Jan Sneesby Aaron
"From Girlie Girl to Basic Black"
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| (Photos by Patrick Fraser) |
Even as a young woman, black was not a color in my wardrobe. Instead, my childhood style of delicate prints, ruffles, pastels – all the types of clothes associated with being a girlie girl—was favored. And if I wore black, it tended to be in very feminine fabrics such as eyelets, chiffons, and crepes, and then only if it was in fashion.
Necessity, though, created a paradigm shift as multi-last-sized shoes disappeared. I found myself with fewer and fewer shoe options. Plus, those options were largely black and “danged” expensive! Thus, I was forced to shift my girlie girl thinking. Instead, I built a wardrobe around basic black.
My dress evokes that shift. The upper portion represents the girlie girl years using some of my favorite garments that my mother had kept for 70+ years. I could not bear to destroy the oldest, a baby sweater and bonnet crocheted for me by my grandmother. It is still a treasured keepsake. One shoulder is formed from a turquoise and yellow hand knit sweater from the’40s, now back in vogue and totally mid-century modern. The portions I used even show a leftover stain on the knit ruffle. Many of the cotton pieces were part of a skirt made from scraps dating from the late ‘50s until the early ‘70s. Similarly, I made the mohair sweater on the back more than 40 years ago.
The black area is simpler and more in keeping with the style that currently appeals to me. Here, too, I reached for scraps. One piece I felted for my first Women’s Journey’s in Fiber project,” Blooming Botanicals.” The fur border is from a fur coat bought almost 30 years ago. And the sequins add fun.
My mantra for decades has been “I will wear any color as long as it goes with black.” I suspect that thinking reflects my girlie girl years. Nevertheless, black remains my color of choice. It works for me. It makes packing clothes for my next vacation easy. There may be another paradigm shift in my fashion world but if there is, let it happen. I will embrace it and make it a part of me just as I did with basic black.