From Worst Fashion Moments to Best Fashion Years!

Today, I am joining in with a group of fun, amazing Boomers, Generation Fabulous, to discuss our worst fashion moment.  I
wish I only had one bad fashion moment. 
Actually, it is more like bad fashion decades.   When I was twelve, my mother cut my hair to
resemble a style from the show My Little
Margie
…I shudder to think about it. 
The school picture was seen in boy’s lockers with chewed gum wads stuck
all over it for years. I am so sorry to admit that most of college was spent in
overalls, and early career days were spent in ignorance…I just had no one to
assist me with style.
I arrived at my high powered advertising agency job in
ultra- fashionable Dallas in the late 70s. 
My female manager studied me slowly head to toe (much like Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada) and said, “Tomorrow
we give you clients, today we shop.” 
Then I was whisked away to NorthPark Center where in Neiman Marcus I met
my first pair of $150 heels.
My typical wardrobe…over sized men’s shirts!
Late in life, I would leave the career world to become a
stay at home mom and put fashion on the shelf in order to fulfill new roles as carpool
mom…team mom…homeroom mom…and supportive wife. 
As years passed, I neglected me for so long I forgot to even notice what
was going on.  Morning mirror time was
not spent looking at my reflection, but rather spent planning the day ahead for
a family of five. Once I stopped caring about my appearance, it was easy to neglect my weight gain as well. Between 1986 – 2003, my appearance and
confidence slowly eroded until the day I turned 50.
Even stole my husband’s camo-overalls!!
I was annoyed that day…one more errand to run…I was working
by that time as a school teacher and still overseeing my family.  Long lines at the Department of Public Safety
were not worth personal grooming time. 
But, really for seventeen years, nothing had been worth taking time for
me.  There I stood…no makeup; scraggly
gray/blonde hair pulled back as it always was; wearing an over sized man’s polo shirt;
and over sized elastic- waist- mom- shorts topped with a side of flip flops (of
course, no pedicure).
It would be two weeks later when this picture arrived on my
license.  It was a jolt.  I did not know this woman.  Where had the advertising executive in the
Manolo Blahniks gone?   This was a
significant wake-up call which changed my life and in 2012 resulted in the
birth of my blog.  I still do not wear Manolo
Blahniks…. (Bunion surgery and callouses demand a life of cute, fun flats)…but
I do take time for me and I am more joyful, more confident, and having the time
of my life.  I am sure I still make
fashion mistakes, but at least now I am paying attention when I do.  Life is just too short not to care about me.
Come back tomorrow and I will tell you about this outfit!!
Please check out the Worst Fashion Moments for these amazing
bloggers of Generation Fabulous; then go over to the wonderful women of VISIBLE MONDAY and MONDAY MINGLE.  It is a
bloggers smorgasbord for women of a certain age!!
Have a Fabulous Monday!!

http://notdeadyetstyle.blogspot.com/2013/01/visible-monday-79-karina-dress-love-and.html
http://www.glamamom.com/2013/01/mode-monday-see-jill-run.html


54 Comments

  1. Hooray for you, and all of us who have decided not to "give up". The best is yet to come. You have been a beautiful woman for many decades, dear Pam!

  2. I love seeing the many style incarnations of you Pam! And the ID gives me deeper appreciation of your present style! YOU ROCK!

  3. This was an incredible post! Not being afraid to put ourselves out there is what makes us special. I can't go back as far as you do with pictures but I have 70lbs lost 11 years ago and I haven't look back.

  4. Woo boy, I can relate to this post. I think I'm still stuck in my bad fashion decade. Being a thin teen and early twenties, clothing was fun. Even after I had my first son at age 27, my body was still fun to clothe, even with a more grown woman body. But I had three more kids when I was age 38-43, and I just did not live comfortably in this post-midlife baby body. Combine that with changes in our food (high fructose corn syrup in yogurt, bread, crackers, canned soup etc.) My goal was reduced to the clothing I pulled on to go to work being clean and ironed.

    I now have an appreciation that I must keep up with walking (3 miles per day) to even feel comfortable in my body. A few weeks of slacking off and I am back to step one. Clothing is beginning to be fun again, little by little.

