A couple of months ago Gwenyth Paltrow received a lot of negative attention for her new blog GOOP. I decided to check it out and could not figure out what the big deal was all about. I personally believe that if you have an open mind you can learn from almost anybody. I am not to proud to admit that I took away a little nugget from GOOP.
So what did I learn from somebody whose life is so very different from mine? I learned about wearing a “uniform”. The concept is to have basic clothing items that can be mixed and matched to fit the changing demands of your day, so that you do not waste precious time deciding what to wear. Gwyneth’s uniform consists of a mix of moderately to expensively priced items, but that doesn’t mean that this same concept cannot be applied to clothing from Target, Walmart, or even the thrift store. I recently lost 10 pounds and dropped a size. Since I am hoping to continue losing weight I did not want to invest a lot of money in new clothes. I decided to apply the uniform concept to my “new” wardrobe. First, I went shopping in my closet to see what still looked good. My sweater sets, turtlenecks, and t-shirts still fit nicely and I discovered two old skirts and a blazer that fit again. I decided that what I needed the most were pants and, if I was really brave, shorts. I headed to Walmart and found a pair of chocolate brown dress pants on the clearance rack, as well as Lee jeans at a good price. Then I was brave and headed to the thrift store where I bought some shorts, so I can tan my legs while gardening (I read in The Denim Diet that tan legs look thinner!). I now have several outfit combinations ready for whatever life throws my way. I spent less than $30.00, so I won’t be out a lot of money if I lose enough weight that I have to buy smaller summer clothes.
Have you ever been surprised by who you have learned from?
Alea says
Thanks Angela for the tip. I am still very much a novice at blogging! Off to change my comment options…
Angela Barton says
Alea-
When I left a comment, I had to try it twice. this is a blogger kink. It happened on my blog until I checked the option “pop up window” in the comments section instead of “embedded under post.” I hope that makes sense to you. The thing is some people don’t know to try again and are discouraged from commenting.
You could test it out and ask a friend to make a comment.
Angela Barton says
Alea-
Oh, it’s so true that if you have an open mind you can learn something from almost anyone! That’s what I’m discovering from blogging- we all have little tips, tricks, and things we’ve learned to share with others.
I have been learning new things from people I would never meet in my ordinary life- grandmothers, stay-at-home moms, vegans, and Christians- just to name a few! It’s a great big fun adventure.
I’m a big proponent of simple clothing like the “uniform” concept. Good for Gwyneth for sharing it- what’s so wrong with that?