The Next Stage


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I talk a lot of my style’s evolutionary journey and my pursuit of perfection in a curated wardrobe. Towards the end of 2011 I had never felt better about my style and expected this sentiment to continue to grow as I moved into 2012. But circumstances change and I’ve come to realise I’m floundering in the most unexpected of ways. Getting dressed every day was a joy, but it has become again a burden. It crept up insidiously, first a gentle nagging but soon a daily dejection. How did it come to be and why is it so?

No, it is not like before; where I was unhappy with what I had made available to myself – quite on the contrary. I have diagnosed my dejection and found that I’m feeling so unsatisfied with my wardrobe right now because I’m rarely ever wearing it. Lately my time is taken up largely with either uni or my casual job. I wear the same thing every day to uni and feel like a slob because I have so few workshop-appropriate ensembles. I wear the same thing every day to work and feel bored because I’m sartorially stifled by my uniform.

Some women can make a t-shirt and jeans look exquisitely chic, but on me it is a look of defeat. My beautiful curated wardrobe sings to me; begging to be worn — but by my day off I am tired. Conquered. No energy or desire left to make an effort. If my style is an evolution then it is good to remember that survival is only for the fittest; and it is plain to see I am simply not surviving as I once was.

I have always made jewellery but it is only in the last 9 months that I’ve been working more frequently with all kinds of chemicals and machinery. Since I plan on doing this for the rest of my life I seems clear to me that in order to survive the next stage of my evolution, I need to make my workshop wardrobe my priority when considering future purchases.

I imagine that re-educating myself on how to shop for this stage will be a challenge. I remain dedicated to my style, and now must find a way to channel that into a more practical collection of garments fit for this new lifestyle. It may mean giving up some of what I own to make room for what I need (check out what I am currently selling here).

Have you had a lifestyle change that required a new wardrobe? How did you handle the transition and how long was it before you felt comfortable again?

Into The Gray

I was recently lamenting on twitter that I constantly struggle to keep my white bed linen pristine. I just adore sleeping in my “fluffy white cloud” but with regular laundering the once-clinical whites have become slightly yellowed despite only being washed with other white items. I use napisan and bluo in conjunction with my regular laundry detergent but the whites continue to discolour and it’s incredibly disheartening.

I feel that I have two options short of spending a fortune replacing my linen with lovely new bright whites that will only succumb to the same fate — dunking the current lot in a tub of bleach (which may do very little), or begin introducing enough grey onto my bed to brighten the whites by comparison.

A semblance of various toned pillowcases and perhaps a light blanket for the top of the quilt for winter… these grey and white bedrooms are the perfect inspiration.

Black Blooms

I kind of feel like this picture has slutted it’s away around the internet already thanks to how easy it is to connect all my favourite social media platforms, but it would be rude to assume that everyone who visits Sea Of Ghosts actually follows my twitter, instagram and/or likes the SOG Facebook page; and my ethereal new Limedrop headpiece needs as much love as possible. They have many gorgeous and colourful styles to choose from; naturally I had to have black.

Back To School

What started out as a fleeting thought has transpired in my return to full time study. For the next two years I’ll be completing an Advanced Diploma in Engineering Technology specialising in Jewellery – that’s right I’m going to be a qualified metal engineer.

I’m bristling with excitement at the the thought of being surrounded by people actively involved in the local fine jewellery scene on a daily basis, and am galvanised by the myriad of ways this move may transform (or solidify) my aesthetic direction.

Although I battled internally for a couple of weeks about whether returning to study was the right move for me, the process of enquiring, interviewing, and enrolling in the course all took place over just 7 days; and I have orientation on Monday. Naturally this seemingly sudden, compressed agenda has my head reeling a little.

Now that the whirlwind of administration has settled I’ve begun thinking (panicking) about my back-to-school style. In the studio I wear whatever sloppy get-up is appropriate for the weather, most of which isn’t suitable for leaving the house in. I have to be as practically dressed as possible but I’d still like to represent my aesthetic identity convincingly.

An old acquaintance who has done the same course recommended I may like to get myself a little wheely luggage bag as I will find myself dragging heavy tools to and from campus. The rest of the items pictured above are some work-bench practical ensemble ideas straight from my wardrobe. Thanks to my culling efforts I’ve now got a pared-back wardrobe that may not allow for a full-time study schedule so it will be interesting to see how my rather small collection of clothes will cope being worn, remixed and repeated.