    Gloria

  5. Youth lets us get away with so many fashion 'crimes'. I think it's my 40s that killed me off. Way too much stress at work and going through menopause. That's when I gave up. I am trying to remember all the ways I 'tried' (easily mis-typed as 'tired') in my 30s to see what knowledge I can drag forward into my 50s. Not all will still work, of course, but that's my plan at this point anyhow.

  6. Wow, you have totally evolved. Looking back at old pictures can show many of us our fashion blunders. Big hair in the eighties was a blunder of mine I'm still trying to forget. I love your sense of style now. You look wonderful in the last pic.

  7. What a great post! You are so wonderfully honest. I would hate to drag out pictures of all my fashion and style blunders-and oh there were so many! You look terrific now and are an inspiration!

  8. well i guess it happened to a lot of women but the great thing about it you decided to take better care of yourself
    Good for you and great inspiration for other women

    Ariane xxxx

  9. Good id photos are impossible to get. Bad camera and bad camera angles. Uncaring photographer. Bad lighting. No time to fix a stray hair or splash on some lipstick, not that I ever remember to do that. Oh well. You're beautiful in camo!

  10. I have always enjoyed dressing nicely even when it was a casual day like a weekend and not look sloppy. However, I knew things had gotten bad when one weekend I decided to put on a nice blouse instead of the usual t-shirt and my son asked me if we were going somewhere because I was dressed up. Being semi-retired, I still have occasional days when I just can't pull a look together because the desire to have a "stay in my pajamas" day is just too strong. Most of the time, though, I am not embarrassed when someone comes to the door or if I need to go somewhere in the middle of the day. It is never too late to take care of yourself.

  11. Pam, you are such an inspiration to so many. I admire everything you do and share with us.

    I've pretty much always loved fashion, but I have had a few "just thrown on whatever" times. I finally decided to dress my body as it is now and not as I wish it to be. If I had waited, I'd still be waiting.

    Thank you for being the inspiration for so many of us.

  12. Amazing post! And I think it will resonate with a lot of women…especially those that left the corporate world to stay home. You do become complacent if you're not careful.
    You are looking incredible girl!! xoxo

  13. I wore my husband's shirts for years. Actually, I still wear his comfy flannels at home. In movies, that always looks sexy, probably because the ladies are perfectly made up and not wearing pants, but in real life, with pants, not so much.

  14. You're so right, Pam–so many of us neglect ourselves during the child-rearing years, only to look in the mirror and wonder who the heck that frumpy old lady is. I love that you've taken that particular bull by the horns…and you look great!
    Karen

  15. Good for you!! I went through those same years. I don't regret making my family a priority, but I do regret not making myself a priority AT ALL. I once had the make-up lady at Macy's, as I was looking at lipstick for the first time in eons, say something like, "Oh, you poor dear." That wasn't in response to some statement I made, but said under her breath as she approached me.

    Today you look adorable! I love those flats. And the skinny jeans. And the hair. You've come a long way, baby!

  16. What an amazing break thru, Pam, and thanks for sharing. You are such a beautiful, elegant lady and are an inspiration to us all. I am now a retired, happy recluse when circumstances allow, and for the first time, have to put forth the effort to make myself presentable on stay-at-home days. But, it is good for my self-esteem, and productivity when I do. I like to be able to greet Hubby at the end of the day not in the work-out clothes he left me in. I can't wait to hear about that smart outfit you are wearing. Gives me an idea to pull out a shirt I haven't worn in a while and put it with my new black skinny jeans.

  17. I'm still in the wake-up call stage, even though my kids are out of the house now! You look fantastic, and this piece may inspire me to get out of my sweats and sneakers!

  18. A great post, dear Pam! It's good to see that the vibrant girl from the 80s is back again, even when she now is wearing flats. You look great!
    I also have some fotos in my archive which gave me a kick to start being again myself and not an image of a matron.

  19. My dear I had tears of recognition at your post. For me not so much about the fashions… but the losing myself in the pursuit of the 'perfect' family. I too have spent the last year trying to reinvest in self and redirect my energies so that we all may prosper. Your blog and your positive spirit continue to inspire!

