Growth Experiences & Fashion

Well, the 12th Night show went really well & our guest of honor apparently enjoyed it. I was told by multiple people that we did a good job & that I personally did very well. It made me happy to be able to act on stage again after a long absence & know that I've still got it. Considering they made me feel like one of them, I'd love to do it again sometime.

One of the best things about being on this committee is that some of these luminaries of the legal field have become more human in my eyes. As a younger lawyer & someone who likes hearing about those things that make one a human being, it's an eye-opener to get to know people on the other side of the table & to be seen as a peer instead of some underling trying to impress them. Hearing Evan Davis talk about cats or trying to represent himself in court as a college student was a great contrast to his being counsel on the Watergate case & knowing all these high power politicians and Court of Appeals judges.

One blog that I have taken to reading in order to learn how to be an effective head of HR & manager is Punk Rock HR. The blog's author gives some very practical advice & makes many authentic, non cookie-cutter suggestions.

One post I found of interest was this.

The major point of this was the issue of corporate wardrobe & costs to women vs. men. Reading this triggered a view I hold near & dear.

Here it is: Being fashionable DOESN'T = Wearing Designer Labels!!!!

Any moron can put on a Versace outfit or a suit from Ann Taylor. Lots of people in NYC's corporate world spend a TON of money on office wear & strive to meet the dress codes, spoken & unspoken.

Yet when you go onto the ABA website or read little stories about lawyers, you'll read a lot of comments about how women lawyers lack a sense of style & can't dress properly in an aesthetic sense.

As a person who's received a LOT of compliments on clothing over the years but doesn't have the money or wherewithal to spend crazy amounts of money on business clothes, I strongly believe a woman in her 20s can dress tastefully WITHOUT dressing like a 60 year old. Let's not rush into old age, all right?? I also choose to work in a field where creativity is an asset, not a liability.

Despite that, I generally take the view that since I'm going to stand out anyway as a redhead I may as well wear something that deviates from the boring uniforms of the world while being tasteful & within the spoken dress code. It just takes an eye for fashion, knowing what flatters you & picking something YOU like + look good in. Can you tell I didn't really work in "uniform" type jobs?

The idea of trying to dress like a 60 year old when I'm in my 20s also bothers me since I think your clothes represent your mindset. The mindset that would give me is "I'm old" & the happiest people are the ones who never think of themselves as decrepit. In fact, they've still got a childlike spirit/curiosity/what have you. Some people just look like they're playing dress up since it's such a mismatch; is it just me or has anyone else noticed that too?