Thursday, September 1, 2011

in which i am an old lady who lives in (these) shoes

Photobucket

Ahh, back in my happy place. This outfit is far more "me" than anything I've come up with lately. What can I say? I was born in October--I am meant to dress for autumn. This may or may not be something that an elderly woman would wear. I am okay with that (because, after all, I am no spring chicken).

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

(hat/blouse: vintage, gifts; skirt/belt/scarf: thrifted; shoes: seychelles)

I was thinking about back-to-school the other day (aren't we all, at this time of year?), and how the whole thing was always so exciting. In elementary school there were new outfits and lunchboxes and that grown-up feeling of passing through each grade; in high school there were new outfits and fat textbooks and the thrill of locating a new locker and the prospect of eight hours each day spent giggling and passing notes with friends; in college there were more new outfits and fatter (more expensive) textbooks and a whole new world full of strangers that would eventually become some of the closest friends I would ever know. And now? The seasons blend from one to the next but the days don't change.

Ever since I graduated (in 2007-yikes!) I constantly consider going back to school for something, whether it be fashion design or creative writing or cultural anthropology. And then I take a step back and remind myself that there were very few classes in college that I really, truly enjoyed. There was my Philosophy of the Individual writing seminar freshman year, in which I did not speak a word but would leave bursting with excitement and immediately call someone to discuss. There was my Intro to Ethics lecture with a visiting professor from Stanford, which everyone seemed to hate but I actually found fascinating (when I wasn't doing the DFP crossword). There was my Post-Modern Literature course with a wacky ladyprofessor who just rambled on and told stories for an hour and then told us we would no longer be having class because she wasn't getting paid enough (but boy, was she a character!), and my Chinese culture class that surprised me by being quite a treat, since I had never had much interest in Asian studies or history before. There was my Film Theory class, in which only the graduate students ever engaged in discussion but the professor was really amazing. And then there were a slew of really awful classes that I suffered through day in and day out for four years of my life. And I realized that I don't actually much like to be educated. I love to learn, I adore reading, I think that I have a broad scope of skills and interests, but I do not like being forced to fit my train of thought into whatever current a course corrals it into. I either want to learn something or I don't--and if I don't, why waste my time?

I'm still figuring out what my next steps in life will be. Maybe I will end up going to graduate school (theoretically, I would only be taking classes that were directly related to my area of interest). Maybe I will start my own little business. Maybe I really will become a brilliant filmmaker after all this time. Who knows. But these are the feelings that always surface in September, year in and year out. This is the season for reinvention.

And if I don't get to it soon enough, there is always Spring ;)

10 comments:

  1. I love your hat. And I never would have pieced together the thoughts myself but your outfits do have a certain 'fall' quality to them.
    Also, I felt the same way in college. There just seemed to be so many things that I HAD to do that I just didn't care about (even when I tried). I keep considering grad school as a next step, but then remember that you know... I'll actually have to go to class...

    ReplyDelete
  2. You look great! Very grown up...love the hat!
    And yay, I graduated college in 2007 as well :) What did you study?
    At the moment I am really thinking about going back to school as well...it's really ridiculous cause I already studied three different things, I should just be doing something. But hey, I just got a job offer at a local DVD rental place so studying really payed off ;)
    I think I would study photography next...or creative writing, or maybe literature. Anyway, something else that won't help me pay my bills!

    ReplyDelete
  3. How fun, I studied film as well! But in England...Archeology sounds pretty fascinating! I'm sure we'll figure it all out...at least I hope so...

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love learning, but university teaches me time and again that I'm not academic. I get resentful and rant about all "the bullshit" that our professors seem to think we should know. I loathe theory. I want to discuss practicalities... but practicalities about interesting things.

    The classes I enjoyed most in University were language classes, both German and Spanish (which I went back for a few years ago). It was learning something concrete, and I loved the feeling of advancing.

    Least favourite class ever: Social Science Research Methodologies.

    ReplyDelete
  5. P.S. Oh right, I stole a photo from your blog. I find more people click through on bloglovin' if they can tell it'll be somewhat fashion related. ; )

    ReplyDelete
  6. I can relate to the feeling of wanting to study again. I still feel like I need to be learning something, particularly since they way BA courses are arranged in the UK means you study a very narrow selection of topics. I think your twenties are just for working this kind of thing out.You certainly look stylish while doing so!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I suggest checking out some info sessions at a college or university that you may want to attend. They really give you a good idea of what their program looks like and its much better than what's online you can meet some students and teachers in the dept. Your outfit is lovely. I love the clean look and you have sweet bangs.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great look! It is very "you" that blouse is wonderful and such a pretty skirt. I like fall fashion so much more as well. Fall is so exciting for back to school, for what I would eventually like to do I will be in school for like 9, 10 years. But I also love being in school
    xJennaD

    ReplyDelete
  9. Okay, you pull off that hat amazingly well. Like, amazingly.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm an October baby too! And I love fall so much. I really enjoy this outfit. Your hat is so fun!

    ReplyDelete