Triumph of Individual Style. Don't let the steep price of a newer book put you off - older copies are much more affordable and the information is just as good. And there's always the library!

Jacket: CAbi, thrifted
Blouse: Europa Blouse by LaFred, made by me
Skirt: own design, inspired by Hot Patterns Slouchy Fly Front Skirt
Shoes: Clark's

Dress: Liz Claiborne
Blouse: Pleione
Belt: DKNY, thrifted
Sandals: Aerosoles
Jewelry: own design