    I was actually stopping by to thank you for your 'hot dog' post. It really has had me thinking this weekend, (well I did take some time off thinking, to lament on my second grown and flown taking off 🙂 ) Your post about doing the most important item the best, has me y refocusing on my accessory line. I have been working on it off and on for over a year, always feeling it was missing something. I want it to have more of an inspiring connection, rather than just a pretty. Your article was the nudge I needed! Thank you my dear!

    Congratulations to you on such a successful and transformative year! Looking forward to seeing what this one brings!

  20. You are evolving beautifully. You are a braver woman than I am, for sure, in your tour down memory lane. This is the year I intend to stop obsessing over past fails (or perceived failures,) make note of the lesson, and let the chagrin go!

  21. You look lovely!

    I was always tall so I didn't wear heels but I spent way too many years in tennis shoes and hiking boots before I discovered cute flats!

  22. I love your story, Pam. Always inspirational and an example of how to change one's life based on a moment in time. And your shoes are spectacular even though they aren't designer heels.

  23. Frankly, you had me at the title! And you're so right about those "wake up moments" when we realize we've taken care of everyone else except ourselves.

    Sometimes we have to, but we lose a chunk of our joie de vivre when we do, and so we're doing those we love a disservice as well as ourselves.

    I love the transformation!

  24. Oh boy, was this a kick in the rear to me today! I found your blogabout 6 months ago. I liked your way of putting an outfit, a nice outfit together. I am married to my best friend, we have 2 grown daughters. During the crazy years, babies, kids, dance lessons, girl scouts (oh and of course I had to be a leader, someone has to do it..) church, teaching Sunday school, oh, I could go on and on. But, I worked the 6 hours my girls were in school as an accountant for a company for 30 years too. Well, I always dressed up for work, weekends, everyday. Then about 3 years ago, we moved , I no longer worked, and I have found myself dressed for the last 3 weeks in my sweat pants, and my husbands sweatshirts!?!? Today, I have on an old cashmere sweater topped with another cashmere sweater…both sweaters have moth holes on the back so I figured it didn't matter. Now mind you I wouldn't go out in these sweaters, but, I have gone to Walmart in the sweats.
    The moral of this, is as soon as I finish this reply (I know, it's very long) I am going to go shopping on line, for some new pants/slacks, tops, and sweaters (no holes!). I'm good in the shoe department. Thank you for writing the blog today, and I thank the Lord that I read it. Blessings Paula Lusk

  25. Pam, as a child of the 80s, I feel you. You weren't making fashion mistakes. We ALL looked like that. But there have been periods in my 30s and 40s where I did not invest much in my appearance, or caught sight of myself in a large window and wondered who that was :/

    Thanks for sharing your own experiences, and for all the lovely, lovely style you help us achieve.

  26. I really enjoyed reading this. Even at your low point, you were still a lovely woman.
    Still, isn't it night to take care of ourselves and feel pretty and stylish.
    So nice to meet you through GenFab!

  27. Oh Pam, what a story! To have put yourself so into taking care of others that you didnt even see yourself! And how nice that you are taking time for yourself again with such glee! Good for you!

  28. Love your post today, Pam. You inspire me with your cheerful attitude, lovely style, and willingness to be so supportive and encouraging through your blog.
    Thank you for sharing this and allowing so many to see that it's possible to pull ourselves together and be fantastic women on the inside and out.

  29. I think we all have a moment where we realize we need to make that fashion change. I can only think…why didn't my friends tell me how bad I looked at times!

  30. I loved your post today! =)

    Ive been following you for a couple of months..and just love your style!
    Im a 50+ Goodwill shopper too! What great bargins! and I absolutely love that they help kids with disabilities!

  31. Hilarious! We've all been there and when we look back in 10 years, there may be a few more "what was I thinking" moments.

  32. OMG how many men's oversized t-shirts have I worn? And you are right. Life is way to short to shortchange ourselves. We need to be selfish sometimes. And I love me a good scarf! You go girl. 🙂

  33. I am going to the DMV this week and I hope it will result in the same inspiration for me that it did for you – what a fantastic look you have! Congratulations for focusing on you with excellent results.

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